What is Jim Bob Duggar's net worth? Patriarch builds fence around son Josh Duggar's house amid child porn case
An American TV personality, real estate agent and former politician, Jim Bob Duggar is famously known for his stint as the father in the reality series '19 Kids and Counting' (2008-2015). Jim was a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002. A father to 19 children, Jim became a popular television personality when TLC began a reality series in 2008 depicting the lives of Jim and his many children. Let's have a look at this doting dad's net worth.
Jim married Michelle Ruark in 1984. The couple has 19 children and recognizes themselves as devout Baptists. Jim and Michelle never used birth control citing that they let God decide how many children they have. Interestingly, all of Jim and Michelle's children have been homeschooled. Not only this, they have very limited access to sources of entertainment such as movies and television.
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Jim Bob Duggar's political career
After serving in the Arkansas House of Representatives (1999-2002) for the sixth District, which included parts of northern Washington County, Jim served as the vice-chair of the House Corrections and Criminal Law Subcommittee. Apart from that, he was also on the committees for Insurance and Commerce and Judiciary. In 2002, Jim lost the Republican primary election for the United States Senate to Senator Tim Hutchinson.
Why was '19 Kids and Counting' canceled?
One of the most popular shows on TLC, averaging around 2.3M viewers in the final season, '19 Kids and Counting' was canceled in 2015 after Jim and Michelle's eldest son Josh admitted to charges of molestation of five girls, including several of his sisters. The events allegedly occurred when he was 15 years old, between 2002 and 2003. Josh made a formal public apology for his actions after the reports came out.
Josh was arrested on charges of child pornography recently, in April 2021. Though he pleaded not guilty to the accusations, Magistrate Judge Erin L Wiedemann ordered that he will stay "in a residence where there's no minor in the home", if he gets bail. Josh was granted bail on May 6, 2021. He is currently residing in a massive mansion in Elkins, Arkansas, with the Reber family — LaCount and Maria Reber — who are friends with the Duggars and are Josh's third party custodians. Jim even built a fence around the mansion Josh is living in. An insider told The Sun, "Jim Bob is doing everything he can for Josh, and he's worried about the attention on him and the family. He's concerned about photographers in town covering the case, and anyone who might want to hurt Josh because of the crimes he's accused of."
What is Jim Bob Duggar's net worth?
Jim bought a massive 10,186-square-foot mansion in Springdale, Arkansas, for $230,000 in 2014 and sold it for $1.53 million in 2020 after several rounds of renovations. Jim and Michelle earned a handful during their time on TV, as according to E! News the couple was paid $25,000 to $40,000 per episode. Celebrity Net Worth, estimates Jim's net worth to be somewhere around $3.5M. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Jim's son Josh's net worth is estimated to be around $200,000.
Are Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar transphobic?
Jim and his family's stance on LGBTQ+ issues have raised questions time and again. Michelle recorded a political robocall voicing her opinions on the legislation of transgender rights in 2014. She was called "transphobic" and "anti-anti-discrimination" by the Huffington Post and the Washington Post. Talking about transgender females being allowed to use female public washrooms, Michelle said, "I don't believe the citizens of Fayetteville would want males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls."
Jim and Michelle are undoubtedly facing a difficult phases of their lives currently with the arrest of their eldest son Josh. Josh is facing 40 years in prison if convicted and will attend a pretrial hearing on July 1 before the trial begins on July 6.