When it comes to criticism, the Duggar family is more than used to receiving it. After years on 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On and putting their beliefs (and their unusual lifestyle) out there, the Duggars have opened themselves up to being called out — and it happens just about every single day. And even though they often let that criticism roll right off their shoulders, once in a while they can't help but respond and let fans know what they're really thinking.
Of course, without question Jill Duggar and Jessa Duggar are the sassiest of the group, but they're far from the only members of the family who have taken to social media to defend themselves after receiving rude comments or hearing rumors about themselves that simply aren't true. We don't know how they bite their tongues as often as they do, but it makes their comebacks all the sweeter when they do decide to reply.
Read on for all the times the Duggars let critics know exactly what they're thinking. Considering how effective most of these clapbacks turned out to be, this is something they should think about doing more often.
Defending Claire & Justin's Marriage
Justin Duggar and Claire Spivey got a lot of heat for getting married while they were still teenagers, and when Jim Bob and Michelle caught wind of it, they shut that criticism down with an Instagram comment they left in response to a fan bringing up their ages.
The comment said: "So far, our children have gotten married between the ages of 19 to 28. We always leave the decision of when to get married up to them as adults. We are so grateful for each of the Godly spouses they have chosen, and we are excited to cheer each of them on in life and in love!"
Claire's Engagement Ring
While we're on the subject of Claire and Justin, let's talk about the time Claire defended her man and told her followers that, despite his young age, Justin did buy her engagement ring himself.
"Justin paid for the ring!" Claire wrote after someone questioned if he had a job. "Not a dime of it was someone else's money. He is super motivated, and does well at his job. He's been graduated for quite a while and has a full-time job."
Jinger's Decaf Coffee
In this instance, Jinger decided to get ahead of the haters before they could even hate. After sharing this photo of herself with her beloved coffee while she was pregnant with Evangeline, she cut them off before they had a chance to call her out for drinking it.
"Happy day with a pumpkin spice latte in hand. It's the little things," Jinger wrote, adding, "#yesitsdecaf."
FYI: It would have totally been OK if Jinger was drinking a regular PSL. Don't come between a pregnant lady and her coffee!
Joy & Austin's Hunting Trip
In November 2020, Joy and Austin got a lot of flak when they went on a hunting trip together and posted a photo of themselves posing next to a deer they had killed. And when a follower pointed out that the Bible tells them not to kill, Austin had his response ready and waiting.
"God was talking about people," Austin wrote. "He commanded the Israelites to sacrifice thousands of animals. Maybe studying the Bible before you start quoting it?"
Joy's Kids' Safety
After Joy shared this photo of her and her kids on their way to church, multiple people commented saying that it looked like she was about to drop her daughter Evelyn, and Joy wasn't about to let that slide.
She wrote: "Haha! Thank you for your concern! I was holding Evy and then Gideon was trying to hold my hand! I wasn't about to drop her tho!"
Jessa Responds to Pregnancy Rumors
Before Jessa was actually expecting her fourth child, the rumors were real that she was pregnant, and she had the best way of shutting them down. Though the comment she left on Facebook was eventually deleted, she responded to the speculation by saying, "Yes, and it's triplets this time!"
Amy's Rude Message
In October 2020, Amy took to Instagram to share this message she received on social media from a total stranger, telling her that she needed to lose weight and have another baby. Of course Amy responded in her caption, and she really let them have it.
"First off, I'm flabbergasted that someone would have the audacity to type these words to anyone!!" she wrote. "I mean, who in their right mind says, 'I think your body is ready to pop out more kids,' to a total stranger?!"
Jana's Rules
After Jana, her friend Laura DeMasie, and her brother Jason all made the trip to Waco, Texas, to visit Magnolia — one of their favorite spots — people were all up in Jason's comments on this picture, asking if Jana was allowed to go anywhere without a chaperone.
