Critics of the Duggar family may have suspected for a long time that they're not quite what they seem. If nothing else, the Josh Duggar scandal seemed to destroy the perception of the Duggars as a slightly weird family and instead labeled them as potentially dangerous. Given Jim Bob and Michelle's admission that Josh had been problematic from an early age, followers can't help but wonder what else the family might have been hiding—or might still be hiding.
A wild and unconfirmed rumor seems to suggest there's a lot more happening behind the scenes with the Duggars than they would ever admit. Fortunately for them, the people who experienced their misdeeds firsthand never went public with the information.
The Duggars Have Always Lived In A Small Town
"Mainstream" people who live in Tontitown, Arkansas aren't huge fans of the Duggar family.
At least, those who took to Reddit to share their thoughts definitely weren't. Plus, those who watched 19 Kids and Counting when the Duggars had a few fewer offspring remember the looks of horror from waitstaff at restaurants the Duggars frequented (especially when they were on the hunt for free kids' meals).
People who have interacted with a Duggar or two in the 'wild' suggest that most of the family is a bit standoffish, not wanting to engage with people while out doing their shopping or any other day-to-day activities. Not that anyone really tries to engage with them, however.
Commenters online have said that while they spotted Duggars in the wild, even making accidental eye contact earned them what seemed like a warning glare.
What Are The Duggars Really Like In Person?
It's hard to get an accurate picture of what the Duggars are really like in person, because it seems to depend on who they're around. The Duggars do have many friends who follow the same or similar practices as them, so their religious community might think of them in a certain way.
But according to a handful of comments from Redditors who say they live in or around the metro area that includes the Duggars' city, the Duggars are snooty, at best, and at worst, well, it gets a lot worse.
One person started off by calling the family "mildly annoying" due to their fame, but elaborated that, "The hypocrisy of how wild the boys are makes it worse."
It turned out that commenter wasn't talking about the little Duggar boys being "wild"; the comments were posted in 2021 and referred to the mostly-grown Duggars.
They elaborated, "My high school students had some [incrimating] pictures. It was well known that Josh was creepy before the details came out."
Things got even more uncomfortable if the rumors are to be believed; "Girls on their laps. Lots of alcohol. Normal teen stuff if you aren't the Duggars. They may as well be frat boys," said the high school teacher.
When other commenters asked why the students hadn't shared the photos of Duggars behaving badly, the teacher said the kids "didn't think anyone would care" and some said it was "mean" to name and shame them.
Some commenters disagreed with that decision, though they understood the teenage reasoning of wanting to not be 'mean' to people who were, more or less, public figures.
One suggested that naming the misbehaving Duggars "would be a public service," because that makes them hypocrites in the face of the religious values they promote. After all, their time on reality TV was always meant to be ministry, based on Michelle and Jim Bob's explanations of why they decided to appear on a reality TV program while not allowing their children to watch TV.
But some of the Duggars' other life choices are questionable, according to their followers, because not only is Tontitown not as 'rural' as the family seems to like, but it's also home to many wineries.
One commenter seemingly sarcastically wrote, "I'm shocked that she would even consider living in such a sinful place."
Will The Truth Ever Be Fully Revealed?
Given how secretive the Duggars seem to be about any possibility of scandal, it's unlikely that anyone will ever know the full extent of the Duggar boys' reported bad behavior.
It could also be that after Josh Duggar was put behind bars for his alleged crimes, the family decided to keep an even lower profile when it comes to not just their appearances on TV or in the media, but also fraternizing with the locals in their area.
Whatever the case, it may not come as a surprise to Duggar followers that it was the boys in the family that were raising a ruckus. After all, the Duggar girls were always expected to be quiet, obedient, and modestly dressed.
It would seem that the Duggars' rules for their boys are somewhat less stringent, especially if the boys were, at any point, spending time with non-homeschooled (whether public or privately schooled, that wasn't made clear) students their age in an environment where beer was available.
Of course, nowadays, many of the older (read: married) Duggars are breaking all sorts of "rules," so maybe drinking alcohol wouldn't be such a big deal to them today.
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