Amy King is a cousin in the Duggar family. Her mother Deanna Jordan is the sister of famous patriarch Jim Bob Duggar and the two would appear on 19 Kids and Counting during its original TLC run. But Deanna is a divorcée and Amy has been known for more normalized behaviors like wearing pants, even during the original run of the series. Now she’s speaking out and calling her role in the show “a distraction.”
In a longer interview where Amy also touched on her cousin Josh’s molestation report and current prison sentence, she admitted her time on TLC was uncomfortable. She told Vanity Fair she was “was a fish out of water all the time” during the tenure of that series (she later appeared on Counting On too, though in a lesser capacity). Looking back on her time as a reality TV star, she said she now believes she was used by the series to cover some of the more cringe-worthy things going on with the Duggars.
My uncle had control over a lot of the show, [including] what happened and who was on it. Why else would I be targeted like that? There was a major thing going on that could be detrimental to the wealth of the show, and the popularity of the show.
In her interview, she specifically cited wearing pants and giving normal hugs (rather than side hugs) as things that separated her from her famous cousins, and that were highlighted as part of the show avoiding some of the IBLP and Josh Duggar stuff that was really happening off camera.
To be honest with you, I’m more prone to remembering some of the odd courting moments on 19 Kids and Counting and its previous iterations than I am Amy Duggar King doing things like wearing pants. However, it is worth noting the daughters of Jim Bob and Michelle have made headlines in recent years for stepping out of their comfort zones. It was a big deal when Jessa and others tried pants for the first time, for example,
These small rebellions may not seem to be a big deal but they definitely separate the Duggar daughters from the IBLP principles they grew up with. A Duggar book years ago mentioned the rules for dressing the women in the family were supposed to follow – and it distinctly mentioned skirts below the knee. It was only four months ago that Joy-Anna Duggar opened herself up to wearing pants. So these freedoms for the women in the Duggar family to wear shorts and more are still fairly new.
Now, however, daughters like Jill and Jinger are taking their lives into their own hands. They are still believers in Jesus, but they have spoken out about the practices of the IBLP in new interviews. Jinger Duggar Vuolo has also published a book, with Jill Duggar Dillard set to follow.
As for Amy King, she also spoke out about the IBLP in the recent streaming documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. She said she did so despite the fact it may have ramifications with her familial relationships.
I looked around and my mom and I were like ‘Who is speaking out? Who is saying how wrong this is?’ And really, there weren’t many who were. It was just like, ‘Do we close our eyes and act like it’s not happening?’ Or do we say, ‘It’s happening and here’s the atomic bomb,’ and let the pieces fall where they may?’
She and Jill both appeared in the doc to speak about their experiences, which bleeds into some of what TLC aired as part of 19 Kids’ run up until its cancellation in 2015 after Josh’s molestation report came to light. Jill remembered being a part of the IBLP “as early as [she] can remember” but her tell-all book should get more into detail about the experiences she was involved in as a church member and a reality TV star.
