Jinger Duggar Vuolo's Childhood Friend Predicts Fallout From Her Upcoming Book
For most women, wearing pants, listening to pop music, and living in a major city wouldn't be considered anything special. For Jinger Duggar Vuolo, however, these are major life changes that signal a shift away from her childhood. Long considered the "rebel" of the Duggar family, Jinger began defying her parents' rules on clothing, music, and other lifestyle choices not long after she married her husband, Jeremy Vuolo (via Cafe Mom). Now the couple are raising their daughters in L.A., far from the sheltered small town Arkansas life Jinger once led.
But her new life is also empowering Jinger to speak her truth in other ways. Following the publication of a children's book and a memoir about her marriage, Jinger's newest book release promises to be even more explosive: Titled "Becoming Free Indeed," the book is a direct slap at her parents' ultra-fundamentalist religious group, the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). Per the publisher's description, Jinger believed that the only way to earn God's blessing was to obey her father without question and follow the church's rules on clothing, education, and courtship. Her husband and one of her brothers-in-law helped her discover how little those rules had to do with Biblical teachings.
Duggar fans are now wondering not only what the book will say, but how Jinger's family will react. Will this latest act of rebellion be more than her parents can tolerate? A new interview with one of Jinger's oldest friends offers a clue.
Jinger Duggar Vuolo's book could cut her off from her family
Mary Murphy once belonged to the Institute in Basic Life Principles, and was extremely close to Jinger Duggar Vuolo and her sisters. However, as an adult, Murphy distanced herself from the IBLP and was excommunicated, effectively cutting her off from the Duggars. Now the host of a podcast that explores the dangers of religious cults, Murphy spoke exclusively to The U.S. Sun about Jinger's book.
Could Jinger's revelations create a rift as big as the one between Prince Harry and the royal family? That depends on what she has to say, Murphy explained. "Is the memoir a tell-all? Will Jinger call [parents] Michelle and Jim Bob out? If so, the likelihood of Jim Bob shutting Jinger out and cutting her off raises," she said. On the other hand, if Jinger paints her dad as a good man following a misguided religion, she should stay in his good graces. Whatever the outcome, Murphy is proud of her old friend for speaking out and hopes that in time, the other 18 Duggar children will follow suit. "I do think it's probable. It's just going to take some time," she said.
Whatever the outcome, Jinger Vuolo won't be the first to criticize the IBLP publicly. In addition to outlets such as Murphy's podcast and the Without a Crystal Ball YouTube channel, Variety reported last year that Amazon Studios is working on a docuseries that could be the "LuLaRich" of the Duggars' extremist church.