Before Jill Duggar released her tell-all memoir Counting the Cost, with writing support from her husband Derick Dillard and Craig Borlase, she was the only Duggar to participate in Prime Video’s explosive docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets.

The Duggars rose to popularity in TLC’s 2008 reality show 19 Kids and Counting, which followed the large family, led by parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, in their day-to-day lives and their participation in Bill Gothard’s cult-like church, The Institute in Basic Life Principle.

The program ran for 10 seasons before being canceled by the network after one of the children, Josh Duggar, was revealed to have sexually abused multiple girls in his adolescence. 

Jill Duggar was the only one of her siblings to participate in the docuseries, and she didn’t hold back.

The reality star revealed that she was coerced into being interviewed by Fox News reporter Megyn Kelly in 2015 about her experience as victim of abuse from her brother. “We were forced to relive that trauma and downplay it. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have done the Megyn Kelly stuff,” Duggar said, adding that she felt as though she needed to “take the fall” for their reality show.

Additionally, Duggar shared that TLC forced her to film her birth and refused to properly compensate her for the invasive camera time, stating that they already paid her parents. She also opened up about her difficult experience leaving the family church.

Now, Duggar is continuing to tell her story with the recent release of her debut novel.

Gallery Books released the memoir on September 12, 2023, teasing that Duggar and her husband “are finally ready to share their story, revealing the secrets, manipulation, and intimidation behind the show that remained hidden from their fans.”

For those waiting for their copy of the book to arrive, or desperately seeking more information following their read, we heavily recommend checking out Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets as it gave Duggar the agency to reclaim her space in the small screen after having suffered on the screens of millions of viewers for nearly a decade during TLC’s trashiest reality TV era.

Counting the Cost can be purchased at major book retailers and Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets is currently streaming on Prime Video.