Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on July 21, 2024. The couple first rose to fame with their large family in 2008 when their TLC reality television show, 19 Kids & Counting, premiered. The show detailed their controversial beliefs and practices as members of the Institute in Basic Life Principles and followed the strict upbringing of their children. The show ended in 2015, and a spinoff, Counting On, ran from 2015 to 2020. Now, years after they stepped away from the reality television spotlight, here's what the couple is up to.
More from CafeMom: Meet 5 of the Most Recent Duggar Family Additions
They still live in the town where they raised their family.
Jim and Michelle currently reside in Tontitown, Arkansas, which is where they raised their family. They live in a large compound featuring multiple houses, which some of their kids live in.
This is what they've been doing to stay busy.
In 2021, Jim — who formerly was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives — ran for Arkansas State Senate. His campaign, however, was unsuccessful. Both he and Michelle have remained active in the real estate industry, and they've also written books and given public speeches over the years about family, faith, and personal growth.
More from CafeMom: Jinger Duggar Describes Her 'Cult-Like' Upbringing Under Michelle & Jim Bob's Strict Rules
Some of their relationships with their children are strained.
Although the couple seemingly has a good relationship with many of their children, some bonds are notably not as intact. Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, have a strained relationship with Jim and Michelle.
Jill has been very open in interviews about her strict upbringing and the emotional distress that's been caused by her family. “There's limited contact with my dad. We've had to draw some pretty strict boundaries just for our own health and well-being," she told Vanity Fair in 2023.
Other Duggar children have turned away from their strict upbringing.
Some of the women of the family now wear shorts and pants, which goes against their conservative Christian teachings of women only wearing skirts and dresses. Jinger Duggar also opened up in her book, Becoming Free Indeed, about the "cult-like" upbringing related to the Institute in Basic Life Principles.
Jim and Michelle have over 30 grandkids.
The couple have more than 32 grandchildren. Josh Duggar has seven children with his wife. Jill and Derick have three sons. Jessa Duggar and her husband have five children. Jinger and her husband have two daughters. Joy-Anna Duggar and her husband have three kids. Joseph Duggar and his wife have at least three children.
Josiah Duggar and his wife have three kids. John-David Duggar and his wife have two children. Jeremiah Duggar and his wife have two children. Jedidiah Duggar and his wife have two kids and are now expecting twin girls, which will mark the first twin grandbabies in the Duggar family.
