Duggar family news: Members divided over Derick Dillard's firing
Reports say the famous Baptist Duggar family have differing opinions on the firing of family member Derick Dillard from the TLC reality program "Counting On."
A source close to the family told Radar Online that the issue has put a lot of strain on Dillard. The person added that the family members are very careful not to criticize each other. "He wasn't trying to hurt Jazz. She just conflicted with his belief system and he reacted without thinking it through," the insider shared.
That, however, does not eliminate the tension between the increasingly dividing factions within the family. The source defended Dillard's actions by saying he and his wife Jill Duggar spent some two years away from family, and that it would take a while for them to adjust to their old lifestyle. The couple previously lived in Central America.
The insider also clarified that there is no family feud, as the Duggars are not that close to begin with.
Dillard was fired from the show last week, after he posted a string of tweets that criticized teen reality star and transgender Jazz Jennings, who happens to star in another TLC show called "I am Jazz."
The last straw came in Dillard's Nov. 10 post, where he said he pities Jennings as people are taking advantage of "him" to promote "their own agenda." He also bashed Jennings's parents for allowing the YouTube personality to make her own decisions. "Nothing against him, just unfortunate what's on TV this days," he said on the post.
His comments on Jennings, and his repeated use of the pronouns him/he to refer to a vocal transgender, was negatively accepted by LGBTQ activist's supporters. At 16, Jennings is known for being among the youngest publicly documented transgender figure.
A few days later, TLC clarified on its official Twitter account that Dillards's statements "do not reflect the views of the network." They also said that Dillard has not been seen in "Counting On" episodes in recent months. The same goes for all of the Duggar family's social media accounts.
