Jill Duggar Dillard is being accused of throwing shade at her father, Jim Bob Duggar, in a Father’s Day tribute the former Counting On star posted to social media over the weekend.
Jill’s Father’s Day shout out began with a heartfelt message to her husband, Derick Dillard, whom she called a “wonderful hubby” and dedicated father to the couple’s three children. Jill also had some kind words for Derick’s father, who passed away when Derick was a child.
In between her tributes to Derick and his late father– whom Jill never met– Jill posted a somewhat odd Father’s Day message to her own dad. As fans are aware, Jill (and Derick) and Jim Bob have been estranged for years, although they have been seen interacting on occasion. 
Jill’s “shout-out” to her dad Jim Bob may have been written with good intention, but the strange things she mentioned made many fans believe she sent the well wishes to Jim Bob packaged in a whole lot of shade.
“ … And happy Father’s Day to my own dad @duggarfam who always made time for us kids and kept things exciting and adventurous growing up, including the family bike rides, work days at the car lot, meals of cold butter beans with ketchup and BBQ tunafish sandwiches,” she wrote.
Many ‘Counting On’ fans went on to react to Jill’s post online, claiming that her Jim Bob shout out came across as snarky and backhanded.
“Is that DELIBERATE snark?! Or is she really that clueless on how it comes across,” one person asked on Reddit. “I so want to believe the former, but alas, I think the second is probably correct. When all you can think of to praise your father is bike rides… then the indentured work/indelibly lazy food assortments.”
Others pointed out how lovely Jill’s tributes to her husband and late father-in-law were, in comparison to what she wrote about her own dad.
“If the other two tributes weren’t so heartfelt and eloquent, I’d say no,” another responded. “But cramming cold beans and canned tuna between them is definitely a backhanded acknowledgment.”
Others insisted that Jill’s post all but confirmed that the former TLC star is still harboring ill feelings towards her father.
“That is a pretty strange group of memories,” one fan noted. “You can tell she doesn’t like her dad that much anymore.”
“She says nicer things about her father in law who she never met than Jim Bob…it’s what he deserves,” read another comment, to which another joked, “Thanks, dad, for feeding me leftovers and having me undergo child labor. You’re the best!”
As The Ashley has previously reported, Jill and Derick have been estranged from Jim Bob for years, with the tension presumably increasing after the 2023 release of the couple’s tell-all book, Counting the Cost. Jill and Derick’s book recounts what the Dillards claim is the real story behind Jill’s family and their TLC shows, with many of the stories painting Jim Bob in a negative light.
While many fans previously thought that Jill and Derick had made amends with Jill’s father after photos of the couple seemingly conversing with Jim Bob on Christmas were posted online by one of Jill’s brothers, Derick later revealed on social media that the photos had been taken without his and Jill’s knowledge. He also implied that one of the Duggars purposely photographed the “Kodak moment” and posted it to make it appear publicly that Jim Bob’s relationship with his daughter and son-in-law has improved.
“The truth is that Jim Bob approached me while we were there on Christmas Day, and that is when the photo was taken,” Derick wrote. “I have spoken to Jim Bob less than 10 minutes since the last time I was at that house over a year ago (and I happened to be photographed, unbeknownst to me, by the same person then as well).”
Derick also clarified that the festivities at the Duggar Big House were overrun with people, kids and even Santa Claus, so he and Jill were not spending quality time with Jim Bob, despite how it may have appeared in the holiday snapshots.
“There were over 100 people, the house is 8000 square feet, and Santa Claus was there, so this isn’t your typical intimate family gathering,” he claimed, before adding that he wasn’t going to let “people” manipulate the situation to look a certain way.
“We’re trying to be civil for the sake of our family, but that doesn’t mean everything is all hunky dorey, and it sure doesn’t mean that I’m not going to comment when people try to warp reality for their own purpose,” he wrote.
Back in November, Jill shared on social media that her relationship with Jim Bob and her mom, Michelle Duggar, remains “complicated,” but that she is trying to keep them in her life.
“I feel like we are in a rebuilding phase now, with healthy boundaries still in place,” she explained.
