It's almost funny that a family who famously doesn't even kiss or full-on hug before getting married would be mired in so much controversy. But maybe it's precisely because of the Duggar family's ultra-conservative and Christian beliefs that they have been at the center of internet rage over some of their controversial comments. The public holds the former 19 Kids and Counting family to specific standards, and one "slipup" can send even the most loyal fans into a disappointed rage — one they are not too shy about spreading. Seriously, they have infuriated people more than a few times.
With their conservative views, how they raise their families, and just how they go about pretty much anything, there are plenty of people who don't agree with the things this family does or says. And those critics definitely aren't afraid to let their opinions known — that's for sure.
But no matter how much people don't quite agree with them, we have to admit that they were entertaining to watch. Reading through these blurbs proves that. Here are the most controversial Duggar quotes that totally freaked out people. It might be hard to pick the quote that is the most scandalous.
More from CafeMom: The Biggest Duggar Family Moments of 2022
Ben Seewald Doesn't Think Jessa Duggar Should Be Messed With
Back when they were dating, Ben Seewald and Jessa Duggar went on a (chaperoned) date to a gun store, where Ben snapped a picture of this firearm and captioned it on Facebook, "My awesome girlfriend, #DontmesswithJessa." Of course, a photo like this definitely created some controversy.
Michelle Duggar's Anti-LGBTQ Robocall
Michelle Duggar landed herself in hot water with LGBTQ defenders when she recorded a robocall in 2014 against a transgender rights bill for the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas.
In part, she said the bill would "allow men — yes, I said men — to use women's and girls' restrooms, locker rooms, showers, sleeping areas, and other areas that are designated for females only … I don't believe the citizens of Fayetteville would want males with past child predator convictions who claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls."
Ben's Anti-Catholic Rant
When he was still courting Jessa, Ben ranted on Facebook about Catholicism and its "deadly errors." He later deleted the post, and followed up by saying: "I have nothing against individuals who are Catholic. I know a lot of Catholics who are great people. What I do have a problem with is the teaching that man can merit God's favor through his own works or the works of other fallen men."
Jill Duggar Believes Short Engagements Lead to Happy Marriages
The Duggars have famously short engagements, and Jill once told Page Six the reason for that is to remain pure. "You may not wanna push the wedding date out too far, as those natural God-given desires with too much time between engagement and marriage can make it harder to remain pure."
Michelle's Comments on Her Stillborn Daughter
In 2011, the Duggars suffered a terrible loss when their 20th child was stillborn during the second trimester. The family was criticized for their decision to share some beautiful and creative pictures of baby Jubilee Shalom's body, along with the caption, "There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world." Some people went so far as to say the photos were "disgusting."
Jessa's Unapologetic Pro-Life Stance
Before attending Arkansas' March for Life in January 2015, Jessa posted a message to Instagram saying, "The Heart of Arkansas Beats for Life." She also posted a picture from the rally of a sign reading, "God loves every life from beginning to end."
Jana Duggar Caught in a Lie
When Jana and her twin, John David, turned 25 in January 2015, mom Michelle posted a happy birthday message on the family's Facebook page. She included this little tidbit, "Jana is a concert pianist and is involved in many ministries." The problem is that many people called out the exaggeration, claiming that church concerts don't qualify one as a "concert pianist."
Michelle on Why They Avoid the Beach
Michelle admitted in a blog post in June 2012 that her family doesn't take summer beach trips because the boys just don't need to be tempted by girls in bikinis. She wrote, "We typically don't go to the beach in the summertime. And in general we don't do a lot of swimming events where swimming suits are worn because it's just too hard for the guys to try to keep their eyes averted in those situations."
Jessa Compares Abortion to the Holocaust
During a visit to a Holocaust Museum in October 2014, Jessa was slammed for comparing abortion to the murder of 6 million Jews during World War II. She wrote: "The sanctity of human life varies not in sickness or health, poverty or wealth, elderly or pre-born, little or lots of melanin [making you darker or lighter skinned], or any other factor … We must be a voice for those who cannot speak up for themselves. Because EVERY LIFE IS PRECIOUS. #ProLife"
Josh Duggar Lets His Kids Play With Guns
In August 2014, Josh Duggar posted this picture of his family along with the caption: "Honored to meet a soldier in the honor guard @ArmyFifeandDrum at @JBMHH the other night! #ar15 #soldier #family." While there's nothing controversial about the quote, the fact that his kids are touching the soldier's gun was more than enough to get tongues wagging.
Michelle Believes Overpopulation Is a Lie
Michelle responded to critics of her very large family in 2012 by saying, "The idea of overpopulation is not accurate." She also said that the entire population of the world could fit inside of Jacksonville, Florida, and quoted Mother Teresa by writing, "To say that there are too many children is like saying there are too many flowers."
Amy Duggar Admits She Was Born Out of Wedlock
In 2105, cousin Amy Duggar dropped a bombshell revelation that she was born out of wedlock. In this ultra-conservative family, that's pretty huge news. She wrote on Instagram: "The tabloids are telling the truth — my mom and dad did have me out of wedlock. Just because we are Christians doesn't make us perfect, it just makes us forgiven. Just because I share the Duggar name doesn't mean my life is perfect. God knew my uncle would have a hit show and that somehow I would be apart of it. He knew my parents story would be told. How amazing is that?! Your testimony is everything."
Jim Bob Duggar on Courting
When Jessa and Ben entered into courtship, Jim Bob explained the ritual. "Courting is getting to know each other in a group setting, both families spending time together and the couple setting goals together to determine if they are meant to marry. With dating, a couple will often pair off alone and that sometimes leads to a more physical relationship."