Surprisingly, Jason had a sassy response at the ready. Not only did he confirm that Jana is allowed to go wherever she wants, but when they asked for a quote that proved she could, he responded with another comment, writing in quotations, "She can."
Jessa Defends Girls' Weekend
In February 2020, Jessa and her sisters got together for a day of lunch and shopping, and many of them chose to bring their children along. But that meant that she got a rude comment on Instagram about the babies' fathers not watching the kids so the moms could have fun.
Jessa wasn't going to let that lie, though. She replied: "You know, I've been thinking the same thing. Only neanderthal men would refuse to breastfeed their infants so their wives can spend the entire day out dining and shopping."
Jill's Creative Kids
In October 2020, Jill shared videos of her sons, Israel and Samuel, eating tomato soup using sea shells as spoons on her Instagram story because they had recently read Swiss Family Robinson and wanted to do what they read in the book. But before anyone could call Jill out for that being unsanitary, she sassily beat them to it.
"No worries, Karens, the shells were sanitized," she said, reported The Sun.
Anna's Appearance
In 2020, one of Anna's followers went back in her Instagram history to 2019, commenting on a post that said that she didn't look like she felt well the day the photo was taken. Because this photo was taken just after she'd given birth to daughter Maryella, Anna had plenty to say in response.
"Umm, I think it’s pretty typical not to feel the greatest less than a week after you deliver a baby," she wrote, according to In Touch. "I was still happy to be with family and let them meet their newest niece."
Jim Bob & Michelle Fire Back at Jill
After Jill did a pretty explosive interview with People in October 2020 and called out her family, her parents issued a statement of their own to the magazine — something they rarely, if ever, do.
"Every family has differences of opinion and perspective at times, but families work things out," their statement read. "We all love Jill, Derick, and their boys very much. It is our prayer that our relationship is healed and fully restored quickly."
Jessa's Comment About Bare Feet
On Christmas in 2018, Jessa shared photos of the little ones in her family playing together, admitting it had been a bit of a rambunctious holiday. In the photo, people could see that the bottom of sister-in-law Anna's daughter's feet were dirty, but Jessa wasn't about to let anyone shame her.
"Mine look about the same," Jessa wrote in her comment, according to Hollywood Life. "It's 60 degrees outside today. That's barefoot weather."
Jill, the Rule Breaker
Fans were astonished to find out that Jill actually drank alcohol — that's one of the Duggars' biggest no-nos. Some people haven't been too impressed with Jill's new habit (if we could even call it that), so when she posted a photo of her coffee, she made sure to let everyone know ahead of time she wasn't boozing it up.
"Oh, and since it seems y'all are interested in my choice of drinks recently (lol recent post) … yes, this was a REGULAR coffee (i.e. full caf) white chocolate mocha with coconut milk," she wrote.
A Birthday Clapback
The Duggars usually celebrate their birthday one way: by going out to a local restaurant and ordering a dessert called Chocolate Mess. This was no different the year Justin turned 16, and the Duggars shared a photo of him with his dessert on Instagram.
According to OK! Magazine, when someone asked if the Duggars go anywhere but that restaurant, Jessa brought out the sass, replying, "No, we don't."
Anna's Finances
Shortly after announcing her pregnancy with her seventh child (and right before husband Josh's 2021 arrest), Anna shut down fans who asked her how she could possibly afford all of those kids. "Yes, my husband is a diligent worker and provides well for our family," she replied to the comment, via Us Weekly.
Of course, a few things have changed since then — Josh is currently serving out a 12 1/2 year sentence in a Texas federal prison.
Jessa Provides for Herself
Amid rumors that Jim Bob purchased Jessa and Ben's new fixer-upper house, this lady had enough. When she posted a house tour on Instagram and YouTube, one fan commented that it was "a nice gift from your daddy," and Jessa wasted no time responding.
"That is so stupid and an outright lie," she said (reported Monsters & Critics), keeping it simple and straightforward.