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How do the Duggars make their money?

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.
Without Counting On, the Duggar family has to switch things up. Pic credit: TLC

As the new normal sets in for the Duggar family, followers are interested in how the Duggars are making their money without the reality show income they have had for decades.

It’s been a few months since TLC canceled Counting On, and as the dust settles, there are questions about how the siblings will sustain their families and how the parents will continue living their lifestyle. 

With the reality TV money gone, other plans have come to light. While the family was filming, some of the spouses had other jobs as well. 

Most of the Duggar sisters married men who worked or went to school. The Duggar brothers had a career or trade that was separate from filming. 

These are some of the ways the Duggars make their money now that the reality TV avenue has been closed off.

YouTube revenue 

This appears to be the way that several of the Duggar siblings are going. 

Jessa Duggar has been working on building her channel for a few years. She filmed all of the family events that couldn’t be shown on the network because Josh Duggar attended functions.  

From the fall festival to Christmas sweater parties, Jessa made sure to capture it all. She struck it big when she released the birth of her fourth child, Fern Elliana, on YouTube. It was a three-part series and garnered well over a million views.

Jedidiah Duggar and Katelyn Nakatsu are building their YouTube channel, adding their wedding view and their pregnancy announcement documentation. They drew a crowd with those, which could eventually turn into something like Jessa has built. 

Jill Duggar has also built up her YouTube channel. She had done several Q&A sessions with her husband, Derick Dillard. They revealed their issues with the Duggars and why they left Counting On in 2017, which opened up even more questions. They also use the channel for vacation videos, excursions, and other activities Jill thinks will draw attention. 

Joy-Anna Duggar has also used YouTube and did it to do some documenting with her pregnancy with Evelyn. There were rumors that she and Austin Forsyth were planning to leave Counting On, which is why she released her gender reveal and other pregnancy-related content. 

Real estate 

Realtors in the Duggar family are growing. Michelle Duggar is a licensed realtor, and so are her Joseph and Jeremiah Duggar. 

This has played a massive role in attaining properties to buy and sell, flipping for profit to keep the money flowing. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are the two original realtors. 

Joseph joined his parents next, and then Jeremiah was the most recent family member to add the realtor license to his resume. It has been just a little under a year since he was licensed. 

Flipping houses 

Buying low and selling high has been a good strategy for Jim Bob Duggar. He has owned several homes, acres of land, and other things throughout his lifetime. Several of his children have bought houses from him for cheap, including Justin Duggar. 

He has renovated mansions and trailers and virtually everything in between. They can buy and sell within the family, with the realtor being a family member and the seller also being a Duggar. 

Joy-Anna is interested in renovations, as are several of her brothers and even big sister, Jana Duggar. They have all built things and totally ripped everything out. Joy-Anna is currently working on an RV, and some of the other siblings have built decks, redone bathrooms, and other odd jobs that sometimes appear on social media. 

Paid partnerships/sponsored content 

Advertising for businesses gives social media influencers an income stream. The number of followers you have across various platforms helps garner attention on specific products. 

The Duggar women and in-laws have cashed in on this a bit. Jessa Duggar is often seen pushing products and handing out discount codes. Abbie Grace Burnett, Kendra Caldwell, Jill Duggar, and Jana Duggar have all done something like this on their Instagram stories. 

Jinger Duggar has worked to build her own brand, as partnerships don’t appear to work for her. Even though she has distanced herself from her family in Arkansas, she can’t seem to shake the beliefs her parents have and the effect they have on the real world. She lost a partnership with Fonuts after there was a huge pushback when they announced she would have her own flavored donut. 

Building a brand 

Out of all of the Duggar siblings, Jinger Duggar has worked the hardest on this aspect. She wrote books with her sisters, played music with her siblings, and more. 

Taking her follower numbers and turning that into an income stream is exactly what Jinger did. She and Jeremy Vuolo released a book earlier this year, hosted a podcast, and even have a home goods line. The Hope We Hold is what they chose to use, and now, that has become what they are attached to. 

There has been somewhat of a rebrand happening and a pause in the podcasting, but it looks like things are getting back on track for the couple. 

Careers

Obviously, some of the Duggar family members hold traditional jobs. Real estate flipping, being a realtor, and owning your own business are just some of the jobs the Duggars hold. 

Several of the Duggar brothers worked at the car lot at one point or another. Working for Jim Bob is highly attractive for the boys, so they typically stick with him. 

John-David Duggar is all in with MEDIC Corps. They do emergency responses to natural disasters, and he is also a pilot. He isn’t the only one either. Jeremiah Duggar also has his pilot license and has helped with gender reveals for the family. 

Austin Forsyth owns his own construction business and has no affiliation with the Duggars at all. He works for himself and supports his family. 

Abbie Grace Burnett worked as a nurse before getting married. She has not practiced since moving to Arkansas, but that doesn’t mean she won’t go back to it. 

Jeremy Vuolo is a pastor in California. While he is still working on it, there is a connection to this church. Jinger was recently baptized there, signaling it is an important part of their journey.

Even though Counting On is gone, there are still plenty of ways to keep the income flowing into their lives. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have set themselves up pretty well, and it seems that Jinger Duggar isn’t far behind them in the life she is building for herself.

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Becky
Becky
2 years ago

With all the deceit concerning Josh’s violation of his sisters&a family friend during his teen yrs how could his parents expect him to grow up to be anything but a child molester since appropriate action wasn’t taken when the first incident happened.