Though they've enjoyed a career on reality TV for over a decade, the Duggar family is a pretty controversial bunch. Their beliefs and lifestyle, which are publicly championed by Jim Bob and Michelle, are both so much different than the way most of us are used to living. And through the years, that's definitely rubbed people the wrong way. Plenty of fans have had enough and ended up quitting Counting On at some point, and certain celebrities have spoken out about their disdain for the oversized family, too.
It's not just the way they live their lives, though. Certain scandals have prompted stars to make a statement. From the time that Derick Dillard took to Twitter to bully Jazz Jennings for being transgender to Josh Duggar's molestation scandal and everything in between, it's become important to certain celebs to make sure their fans know they don't condone the Duggars.
Read on for all the celebrities who have shaded the Duggar family. Some of these comments are a little harsh, but it's easy to understand where these stars are coming from.
Mama June
After finding out about Josh Duggar's molestation scandal, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star "Mama June" Shannon had a few choice words for the family while talking to TMZ.
"I read that the Duggar family said, this happening with their son brought them closer to God and each other," she told the outlet. "So they're saying it's OK to have family touch time? Hell no."
Ryan Reynolds
Actor Ryan Reynolds seemed to be anti-Duggar himself after he found out what happened with Josh, too. As the situation unfolded, Ryan tweeted out a link about the goings on, though he didn't offer any of his own commentary.
Dan Savage
That article that Ryan tweeted out? Yep, that was about what Dan Savage, who is famous for his activism and journalism, had to say on the topic of Josh's scandal. During an appearance on All In With Chris Hayes, Dan talked about the hypocrisy of the Duggars
"Particularly when religious conservatives want to talk about it, they want to point a finger at non-family," he said, reports The Advocate. "They want to point a finger at people that they define as the enemies of families or not from or having families of their own — LGBT people, particularly trans people increasingly with these anti-trans bathroom bills. And that is what the Duggars have dug in on is attacking trans people and opposing this LGBT civil rights bill in Fayetteville where they were out there arguing that the threat to little girls in Fayetteville were transwomen when they knew, when they were covering for someone who had demonstrated, at least at that age, was a threat to little girls himself."
Montel Williams
Television host Montel Williams has spoken out about the way Michelle and Jim Bob handled the situation involving Josh and their daughters, comparing them to Warren Jeffs, the convicted leader of a fundamentalist polygamist sect.
"These are people who basically said they thought they could be as preachy as they wanted because the records were sealed, these are people who seemingly minimize what happened in their home and essentially sent a message to their daughters to smile, nod and forgive," Montel wrote in a 2015 Facebook post. "It's eerily reminiscent of the 'keep sweet' mantra in Warren Jeffs' FLDS. Nothing about these people is real. Nothing about these people isn't hypocritical."
Jazz Jennings
Going all the way back to 2017, trans TLC reality star Jazz Jennings was the subject of attack by Derick Dillard, who tweeted that being transgender was a myth. Even though she was a teenager, Jazz still fired back, tweeting in response: "Every day I experience cyber-bullying, but I keep sharing my story. Today was no different."
Nate Berkus
Nate Berkus and his husband, Jeremiah Brent, were also the victims of tweets from Derick in 2018. He called them "a travesty of a family," accusing TLC of pushing a "liberal agenda."
Nate fired back with a tweet of his own, writing: "My hope with having a show like #NandJByDesign on @TLC, where we go into people’s homes and welcome viewers into ours, is that we can start to break down barriers & normalize the way our family looks & the way our family loves."
Sheryl Underwood
Host of The Talk, Sheryl Underwood opened up on the show about Josh's molestation scandal as a survivor herself, and about how Jim Bob and Michelle failed to protect their daughters.
"[Jessa and Jill] really helped the world, to see what happens to people when they're in some type of family structure when the people you're supposed to trust to protect you seem to be your co-conspirator in your violation, [who] seem to rationalize sexual assault and molestation," Sheryl said at the time, reports People.
Andy Cohen
Sheryl isn't the only one who has taken issue with Jim Bob and Michelle. After their interview aired on Fox News, Andy Cohen took to Twitter to share his thoughts, writing, "The 19 kids might've been an initial clue that something was off but listening to the Duggars defense was sad & painful. I hate hypocrites."
And Even More Comments
Andy had more to say on the subject of Josh's scandal, sharing his feelings about Josh's moral failings when he's spent his career trying to take down the LGBT community. We can't blame Andy for feeling this way — or for being so vocal about his opinion after everything that went down.
Bette Midler
After Josh's scandal, he resigned from his job at the Family Research Council, a fundamentalist lobbying and activist organization, and that led Bette Midler to tweet how ironic she found the situation. "Josh Duggar resigned from an anti-gay 'family' group due to molestation allegations," she tweeted in 2015. "Kids, is there anything more delicious than irony?"
Jax Taylor
In 2017, Vanderpump Rules star Jax Taylor shared a sassy tweet of his own about Jill and Derick, responding to a photo Jill posted when she and Derick had gotten engaged.
"Sweetie I wouldn't brag about that speck of dust on your finger. You married a delusional piece of s–t, and he's probably hiding he's [gay]," Jax wrote. No holding back there!
Whoopi Goldberg
Add Whoopi Goldberg to the list of celebrities who have disagreed with how Michelle and Jim Bob parent — particularly how they handled Josh's scandals.
"I know this is your son and I know that you're trying, and this was many years ago," Whoopi said on an episode of The View. "But don't downplay this, especially after what you guys have done in the name of Christianity and God to other people. My point is, don't play the Christian card like that … don't bring up God. God made all of us, and God doesn't make mistakes."
Bill Maher
This guy didn't hold back! On an episode of his show, Real Time With Bill Maher, Bill Maher shared his true feelings about the family after Josh had been exposed as part of the Ashley Madison hack.
"To me, these are the biggest freaks in the world," he said at the time. "[The father] is always leering, because he's married to the wife. 19 kids and he still wants to get in there?" Ouch.
Patti Stanger
It sounds like this celebrity matchmaker thought that the Duggars might approach who they accept a bit differently if they were truly following Jesus. In 2015, Patti Stanger tweeted, "Will the #Duggars stop using Jesus as an excuse for everything they are not God if jesus were here today he'd say go @Caitlyn_Jenner go!"
Dr. Drew Pinsky
Going all the way back to 2015, Dr. Drew Pinsky shared his thoughts on Josh's molestation scandal with Extra.
At the time, he said: "The reality is from the beginning we knew there was something wrong. This was a young male molesting younger females. That is a profound problem. You don't pray that away, you don't parent that away."
