- Feb 5, 2002
- 183,982
- 67,133
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Female
- Faith
- Catholic
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
(REVIEW) America got a glimpse of the happy Duggar family in an hour-long special, “14 Kids and Counting,” way back in 2004. They kept having kids, soaking up viral fame in the reality TV era and raising questions about big families, home schooling and Christianity in America.
Americans would become so captivated by this well-behaved Christian family that 10 seasons of “19 Kids and Counting” would showcase the happy family. However, behind the smiling faces were dark secrets and a religion that resembled a cult. These were the real lives of the Duggar children, who are now growing up and starting families of their own.
“Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” is the latest docuseries from Amazon Prime that focuses on the family and its connections to the nonprofit organization Institute in Basic Life Principles, created by an unordained teacher named Bill Gothard, who was based in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, Ill.
Gothard offered popular seminars on Christian principles for living around the U.S. and expanded his ministry to include a large home-schooling network of thousands of families like the Duggars.
Continued below.
religionunplugged.com
Americans would become so captivated by this well-behaved Christian family that 10 seasons of “19 Kids and Counting” would showcase the happy family. However, behind the smiling faces were dark secrets and a religion that resembled a cult. These were the real lives of the Duggar children, who are now growing up and starting families of their own.
“Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” is the latest docuseries from Amazon Prime that focuses on the family and its connections to the nonprofit organization Institute in Basic Life Principles, created by an unordained teacher named Bill Gothard, who was based in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, Ill.
Gothard offered popular seminars on Christian principles for living around the U.S. and expanded his ministry to include a large home-schooling network of thousands of families like the Duggars.
Continued below.

Behind the Duggar Smile: Family’s Troubling Connection to Bill Gothard’s IBLP Uncovered
(REVIEW) “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” is the latest docuseries from Amazon Prime that focuses on the family and their connections to the nonprofit organization Institute in Basic Life Principles, created by an unordained teacher named Bill Gothard, who was based in the Chicago suburb