What Amy Duggar's Life Is Like After Breaking Away From Her Counting On Cousins
Amy Duggar rose to fame thanks to her association with Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their many children. She was featured on their TLC reality shows, "19 Kids and Counting" and "Counting On," and became an interesting figure because she was different from her relatives (in her own words, she has been described as the family's black sheep). But a lot has changed since those years when the Duggars first appeared on television, and Amy has since distanced herself.
And she now knows exactly who she is! "I would say that I'm not a black sheep," she told Hollywood Life. "And I think that is well known now that I'm not, but I'm also a firecracker, and I'm OK to be a little rattlesnake and to just be who I am. It's OK to be outspoken. I think that I was surrounded by people that were soft-spoken and so of course I looked a lot louder than I honestly really am, but I am not afraid to speak the truth, and I'm not afraid to use my voice for good."
She's passionate, and she's vocal about what she believes. And who knows, she may even get her own show in the future (she's certainly open to the possibility). Let's discuss what Amy Duggar's life is like now and explore what she has been up to...
Amy Duggar has been vocal about the distance between herself and her cousins
Fans of Amy Duggar have seen her on television and noted how different from her cousins she is. But during her TLC days, she did appear to have a close bond with the other Duggars, and it would have been difficult to predict the changes in their relationship that were to come. Fast forward to the present day, and it's clear that Amy has distanced herself from her cousins. But how does she feel about these changes? And is she missing her large extended family?
If her comments to Entertainment Tonight in 2020 are anything to go by, then Amy is doing well; she's in a good place. "I think we are all just trying to find our path and we're all just doing things differently," she told Entertainment Tonight. "I'm doing things differently and I'm happy where I'm at. I'm happy for them. Things are definitely different, but I'm happy for everybody."
She is close to Jill Duggar (who is also estranged from the family)
Amy Duggar may no longer be close with most of the members of the Duggar household, but there is one cousin that she has a strong bond with, and that's Jill Duggar. Or shall we say, Jill Dillard? Because the reality TV star married Derick Dillard in 2014 and took his last name.
Jill has had her own issues with the family, including conflict with her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, but she and Amy have kept in contact. "Jill and I text, not on a daily basis, but we text quite often," Amy told Entertainment Tonight. "And we discuss things." Could one of the things they are discussing be starting their own reality TV show? In an interview with The Sun, Amy was asked if she would join forces with Jill, to which she replied: "Heck yeah! Jill let's go, let's do it!"
As for what Jill Duggar's relationship with her parents is like? She has criticized their parenting and the power that they have held over her and Derick. "Our control to choose what jobs we were allowed to accept and even where we were allowed to live was taken away from us," she told People. "The first few years of our marriage, we spent time and money working towards opportunities only to hit a dead end when we'd be told, 'Well, you're not allowed to do that.'"
Motherhood has been good for her, but she doesn't plan on a large family
While many of the Duggar family members decide to have multiple children, Amy Duggar has focused on having a much smaller family. She and her husband, Dillon King, had their first child, a son named Daxton Ryan King, in 2019.
Motherhood was something that Amy was excited about. "I've always wanted to be a boy mom! Dillon builds lifted trucks, so I can just imagine how suped-up the Power Wheels will be," she told People ahead of the birth of her child. "We just can't wait for this little ball of energy to arrive! He's already named, so let all the embroidery begin. I am so obsessed with baby bath robes!"
Still, being a mother is not easy, and giving birth can be incredibly taxing on the body. This is something Amy has acknowledged. In a post on Instagram, she wrote: "I'm a very hands-on mom, and I also want to give my son my full attention. This toddler stage is so amazing, and I don't want to miss a thing! A women's (sic) body is not a factory!! Yes, our bodies can do miraculous things! But I hate that phrase 'pop out' umm. No. It's WORK. And our bodies go through a lot!" She also shared how she was happy with one child (she was an only child herself), writing how they were "teetering on that idea."
Amy Duggar has tried Botox, and she's impressed with the results
What draws people to Amy Duggar is how open and honest she is. There are few topics off the table, even if she does tend to overshare some information. For example, telling Entertainment Tonight how she and her husband, Dillon King, were "really good at practicing" their baby-making activities. There are many aspects of her life that she's willing to share with the public, including her willingness to try Botox. And yes, she was impressed with the results.
