Amy Duggar Reveals if She’s Spoken to Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar Since Explosive Doc

In the first episode of Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War, Amy Duggar reads a statement from her uncle and aunt, Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar, about their feelings regarding the first season that exposed Duggar family secrets and their involvement in the Institute of Basic Life Principles.

Jim Bob and Michelle called out those with “ill intentions hurting people we love” and expressed their desire to handle family matters in private. Amy rolled her eyes and quipped, “He [Jim Bob] ticks me off. He just does.”

Amy, Jim Bob and Michelle’s niece, was one of the key figures to speak out in Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, alongside Jill Duggar, one of Jim Bob and Michelle’s 19 kids. Amy spoke with TV Insider about where her relationship stands with Jim Bob and Michelle today.

Have she spoken to them since the release of Shiny Happy People Season 1? “I have not, unfortunately,” Amy said. “For me, it’s just, I’m going to protect my child, I’m going to protect my peace, and I’m going to just move forward. In that letter that I read that he put out to the press or whatever, it said that he wishes that we could do this in house, get everything not in the open. And it’s like, well, that’s what got you in trouble in the first place, sir. And I don’t think that is the healthy way to go.”

When asked if she thinks she’ll ever see them again, Amy responded, “I don’t live far from them, so if I did see them, I’d be cordial. I’m not a mean person, so I’ve definitely been cordial. But at the same time, boundaries have been drawn, and I’m not about to move that line.”

The Duggars were one of the most recognizable names in reality TV because of their hit TLC show 19 Kids and Counting. However, the show was canceled in 2015 due to Josh Duggar‘s molestation scandal. (Josh is Jim Bob and Michelle’s eldest child. He is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence after being found guilty of receiving and possessing child pornography.)

Shiny Happy People Season 1 revealed new details about the shocking situation, and Jill Duggar opened up about being one of her brother’s victims. Amy is still close to Jill today, and they bonded over participating in the documentary. “I think we talked a lot just the two of us and just kind of shared the things that we were worried about, or things that we were thinking, and just wanted to make sure that it like comes out in a good light. And it did,” Amy explained.

As for the rest of the Duggar family, Amy revealed what the dynamic is like today. “I’ve said hi to Joe, who I love. I’ve said hi to James a couple of times,” Amy told TV Insider. “But honestly, everybody is growing up. We’re all having their own lives. Jessa, I don’t even know how many kids she has now. It’s so many. Everyone’s got their own lives, and I think it’s okay to say that was a time in our life, and I wish we could still be very close with all of them, but that was a time in our life… and I talked more about that in my book, but I feel like it’s okay to grow up. It’s okay to have different opinions and if they don’t match, that’s okay.”

Related

Will There Be a 'Shiny Happy People' Season 3? Amy Duggar Spills (Exclusive)

Jill penned the best-selling memoir Counting the Cost, which was released in 2024. Amy is now writing one as well, Holy Disruptor: Shattering the Shiny Facade While Getting Louder with the Truth, which will be released on October 14. Amy teased that she dives into her family’s “generational curses.” She added, “It’s going to be a page turner.”

Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War, Streaming Now, Prime Video