Sharing what they\u2019ve seen. The producers of Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets<\/em> are speaking out about what they learned while researching the family made famous by the reality series 19 Kids and Counting<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n The four-part limited docuseries \u2014 which hits Prime Video on June 2 \u2014 focuses on the Duggar family\u2019s ties to the controversial religion Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP). Codirectors and executive producers Olivia Crist<\/strong> and Julia Willoughby Nason<\/strong> shed light on what viewers can expect from the doc during their Tuesday, May 23, appearance on the \u201cReality Life With Kate Casey\u201d podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we ultimately explore in the show is \u2014 there\u2019s the shiny, happy facade, and then beneath the surface is this insidious cult behind the family, called the IBLP,\u201d Willoughby Nason explained. \u201cThe Duggars are a jumping off point for us for a much, much larger story.\u201d<\/p>\n Jill Duggar<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 one of Jim Bob Duggar<\/strong><\/a> and Michelle Duggar<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s 19 children \u2014 participated in the series along with her husband, Derick Dillard<\/strong><\/a>. A press release for the doc described it as \u201cthe first time\u201d that Jill, 32, \u201cwill go on record with her own story.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2015, the Duggar family\u2019s OG TLC show was pulled from the network amid reports<\/a> that the eldest sibling, Josh Duggar<\/strong><\/a>, molested several girls when he was 14 and 15 years old. It was later revealed that Jill and her sister Jessa Duggar<\/strong><\/a> were among the victims.<\/p>\n Despite the scandal, the family returned to reality TV that same year with the spinoff Counting On<\/em>. The show aired for 11 seasons, coming to an end in 2020 \u2014 one year before Josh, 35, was arrested on child pornography charges<\/a>. TLC officially cut ties<\/a> with the Duggars in June 2021. Josh is currently serving time in a Texas Prison after being found guilty on two counts of receiving and possessing child pornography in December 2021. He is expected to be released in October 2032.<\/p>\n The Duggar family aren\u2019t the only IBLP followers to be affected by abuse. Willoughby Nason noted that what she found most \u201cdisturbing\u201d about interviewing former members of the religious organization was the \u201cpervasiveness\u201d of abuses of power.<\/p>\n The Fyre Fraud<\/em> producer added: \u201cThe men are at the top with ultimate authority and then the women and then the children underneath. \u2026 This sort of structure is just ripe with abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Jill is the only one of her siblings who participated in Shiny Happy People<\/em>, her cousin Amy Duggar<\/strong> <\/a>was also featured in the trailer. Jill\u2019s younger sister Jinger Duggar<\/strong><\/a>, meanwhile, opened up about the restraints of IBLP teachings in her book Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith From Fear<\/em>, which hit shelves in January.<\/p>\n Speaking exclusively to Us Weekly<\/em> ahead of the book\u2019s release, Jinger, 29, said that she \u201cdefinitely\u201d thinks her strict upbringing was \u201ccult-like in many ways.\u201d She continued: \u201cIt was built on fear<\/a>, manipulation, control and superstition, so all those things combined in how hard it is for kids to leave or adults to leave \u2014 anyone, really. \u2026 Once you hear the teachings, you\u2019re not supposed to depart from those.\u201d<\/p>\n Although some of the Duggars\u2019 secrets have already been exposed, the Shiny Happy People<\/em> producers think that the show will leave viewers wondering why certain inner workings<\/a> of the family and their religious beliefs weren\u2019t closely examined sooner.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of things have been swept under the rug that should have been looked into,\u201d said Willoughby Nason. \u201cI think once you watch the show, you know \u2026 there\u2019s a lot that should have been looked into that wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Duggar](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Duggar-Family-Secrets-Are-Exposed-in-New-Docuseries-Featuring-Jill-and-Amy-featured.png?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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