"Sharing my Botox results!! I couldn't be happier!" she wrote on Instagram while posting a before and after photograph.
You are unlikely to see any of Amy's cousins discussing procedures like this, but she has always been a bit different from her cousins. "What makes me a rebel?" Amy asked in an interview with People in 2016. "I love the Lord and I love my family. I'm just not born to live exactly the way they do. For me, growing up was all about shorts, tank tops, country songs and boyfriends. I became known as the rebellious one without even really being rebellious."
She tried to support Anna Duggar and even invited her to her home
The biggest scandal involving the Duggar family revolves around Josh Duggar. Without going into details about his indiscretions, we will tell you that Amy Duggar has been very vocal about how she thinks her cousin deserves the utmost punishment for his crimes.
"Hopeful for the maximum sentence this court can offer..." she shared on Instagram in 2022. "I suspect this will be the first of many judgements against this lost soul. Sadly I do believe this is far from over. This in no way equals justice for his victims and the innocence that was stolen from them, but it is necessary for Josh to finally pay for the sinful crimes he has committed."
Despite her feelings toward Josh, Amy has tried to help his wife, Anna Duggar, and their children. "I've tried. I've tried to text her. Well, at first it was 'I love you. I'm here for you. Please let me know how I can like help you through this,' and I got no response," she told The Sun. "Then my second one was an 'I'm speaking out of love to you. I'm trying to get through to you. Your Universe is a safe place. We are a safe place if you need to take your children somewhere.'" Sadly, Anna did not reply to Amy Duggar's offer to house her and her kids.
Amy Duggar would like to return to television but with a very different reality show
Amy Duggar has her fan following for a reason. People are still interested in what she says, even without her association with Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their children. She appeared on their TLC shows and is no stranger to reality TV. But have you ever wondered what a show focused on Amy would be like? Would she be showing fans a new side to her and her family? Or will she keep that brand of openness and honesty that everyone has come to like about her so much?
Amy told The Sun she would be eager for her own show and revealed what fans could expect. "I would make sure it was real. There are no skeletons in these closets. I would make it like Kardashians," she said. "Not every day is rosy and beautiful. There are days I can't stand my husband. It's normal. Then there are days I can't live without him. That's normal marriage. People respect and love authenticity. You have to be transparent with people. That's what I would sign up for. Transparency."
Her business is thriving
Amy Duggar is more than a former reality TV star, she's also a businesswoman, and her online clothing boutique, Thirty1Thirty, is thriving.
In October 2018, the news broke that Amy would open her clothing store. In December of that same year, she shared photos of the boutique on Instagram. And her cousin, Jessa Duggar Seewald, also showed her support for Amy's new business venture. She posted her own photos on Instagram. "Y'all, it's been a long time coming, but they did it. A Duggar girl and her husband just launched their very own clothing store in our childhood hometown!" Jessa wrote at the time.
"It has grown so much online that we were like, 'Why am I here in store if I don't have to be?' I can be with my son more. That's the most important thing to me," Amy told The Sun in 2022. She also revealed she had big plans for the future, including an updated website and more affordable prices. Yet at the same time, she remains focused on bringing her customers the quality they have come to expect. "Thirty1Thirty is for the everyday mom and millennial. You can wear them to church, out. It's comfortable. There are a lot of pockets in my dresses!" she added.
She has voiced her disdain for Jim Bob Duggar's rules
Jim Bob Duggar is the patriarch of the Duggar family, and it's well known he sets many rules his wife and children follow. Amy also tried to abide by these rules for a long time, not to the same extent as his children, because she did not grow up with the same conservative values, but out of respect for their views. Now, her approach is quite different.
"I would try not to wear something that showed my shoulders, I wouldn't show my knees," Amy told The Sun. "I did try to respect it to a point ... I wasn't going to show them my kind of style and all that, so it was a really weird balance." She is also aware of why her cousins did follow the rules set out for them by their father and noted that it's not as easy as everyone thinks to stop or say "no."
