Jill Duggar was shocked by some of the revelations about her family in cousin Amy Duggar‘s new memoir — just like Us.
The 19 Kids and Counting alums and their husbands teamed up for an Instagram Live Q&A following the release of Amy’s book, Holy Disruptor, on October 14. At one point, Jill, 34, was asked whether she knew about her grandfather Jimmy Lee Duggar‘s alleged abusive behavior before picking up the memoir. (Jimmy Lee, who died in 2009, was the father of Jill’s dad, Jim Bob, and Amy’s mom, Deanna.)
Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, explained that they read Amy’s book during a recent trip, but due to Jill’s schedule, they weren’t reading at the same pace.
“I actually told Jill some things about her grandfather that she didn’t know, so that was an interesting dynamic,” Derick said.
Jill went on to recall their conversation. “He was like, ‘Did you know this, that or the other about Grandpa Duggar? And I was like, ‘No, tell me more,'” she said. “And it was so weird because he’s like, ‘I’m literally telling you more about your grandpa than you knew.'”
According to Jill, her husband “never got to meet” Jimmy Lee, but she had filled him in on some of the stories about her grandfather in the past. “[The book] definitely is deep,” Jill continued. “It goes into a lot of aspects … and the reality of a lot of situations that our family lived.”
Jill praised her cousin’s “boldness” in sharing such difficult memories about her childhood and extended family. “It was very insightful, honestly,” Jill said. “We learned more about our family history than we knew. We had inklings of things, but even just your family and everything you went through.”
In Holy Disruptor, Amy opened up for the first time about her “complicated” and “unpredictable” grandfather — and the abuse her mother allegedly experienced while growing up. Amy described one instance when Deanna returned home from college and saw her parents fighting. Jimmy Lee then turned his anger on his daughter.
“With a leather belt in his hand and the most haunting, crazed look in his eyes, he grabbed her by the legs, held her down on the bed, and began beating her, every hit harder than the last. … This brutal torture lasted for more than an hour,” Amy claimed, adding that Deanna was left “black and blue and beaten to a bloody pulp.”
When Deanna was 21, her father allegedly “went ballistic” when she brought up the idea of moving in with her then-boyfriend. “[Jimmy Lee] grabbed her by the throat, carried her from the kitchen to his bed, and jumped on top of her. He wrapped his hands around her neck, lay on top of her so she was unable to move, and started strangling her. … He almost succeeded in murdering my mother,” Amy wrote.
Jim Bob stepped in to help his sister and “saved her life that day,” according to Amy.
While the physical abuse eventually stopped, there was more to be uncovered about Jimmy Lee’s alleged behavior. Amy revealed she was told never to be alone with her grandpa — but she didn’t understand why until after his death.
“The reason I was not allowed to be alone with my grandpa was because he was a predator!” Amy wrote. “Underneath JL’s charming and funny personality was a true monster.”
In an exclusive interview with Luxury Handbag Shopping before her book’s release, Amy shared that her mom was initially hesitant about the world learning the truth about Jimmy Lee.
“I think at first she kind of pushed back. … And then I think she thought about it and was like, ‘You know what? Actually, by talking about it, it takes away its power,'” Amy told Us.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
