Jill Duggar Dillard and Husband Seen Mingling with Her Estranged Dad Jim Bob in Brother James’ Christmas Photos

Mar. 15, 2025

Jill Duggar Dillard; Jim Bob Duggar.Photo:Jill Duggar/ Instagram; Duggar Fam/ Instagram

Jill Duggar/ Instagram; Duggar Fam/ Instagram

Jill Duggar Dillardand her estranged father,Jim Bob Duggar, appeared to spend some rare time together during the Christmas season.

“The best time of the year!!!” James captioned the festive post, which also included snaps ofJessa Duggarand husbandBen Seewald, John Duggar and wife Abbie’sson Charlie,Jason DuggarandJeremiah Duggar.

Top left: Jim Bob Duggar talks to Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband, Derick.James Duggar/Instagram

James Duggar/Instagram

Over the years, Jill — one ofJim Bob and Michelle’s 19 children— has been open about her disdain for her upbringing and her parents’ involvement in the religious organization Institute in Basic Life Principles.

“My dad even said somewhat recently on a family group text, he was like, ‘You owe your life to Mr. Gothard,’ " she told PEOPLE. “I’m like, ‘No,’ I think that you just have to not look at the sugarcoating, or whatever. They try and gloss it up and repackage it. But you have to look at the long haul, how it really flushed out. What do these principles look like.”

Jill also shared that filming her family’s reality shows —19 Kids and Countingand its spinoffCounting On —took a tollon her relationshipwith Derick as shestruggled to say “no” to her fatherand the filming demands.

“It definitely got between us,” she said of how she and Derick began fighting over the show. “No matter your age, you are to obey your parents’ wishes and you even have to ask them for their blessing for any major moment in your life. That could be buying a house, moving to a different state, where to go to school. We were dealing with this a lot when we were trying to make decisions for our family, and we were really wrestling back and forth with it.”

Derick added that Jim Bob would “weaponize the relationship and say, ‘Is this you, Jill, or is this you, Derick? Are you leading your wife astray and doing things that are not supportive of marriage?’ "

Jill and Derickgot married in 2014and share three children: Israel David, Samuel Scott and Frederick Michael.

In January 2024, Jill said on theUnplanned Podcastthat she couldn’t remember the last time she saw her parents, although they have spoken since the release of her 2023 tell-all book.

When asked if they’ve read it, she said, “I’ve heard that they did … They, like, listened to it on an audiobook or something.”

“They’re my parents. I’m gonna tread lightly. I also don’t want to create more controversy,” she added. “It’s kind of like when you get together on the holidays, and there are certain things that you don’t want to just bring up. It’s probably a sore subject.”

Jill and Derick tried to remember when they last saw Jim Bob andMichellein person.

The daughter insisted that it was sometime after thebirth of their youngest sonin July 2022.

source: people.com