Michelle's Advice to New Brides
"Be available, and not just available, but be joyfully available for him," Michelle has advised. "Smile and be willing to say, 'Yes, sweetie, I am here for you,' no matter what, even though you may be exhausted and pregnant and you may not feel like he feels." Michelle added that despite what we women may feel, we should say to our men, "'I'm still here for you and I'm going to meet that need because I know it's a need for you.'"
Yes, it is special to share a sexual bond with your spouse, but maybe someone should tell him to take a cold shower when his exhausted, pregnant wife doesn't feel like doing the deed.
Josh on Traditional Marriage
The eldest Duggar child worked as a lobbyist for a family values firm in Washington, DC, before he went away to a long-term treatment facility for sex addiction (and before he began serving a federal prison sentence years later). He once said, "Marriage is essential to the American family, and every single child deserves a mother and a father."
Jessa Questions the Age of the Earth
Jessa is a devout creationist, and it's clear she doesn't believe the Earth is more than a few thousand years old. She linked to an article asking, "Does radiometric dating prove the Earth is old?" Um, yes, it kind of does.
More from CafeMom: 24 of the Most Precious Ways the Duggar Family Has Revealed Pregnancy News
Josh's Incest Joke
When talking about his courting days with wife Anna, Josh said that his twin brother and sister chaperoned one of their dates. "We chose Jana and John David — we thought, why not have a double date … We are from Arkansas, no?" Of course we didn't know at the time that he would be accused of molesting four of his sisters, and later convicted of possessing and receiving child sexual assault material.
Jim Bob's Code Word
Apparently, when the Duggar patriarch spies an attractive woman in public, he tells the kids, "Nike," which is the code for them to drop their eyes to their shoes to avoid being tempted by too much sexy flesh on display. It's hard to even fathom this happening in real life, but it's true.
Michelle Teaches Self-Control
Mama Duggar is big into blanket training, which involves swatting a baby trying to crawl off a blanket. She continues the training as they get older, teaching them to sit quietly and stare into space like good little children.
She explained, "I'll sit him in a chair, and I'll say, 'OK, Mommy's going to sit beside you, and you're going to practice being still and quiet. We may do that two or three times a day for about a week, and usually they catch it. What they're learning is self-control. They're learning to obey Mommy's voice."
Derick Dillard Sleds Into a Cat
While sledding, Jill's husband came into the path of a cat and he tried to warn the animal while he laughed, "Move, cat!" But alas, the poor cat was hit by his cookie-sheet sled. PETA demanded an apology, but we doubt it got one, and this incident has basically just faded into the background of the family's history.
Jinger's Comments on Anxiety
In a 2020 Instagram post, Jinger talked about anxiety, suggesting that it could be "prayed away" so that people wouldn't have to deal with it anymore, rather than offering a solution, like seeking medical advice.
"One of my favorite scriptures is Philippians 4 where we are told to 'rejoice always' and 'never be anxious.' The obvious question is, how?" she wrote. "And the answer is thankful prayer: 'In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' So beautiful! Our God's got this."
Ben's Tweets About the Capitol Riots
After the January 2021 attack on the Capitol in Washington, DC, Ben shared his opinions on Twitter, and fans weren't impressed (to say the least). Instead of condemning the violence, he encouraged people not to point fingers and blame others. Uh, that's one way to look at the situation.
Joy-Anna's Feelings About Austin Forsyth
Many people have crushes on those older than them, but when Joy revealed that she'd had a crush on Austin, her eventual husband, since she was 13, a lot of eyebrows were raised — especially because of the age difference between them.
"The moment I knew that Austin was an everyday crush was … he was 17, I was 13," she said in a YouTube video. "And this is not 'I knew he was the one,' but this was more than liking him; he was cute."
More from CafeMom: How the Duggar Grandkids Have Grown Over the Years
Anna's Controversial Video
Though she has since deleted it, Anna posted a video on Instagram of her asking Siri what the president's age was, only for Siri to respond with Vice President Kamala Harris' age instead. Anna seemed to be hinting that Apple was in on some kind of conspiracy, but obviously, that's not what was going on.
Derick's Transphobic Tweets
Derick came under fire in 2017 for his transphobic tweets about fellow TLC star Jazz Jennings, who is trans herself. In his tweets, he said he pitied her and even misgendered her, saying that he couldn't believe that I Am Jazz is "what's on TV these days."
Jessa's Abortion Backlash
After Jessa revealed that she miscarried in 2023, she shared that she had to undergo a D&C, which is procedure that can be used for abortions and is only available to women under certain circumstances in Arkansas. People called pro-life Jessa out for her hypocrisy, but she denied that what she had was an abortion from the start.
"There's a world of difference between someone dying and someone being killed," she wrote. "To equate one to the other — and to a mother grieving the loss of her baby no less — is severely distasteful," she said.
Call It a Cult
While talking to People about her 2023 book, Becoming Free Indeed, which she wrote about breaking free of her family's oppressive religion, Jinger went so far as to compare it to a cult.
"The teaching I grew up under was harmful, it was damaging, and there are lasting effects. But I know other people are struggling and people who are still stuck. I want to share my story, and maybe it will help even just one person to be freed," she said.
Defending Josh
Though Anna has since deleted all of her social media accounts, fans couldn't believe that she was still taking Josh's side after he was convicted on all charges involving CSAM and sent to serve a more than decade-long sentence in federal prison. After the trial, Anna took to Instagram to claim that there was "more to the story," linking to court documents filed by Josh's lawyers asking for a new trial.
