Obviously, Josh is the worst member of the Duggar family.
But the fact is, Jim Bob’s in a pretty close second place.
Yes, Josh has been arrested for child pornography, and that’s about the most nauseating crime imaginable.
But it’s Jim Bob who allowed it to happen, who enabled Josh by covering up his predatory behavior and ensuring that he suffered zero consequences from his earlier acts of depravity.
Despite his reputation as a strict disciplinarian with zero tolerance for sinful behavior, Jim Bob allowed Josh to operate just under his nose for nearly 20 years.
And now, it looks as though the patriarch might finally be paying the price.
Jim Bob turned 56 over the weekend, and usually, the father of 19 is awash in birthday tributes from his many, many children.
That wasn’t the case this year, as JB was publicly snubbed by all of this children except for one.
“Happy birthday, Dad!” wrote 22-year-old Jed Duggar.
“I’m honored to share your middle name, and so grateful for you! Love you @duggarfam!!” he continued.
And that’s it.
Not one of the other 18 children whom Jim Bob helped raise (albeit very poorly) had any sort of comment to offer on the occasion of his birthday.
Compare this to past years when every Duggar who’s permitted to use social media sang Jim Bob’s praises, and you can see what sort of impact this latest scandal has had on the patriarch’s popularity.
On Reddit, Duggar critics were quick to take notice of the lack of birthday wishes.
“Why is Jed the only one who wished JB a happy birthday on social media? Am I missing something?” one person asked.
“At least publicly, I’m sure they all want to keep things low key to avoid harming their influencer sponsorship possibilities,” another wrote.
“I hope the kids are cutting Jim Bob off and moving their lives away from their awful parents!” a third chimed in.
The main reason for this is the fact that Jim Bob continues to defend Josh to the point of shelling out for his legal counsel.
But there are other reasons why the Duggar kids might suddenly feel emboldened to quit hiding their true feelings toward their father.
As you probably know, the family’s reality show, Counting On, has been canceled by TLC.
“The bottom line is, the network really wants to be on the right side of this scandal ahead of Josh’s trial. It was important for bosses to be seen to have taken action,” an insider close to the situation tells UK tabloid The Sun
“The case has put the show in such a bad light, and although it’s a shame for those who worked hard on it, and the money spent, there really is no way forward.”
Much of Jim Bob’s authority was derived from the his habit of pocketing the family’s TV earnings, and doling the money out in small sums to those he deemed most worthy.
Since there’s no more TV cash rolling in, Jim Bob has lost role as the family treasurer.
And the fact that he’s spending so much of the Duggars’ dwindling fortune on Josh’s legal defense must come as a real slap in the face to his law-abiding sons and daughters.
Frankly, it’s about time that they cut the guy off.
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