Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo want their family together again. In an interview with Us Weekly, the reality stars said that they’re “definitely hoping” that Jinger’s sister and brother-in-law, Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard, get their issues with the family “sorted out.”
Jill and Derick distanced themselves from the Duggars after their 2017 departure from the family’s TLC reality series, Counting On. Since their exit, Jill has publicly gone against some of her family’s well-known rules by drinking alcohol, getting a nose ring, wearing jeans and reading the Kama Sutra.
Jinger and Jeremy said they’re still “connected” with the pair, with Jinger adding that she FaceTimes her sister frequently so their kids can see each other. Jinger and Jeremy are parents to Felicity, 2, and Evangeline, 4 months, while Jill and Derick share Israel, 6, and Samuel, 3.
“They’re working through some things,” Jeremy says of Jill and Derick. “We’re giving them their time to do that… but we’ve got a great relationship [with them].”
“You always hope that families are united and the family is strong. There’s going to be difficulties in every family. I think that’s part of being in the public eye,” he continues. “So many families go through different issues, especially as children are growing, and this family happens to be in the public spotlight. And so, they work through it.”
Jeremy concludes by noting, “We love them very much, and I know they love the family.”
Jill first revealed that she and Jeremy were “not on the best terms” in October 2020.
“We’ve had some disagreements and stuff, but we’re working towards healing definitely and restoration,” Jill said at the time. “But we’re having to kind of just take some time and heal.”
Shortly after revealing the rift with her family, Jill told People, “I never expected this to happen or for it to get to this point, but I’m realizing I can’t put a timeline on healing. I love my family and they love me. I really just have to follow God’s lead and take it one day at a time.”
At the time, Jill’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, expressed their love for her and her family in a statement to the outlet.
“Every family has differences of opinion and perspective at times, but families work things out,” they said. “We all love Jill, Derick, and their boys very much. It is our prayer that our relationship is healed and fully restored quickly!”
In March, Jill revealed that she hadn’t been to her parents’ house in a “couple [of] years.”
“There’s some restrictions, but also we just feel like this season of life we have to prioritize our mental, emotional health and all that,” she said during a YouTube Q&A with her husband. “Our ‘threshold,’ we like to call it, is just a little bit lower in this season of life for us with a lot going on in our own lives.”
“Plus COVID makes it a lot harder with trying to keep our circle smaller and everything,” she added. “We’d like for it to not stay that way, but that’s where we are right now.”
