It’s been a big couple of weeks for Duggar family rumors. There’s been the claim that Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo might be getting divorced and another claim about Duggar estrangement involving sister Jessa and the rest of the Seewald clan. However, in both cases, instead of remaining silent, the two sisters have seemingly responded, though one was far subtler than the other.
Jinger actually responded to divorce rumors head-on, so let’s deep dive into those first.
Is Jinger Vuolo Divorcing Jeremy Vuolo?
Jinger and Jeremy have been side-by-side a lot in recent months as the Duggar daughter published a book, Becoming Free Indeed, and spoke her truth about growing up under the “disturbing” and strict rules of Bob Gothard’s IBLP (Institute in Basic Life Principles). However, that hasn’t stopped rumors from rolling around about marriage troubles, and the two actually addressed those candidly. In fact, they took to YouTube live, where they were asked about the alleged issues.
Comments on the post varied, and many were about Jinger’s personal journey in Christianity, but a few of them did address the perceived rumors:
- Are you two splitting up and ending your marriage? I pray you are not. Your marriage has been a great example for young people.
- They are going strong! Don't believe gossip guys.
Given the chatter, Jeremy ultimately answered the fan question, straight up stating, "We’re not getting divorced." Shortly after Jinger also touched her husband's knee and then noted, "We're fine; we're great. We love being with each other."
Intriguingly, it was a trip that was seemingly taken without Jeremy that led to these rumors. In several posts Jinger was spotted without her wedding ring, including in one photo that was taken with her mom and sisters. That same post actually tied in with previous rumors stating Jessa had been avoiding her family for some time.
Jessa Seewald Estrangement Claims
A few days ago a Duggar image dropped that got more traction than any I can remember at least since Josh’s trial, when Anna Duggar went viral for standing by her husband’s side on the way into court. You may have already seen the image; Jessa Duggar Seewald posted it, and it featured all nine sisters coming together with their mom, Michelle. The photo went viral, not simply because it was a reunion, but because mom Michelle relaxed the family’s no-pants rule and threw on some sweats. However, it also comes off like the post was a careful way to clap back at estrangement rumors. Take a look.
While it’s a cute family reunion (and one that seemingly makes it look like Jinger doesn't have on a ring), she also captioned the post, “The older everyone gets, the busier life gets,” which comes off like a direct reference to some of the stories that have been written recently about how Jessa, her husband Ben and their kids may be “estranged” from the larger clan. Reports at In Touch and elsewhere keep indicating the couple has been skipping family events, including a fall festival in November of 2022 and even holiday parties in December of last year.
Reports also indicated that Ben preached a sermon in which he warned about people who showed one face publicly and another privately, which mirrors comments Jinger Vuolo and her husband Jeremy have made about her parents and Josh.
In the case of the Seewalds, neither have publicly commented on these claims, but Jessa posting a clear reunion photo with the ladies in her family and commenting the way she did came off like a response to these estrangement claims. It definitively proves she is not estranged from the women in her family, though with Josh in jail and Jim Bob not involved in the photos, there’s still a chance that certain members of the family are not seeing eye-to-eye.
There was friction between certain members of the Duggar family even before Josh’s legal troubles led to his current prison stint. Jill and Derick Dillard actually left Counting On over feeling like they were being controlled. Jinger and Jeremy also addressed there are, in fact, “issues” that have cropped up between varying factions of the family, noting in the previously mentioned Q&A:
Even throughout like the past several years we’ve had differences on little things and we’ve sought to share that with my family and I think that them knowing how I get to these conclusions is important to me. That’s something I wanted to do from the start: to be upfront.
Jinger also mentioned she and the family had just gotten back from Arkansas in her video from a few days ago, which ties in further with the timeline of events surrounding Jessa’s reunion post. Ergo, whether or not there are any lingering problems within the family, two things do seem clear to me: the women in the family are still putting in the effort while making it clear what their own paths should be moving forward. That’s a very different narrative from what we saw from them back in the 19 Kids and Counting days.
