NOTE: This article contains detailed descriptions of abuse. Please read at your own discretion. The camera lens is once again being pointed at the Duggar family, but long gone is the wholesome, smiling and sanitized group you may remember from the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting.
A new docuseries, available this Friday on Prime Video, explores the untold side of the Duggar family story that was not shown in 19 Kids and subsequent spin-offs and specials — namely, their fundamental religious upbringing and ties to the Christian organization, the Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP).
Many will remember the reality television phenomenon that (quite literally) grew to be 19 Kids and Counting – a quaint show about an extraordinarily large family with extraordinarily well-behaved children.
Plotlines followed parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar as they homeschooled their modestly dressed brood, tackled never-ending chores like laundry and meal prep and popped out new kids with incredible frequency.