Jim Bob And Michelle Duggar Call ‘Shiny Happy People’ Docuseries ‘Sad’

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, the four-episode Amazon Prime docuseries that explores the lives of the controversial stars of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On, premiered Friday, and at least two of the show’s subjects aren’t happy about that at all.

While Jill Duggar Dillard, the fourth child of the big reality TV brood, took part in the series, alongside husband Derick Dillard, she did so without the blessing of her parents.

Now Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have shared their feelings on the subject publicly in a post their on their family blog.

“The recent ‘documentary’ that talks about our family is sad because in it we see the media and those with ill intentions hurting people we love,” the couple wrote. “Like other families, ours too has experienced the joys and heartbreaks of life, just in a very public format. This ‘documentary’ paints so much and so many in a derogatory and sensationalized way because sadly that’s the direction of entertainment these days.”

Of course, the 57-year-old Arkansas-based politician and the 56-year-old matriarch welcomed cameras into their home and happily lived in the reality TV spotlight for years as they promoted their family’s faith-based upbringing, dedication to homeschooling, strict gender roles and restrictive relationship rules.

But that began to fall apart in 2015, when TLC cancelled 19 Kids and Counting after it was revealed that the couple’s eldest son, Josh Duggar, had sexually molested five girls in 2006. Four of the girls were his sisters, with Jill Dillard being among them.

Counting On, a second series that focused on the married Duggar daughters and their own families, was cancelled six years later when Josh Duggar was arrested (and later convicted) for possessing child pornography.

While that’s all featured in the docuseries, Shiny Happy People also highlights the Duggar family’s past involvement with the ultra-conservative Christian organization founded by Bill Gothard, the Institute of Basic Life Principles, regarded by many as a cult. Gothard himself, who taught male superiority and encouraged creating large families, stepped down from the IBLP in 2014 following dozens of sexual harassment and molestation allegations.

Although Jill Dillard, 32, speaks candidly about her family in Shiny Happy People, it seems she doesn’t speak to her parents anymore. That estrangement was referenced in the second portion of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s blog post.

“We have always believed that the best chance to repair damaged relationships, or to reconcile differences, is through love in a private setting,” the message read. “We love every member of our family and will continue to do all we can to have a good relationship with each one. Through both the triumphs and the trials we have clung to our faith all the more and discovered that through the love and grace of Jesus, we find strength, comfort, and purpose.”