"It's so ingrained in their minds from when they're very young that they follow the rules, that they follow them and will respect them," she said. "[They're told] 'you will love your father and mother, and you will respect them and don't ask questions... Even for me, I didn't ask any questions for the longest time. I didn't understand it, but I didn't want to ruffle those feathers." Although she is not trying to please anyone these days, least of all, Jim Bob!
Amy Duggar has opened up about how her relatives viewed her as a bad influence
It is no secret that Amy Duggar was often seen as the rebel of the family, although many people would think her childhood was completely normal. She is the first to admit there are differences between how she was raised and the rules her cousins had to follow. She has also acknowledged that her relatives viewed her as the "black sheep."
"I was in jeans and bright-colored shirts climbing trees. I was a wild tomboy. I loved nature and being outside. I loved music, I could date. I would do all the things normal kids and teenagers would do," Amy told The Sun of her childhood. "I was extremely known as the black sheep. They would never say black sheep, but I was like the wild cousin."
At the time, being viewed as different or "wild" was difficult for Amy to comprehend. She also told The Sun that there were many things that she could not do with her cousins, for example, stay over. However, she now realizes that their portrayal of her like this was "a protective measure."
She's been showing her support for her husband, Dillon King's business ventures
Amy Duggar appears to be happily married to Dillon King, and one of the things that stand out about their relationship is how supportive they are of each other. She has shared her support for King's business ventures online. As for what he does? He has a restaurant called Wellington's located in Springdale, Arkansas. It was later revealed that Wellington's opened a second location in Rodgers, Arkansas.
"We have a 3,000-square-foot restaurant. It's high profile and super nice. Our new location has 9,000 square feet. It's on top of a very tall building so it has beautiful scenery," Amy told The Sun in 2022. "We're looking into Tampa, Florida, for Wellington's as well. Wellington's is looking forward to expanding!"
Still, her life is not perfect; neither is her marriage. Plus, running a business also has its unique challenges, and Amy has shared how it has impacted her life and marriage. "Y'all, owning a business in general is hard work, and throw in a pandemic it's so stressful — which makes life hard, marriage hard, parenting hard," she wrote on Instagram in 2021 (via CafeMom). "I'm tired, stressed, and to be honest some days just feel like I'm drowning (sic)."
She is more open than ever, including sharing private details about her marriage
Amy Duggar is incredibly honest about most things (if not all) in her life, and this approach makes her all the more likable. One of the topics she regularly discusses is her marriage with Dillon King, which sometimes includes more personal details.
"Oh, all the time," she told People in 2018 about how frequent their bedroom activities were. "All the time. You can't hide that. You can't hide that." Later in the interview, she also shared her husband's preferences. "He does like candlelight," she said. "I have a built-in masseuse as a husband. He's incredible." Perhaps some fans could have gone without knowing that information, but Amy is candid. This includes her willingness to share how her relationship is far from perfect. But they work at it.
"We own 3 businesses, and we are one busy couple, but you know what, when there's a lull in our relationship, we don't just ignore it," she wrote on Instagram in 2022. "We talk about what each other needs. We communicate and get to work. Marriage takes a ton of work, understanding and patience. I'm grateful to do the highs and lows of life (sic)."
Amy Duggar's mom continues to be a source of inspiration in her life
Have you ever wondered how Amy Duggar is associated with Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar? For those unaware, she is the daughter of Deanna Jordan, Jim Bob's sister. However, her mother chose to raise her differently from how her cousins grew up.
"I didn't grow up in a strict house," she told The Sun. "Mine was more like, I had rock music, I wore swimsuits, kissed boys, and kind of lived life. But it had to be taken aback whenever I went to my cousins' house." Although she had to be more reserved when spending time with her cousins, and she tried to respect their lifestyle choices, Amy clearly had a very different experience than they did. She is thankful to her mother for how she raised her, including allowing her to show her positive and negative emotions.
In a touching post on Instagram from 2021, Amy wrote, "Thankful for you and how you taught me it's ok to express my emotions. I can't imagine being controlled in every way possible including my honest feelings. Being 'happy' all the time isn't attainable. That's not how life is and you shouldn't have to force a smile if that's not how you're truly feeling. I will teach my son that being authentic is what the Lord asks of us."