Derick Dillard Clarifies He Wasn’t ‘Socializing’ with Jim Bob During Christmas
Derick Dillard is clarifying his interaction with Jim Bob Duggar, his father-in-law, during Christmas.
Dillard, 35, and his wife Jill Duggar, who is Jim Bob’s estranged daughter, were captured in an Instagram photo posted by Jill’s brother James Duggar on Christmas Day. The image shows Jill, 33, and Dillard’s three boys—Israel, 9, Samuel, 7, and Freddie, 2—sitting on a couch, seemingly engaged in conversation with the family patriarch.
This photo sparked rumors that Jim Bob, 59, and Jill may have reconciled, but Dillard insists that’s not the case. In a comment on People’s Instagram on Thursday, January 9, he denied the publication’s description of him and Jill as “mingling” with Jim Bob.
“For clarity, Jim Bob spoke to me for about 5 minutes on Christmas Day, and I do not hold him in high regard,” he stated. “I don’t believe that qualifies as ‘mingling.’ There were over 100 guests, the house is 8000 square feet, and Santa Claus was present, so this was not a typical close family gathering.”
Dillard noted that he is making an effort to maintain a cordial atmosphere for the sake of the family, but it should not be mistaken for anything more than that.
“I’ve had less than 10 minutes of conversation with him since our last visit to that house, which was more than a year ago,” he elaborated. “We’re making an effort to be civil for the family’s sake, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfectly fine, nor does it mean I won’t speak out when people distort the truth for their own agendas.”
Jill has previously disclosed the complexities of her relationship with her parents after the release of her 2023 memoir, Counting The Cost. In this book, the Counting On alum discusses her family’s ties to the controversial Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) and details her challenging upbringing as one of 19 children.
“I feel we are currently in a rebuilding phase while keeping healthy boundaries intact,” she mentioned on Instagram in November 2024. “We try to spend time together whenever it works well and we have the capacity to handle the dynamics.”
In January 2024, she expressed her belief that her parents were aware of the claims she made in Counting The Cost.
“I’ve heard that they did [read my Counting The Cost memoir],” she shared during the “Unplanned” podcast. “I heard they, like, listened to the audiobook. I’m not certain. … They are my parents, and I want to approach this delicately.”
She also reflected on her family relationships in the 2023 Prime Video docuseries, Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets.
“Family relationships were already somewhat strained,” she mentioned in the documentary. “The dynamics within the family have changed, and not for the better.”
