The Duggars have become a popular sensation with their TLC show 19 Kids and Counting. There’s a lot to know about the big family, so read on to hear about Jim Bob, Michelle, and all the kids.
1. Michelle Duggar (mom) has spent about 12 years pregnant, 144 months total.
2. Jim Bob (dad) has a history in politics. He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999-2002.
3. Jim Bob and Michelle married young: he was 19 and she was 17.
4. There are currently 19 Duggar kids, and they all have J names. In order: Joshua, Jana and John-David (twins), Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy, Jedidiah and Jeremiah (twins), Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace, and Josie. That’s 9 girls and 10 boys.
5. Jim Bob and Michelle stopped using birth control when they had a miscarriage after Josh was born. They believed the miscarriage was caused by birth control, and so now they leave it to God.
6. Josh Duggar currently has 3 kids and another on the way. He’s following in the family tradition by naming all of his children M names, Mackynzie, Michael and Marcus. His sister Jessa is expecting her first baby, due anytime.
7. In order to fit all the kids at the table, the Duggars have a dining room table that is 18 feet long.
8. For the moment, Jedediah is the middle child with 9 older and 9 younger siblings.
9. Both Jessa and Jill were married in 2014, and each wedding hosted over 1000 guests.
10. Jessa Duggar and her husband Ben Seewald didn’t even hold hands until they were engaged. They only kissed after their wedding.
11. All the kids have responsibilities, but they get something out of it. Each chore earns the child 3 cents.
12. None of the Duggars were born in June, although both Josh’s wife Anna and his son Michael were.
13. Despite the huge costs of raising such a big family, the Duggars are completely debt free.
14. The Duggars have some fairly strict rules for their children. They only watch TV on DVDs (to miss commercials and so Mom and Dad can choose appropriate material), and when one of the kids uses the internet (already filtered), they have to have a buddy with them to double check what they’re doing.
15. There’s a pretty strict dress code in the Duggar house. Women only wear knee length or longer skirts, and no one is allowed to wear shorts or tank tops.
16. Instead of dating, Duggar kids court. The boy has to ask for permission from the dad of the girl he’s interested in, and on each date they have to have a chaperone. There’s no kissing allowed until marriage, and Jim Bob even looks over text messages that boys send his daughters.
17. It’s impossible for Michelle and Jim Bob to do everything around the house, so in order to take care of the younger children they ask the older sibs to help. Each older sibling is assigned to a few younger ones and helps to raise and care for them.
18. All of the Duggars are homeschooled, and Michelle incorporates creationism and Bible study into the curriculum.
19. Not only do the Duggar parents pay close attention when their kids are courting, they also have publicly stated that they listen in on phone conversations, read over emails, and check texts to make sure their kids aren’t doing anything they think is inappropriate.