In recent weeks, there’s been much talk of the small-scale rebellion taking place within the Duggar family.
Fans seem to be convinced that it all started when Jinger Duggar began wearing pants in direct defiance of her family’s famously strict dress code.
According to this narrative, other Duggar kids then followed in Jinger’s footsteps, including newly-engaged Josiah Duggar, who – according to a source close to the family – is widely expected to be “the next [Duggar] to bust out.”
But this version of events overlooks the original Duggar rebel, the one who’s been rejecting elements of his father’s lifestyle so quietly and for so long that he his insurgence went mostly unnoticed.
We’re talking, of course, about the Silent Duggar himself, John David Duggar.
Even if you’ve been watching the family’s reality shows from day one, you may not know much about JDD.
And what you do know has probably been filtered through the Duggar PR machine:
John David is Michelle and Jim Bob’s second-oldest son, the twin brother of fan favorite Jana Duggar.
From a professional standpoint, he’s the most active of all the Duggars, working as a pilot, firefighter and sheriff’s deputy in his free time.
And it seems it’s the duties of that last post that have brought John David into conflict with his domineering dad.
As we reported earlier, Jim Bob’s efforts to control the town he lives in by purchasing both large tracts of land and politicians reportedly don’t sit well with John David, who’s sworn to uphold law and order.
Add to that the widespread reports that John David is disgusted by Jim Bob’s greed, and it’s not hard to see why so many are convinced the 28-year-old has already begun distancing himself from his family’s social media empire.
Interestingly, in a recent interview, John David has confirmed that he will appear in the new season of Counting On, which premieres this summer.
But he would not comment on his future on the show beyond that.
Instead, when asked about his future, he mostly focused on faith and family:
“Future plans would be to, I think, one day, you know, the Lord will bring the right one along, and I’ll start a family and hopefully be able to invest in their lives and raise up a generation that will be great people for this society,” John David remarked.
The comment has fueled speculation that John David is courting, which may have influenced his decision to be the first in his family to willingly leave the world of television behind.
Whatever the case, we wouldn’t be surprised if John David is actually the first to “bust out.”
Watch Counting On online for more on reality TV’s most controversial family.
