Amy Duggar King.Photo:Prime Video
Prime Video
Amy (Duggar) Kingwill not let her uncleJim Bob Duggarand his wifeMichelleshy away from scrutiny easily.
Nearly two weeks after the release of Prime Video’s four-episode docuseriesShiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, which digs into the dark story behind the19 Kids and Countingfamily, King thinks the documentary was a “chance to kind of be humble” for Jim Bob, 57, and Michelle, 56.
Ahead of the series' release, the Duggar parents issued astatementtheir website: “The recent ‘documentary’ that talks about our family is sad because in it we see the media and those with ill intentions hurting people we love. Like other families, ours too has experienced the joys and heartbreaks of life, just in a very public format. This ‘documentary’ paints so much and so many in a derogatory and sensationalized way because sadly that’s the direction of entertainment these days.”
But King, 36, has continued to push back, saying she feels like her relatives are “gaslighting.”
Michelle Duggar and Jim Bob Duggar.Peter Kramer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Peter Kramer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Amy toldEntertainment Tonight Canadaof the exposé:“I feel like this is the moment where [Jim Bob and Michelle] could have said, like, ‘We made mistakes,’ right? I mean, it’s for the whole world to see. The entire world is seeing this documentary. Or I hope so. And for me, I was just like,It’s your chance to kind of be humble about it.”
She continued, “And instead, not once did they mention the survivors, not once did they show any kind of turmoil or… it’s like they don’t believe it.”
“They just, like, are living in like, you know, their head in the clouds and not really thinking of the people that are actually hurting that went through hell, including their own daughters,” she added. You know, it’s just really sad. And for me, it is gaslighting. It’s just completely being narcissistic about it.”
She said she believes her uncle and his wife’s mindset “will not change,” as long as they’re “in the ideal” or “believe a certain way.”
Ida Mae Astute/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty
The Duggars raised their children in a strict independent Baptist environment as devout followers of theInstitute in Basic Life Principles(IBLP) — an environment that daughterJinger (Duggar) Vuolo, 29, previously characterized as"cult-like"to PEOPLE.
“It’s just so sad. It doesn’t have to be like this,” King said. “You know, I wish it didn’t have to be like this. But if you’re not going to speak the truth and be honest, then obviously the truth is going to come out somehow.”
She also shared that she and her cousin Jill, 32, are frequently in touch: “We talk quite a bit. We have play dates with our boys and we text and we encourage each other.”
King has a son —Daxton, 3 — with her husbandDillon. Dillard sharesthree sons— Israel, 8, Samuel, 5 andFreddy, 11 months — with her husbandDerick Dillard.
“I’m always on her team, and I’m always on anyone’s team that’s going to get out of this,” she said of Jill. “I’m your cheerleader for life if you realize you don’t have to live this way.”
King has publicly criticized Jim Bob and Michelle previously — in aTikTok videolast week, shecalled them outfor enabling their daughters’ abuse through their “sweep it under the rug” and “brush it off” mentality.
“It all kind of boils down to this, right?” she said in the video. “If you’re not going to protect those beautiful daughters from a predator that was living inside of your home and you knew about it, and you’re gonna sweep it under the rug and your mentality is kinda just to brush it off and to hide it and to lie, not only do I not respect you anymore, but I also don’t want to give you a right to get to know my child. Because I will protect my child at all costs.”
“Forget all the other stuff, just focus on the fact that the abuse was hidden,” she continued. “I have to protect my son from you. ‘Cause something’s not right here. A lot of screws are loose.”
King also exclusively told PEOPLE in June that she feels she’s"condoning" abuseif she doesn’t speak out against her family and their beliefs.
“I don’t think anyone really likes their skeletons coming out of the closet. And I could see why people are going to be a little more reserved than maybe they already are,” she explained. “But the IBLP is not biblical, and it is hurting so many people, that, if I don’t speak up, then I’m condoning it. And I can’t be that person, I refuse to be that person.”
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Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secretsis now streaming on Prime Video.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
