{"id":257989,"date":"2026-08-17T15:05:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T15:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/17\/jinger-duggar-befriends-older-mentor-struggles-to-make-adult-friends-after-cult-upbringing-and-fans-blame-michelle\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T15:05:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T15:05:19","slug":"jinger-duggar-befriends-older-mentor-struggles-to-make-adult-friends-after-cult-upbringing-and-fans-blame-michelle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/17\/jinger-duggar-befriends-older-mentor-struggles-to-make-adult-friends-after-cult-upbringing-and-fans-blame-michelle\/","title":{"rendered":"Jinger Duggar Befriends &#8216;Older Mentor&#8217; &#038; Struggles to Make Adult Friends After Cult Upbringing (And Fans Blame Michelle)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve heard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/07\/jinger-duggar-joy-anna-duggar-kept-apart-as-children\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joy-Anna and Jinger Duggar discuss their childhoods<\/a>, including eye-popping moments that they sometimes seem to gloss over.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Jinger is admitting that, as an adult, she\u2019s found herself seeking an \u201colder mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adult friendships can be hard to find. That is even truer when you grew up in an extreme and isolated environment.<\/p>\n<p>But some think that Jinger bonding with older women might be a swipe, however unintended, at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/03\/jim-bob-michelle-duggar-openly-supporting-kendra\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michelle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_01-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Jinger Duggar on her podcast on August 12, 2026.\" class=\"wp-image-561201 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_01-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_01-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_01-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_01-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_01-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_01-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_01-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_01.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_01.png\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">On her podcast, Jinger Duggar discusses the strict wall between her family\u2019s filming in childhood and what she discussed within her limited social sphere.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Image Credit: YouTube)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jinger-has-a-not-old-but-older-mentor\">Jinger has a \u2018not old, but older, mentor\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>During a recent episode of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Mn-ESko5Xbs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Jinger &amp; Jeremy<\/em> podcast<\/a>, one of the eponymous hosts sat down with Joy-Anna.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a couple that I\u2019m thinking of that are not in the season with kids and so they already they\u2019ve had kids, or they are beyond,\u201d Jinger described, \u201cthat and it\u2019s really sweet because then I\u2019m like it feels Like a godly older mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(As we have previously explained, some evangelical communities use \u201cseasons\u201d to refer to portions of one\u2019s life, like chapters. This in-group terminology works to set people apart from members of the out-group.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot old, but older, mentor and that\u2019s also helpful for me,\u201d Jinger continued, \u201cespecially living away from family and working through a lot of things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She commented: \u201cIt\u2019s been helpful for me to have the wisdom and the care.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"thg-ytf\" data-ytid=\"Mn-ESko5Xbs\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Mn-ESko5Xbs\/hqdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Joy &amp; Jinger: So, About Making Friends as an Adult | Ep.108\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Mn-ESko5Xbs\/hqdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Joy &amp; Jinger: So, About Making Friends as an Adult | Ep.108\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" class=\"lazyload\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><button type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Play video: Joy &amp; Jinger: So, About Making Friends as an Adult | Ep.108\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"68\" height=\"48\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M66.5 7.7a8 8 0 0 0-5.6-5.7C56 .7 34 .7 34 .7s-22 0-26.9 1.3A8 8 0 0 0 1.5 7.7 83 83 0 0 0 .2 24a83 83 0 0 0 1.3 16.3 8 8 0 0 0 5.6 5.7C12 47.3 34 47.3 34 47.3s22 0 26.9-1.3a8 8 0 0 0 5.6-5.7A83 83 0 0 0 67.8 24a83 83 0 0 0-1.3-16.3z\" fill=\"#f00\"\/><path d=\"M27 34l18-10-18-10z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Jinger went on to praise the \u201ctrustworthiness\u201d of having an older mentor friend like the one that she has found.<\/p>\n<p>Joy-Anna seems to agree.<\/p>\n<p>The two say that they are both seeking adult friendships that are free of gossip and false pretenses.<\/p>\n<p>(Maybe we\u2019re just too far removed from the Duggar family\u2019s subculture to understand, but it\u2019s unclear what grown adults in their 20s and 30s would be <em>gossiping <\/em>about in a way that the sisters would find off-putting.)<\/p>\n<p>It is very common for people to find it harder to make friends as adults. Someone whose fundamentalist background rules out common shortcuts (can\u2019t really attend trivia nights if you\u2019re unfamiliar with almost all arts and entertainment news from the past century) likely face additional challenges.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Joy-Anna Duggar joins sister Jinger Duggar on the latter's podcast on August 12, 2026.\" class=\"wp-image-561202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Joy-Anna Duggar joins sister Jinger Duggar on the latter's podcast on August 12, 2026.\" class=\"wp-image-561202 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_jingerduggar_joyannaduggar_01.png\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Together, Jinger and Joy-Anna Duggar discuss things that felt \u201ctaboo\u201d growing up in the family cult.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Image Credit: YouTube)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-this-intended-to-shade-michelle\">Is this intended to shade Michelle?<\/h2>\n<p>Additionally, both Jinger and Joy discussed the ways in which their limited social lives did not include discussion of their reality TV family lives when they were growing up. <\/p>\n<p>They likened it to a \u201ctaboo\u201d to speak of their TLC adventures. That \u2026 doesn\u2019t sound <em>super <\/em>healthy.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Joy spoke about how she was \u201cglued to his hip\u201d after marrying husband Austin Forsyth, as she didn\u2019t really have adult bonds that weren\u2019t familial in one sense or another.<\/p>\n<p>All of this and more led a lot of folks on social media to take one message away from this: <\/p>\n<p>Are both women deliberately shading Michelle Duggar?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Joy-Anna Duggar on her sister's podcast on August 12, 2026.\" class=\"wp-image-561203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Joy-Anna Duggar on her sister's podcast on August 12, 2026.\" class=\"wp-image-561203 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0817_joyannaduggar_01.png\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Joy-Anna Duggar participates in her sister\u2019s podcast on August 12, 2026.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Image Credit: YouTube)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Simply put, even if Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were good people (they\u2019re not), there is no possible way for them to have shown each and every child the love and positive attention that they deserve.<\/p>\n<p>Commenters across social media have noted that this sort of \u201colder mentor friend\u201d dynamic is not uncommon for people who had bad childhoods or who have parents who are terrible people (or both).<\/p>\n<p>If you feel like you\u2019re walking on eggshells with your mom, then you might seek out a <em>substitute <\/em>mom \u2014 even if she isn\u2019t old enough to be your actual mother unless she was a child bride \u2014 to give you a healthy dynamic.<\/p>\n<p>Even if the Duggars likely struggle to recognize what a healthy dynamic is, they might still seek one instinctively. Everyone deserves love and emotional support without the whole <em>abusive-nightmare-cult<\/em> thing.<\/p>\n<p>Jinger probably isn\u2019t intentionally slamming her awful mom here. It\u2019s just that people familiar with this family understand what sort of person Michelle is, and <em>may <\/em>understand some of Jinger\u2019s emotional baggage a little better than she does.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/08\/jinger-duggar-older-women-mentors-friendships-michelle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 3 minutes We\u2019ve heard Joy-Anna and Jinger Duggar discuss their childhoods, including eye-popping moments that they sometimes seem to gloss over. Now, Jinger is admitting that, as an adult, she\u2019s found herself seeking an \u201colder mentor.\u201d Adult friendships can be hard to find. That is even truer when you grew up in an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":257990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-257989","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}