Are Jana and Jill friends again?
In August, Jana Duggar married Stephen Wissmann with zero public notice. Sister Jill Duggar did attend the wedding despite her documented estrangement from some of her family.
But attending a wedding doesn’t always mean that everything’s good. Especially when the guest list is around 500.
How do things stand between Jana and Jill Duggar these days?
Jill Duggar looks somber in this photo as she prepares to trash her parents. (Image Credit: Amazon Prime)
Where do things stand between Jana Duggar and Jill Duggar?
On August 15, Jana Duggar married Stephen Wissmann.
Longtime Duggar-watchers (not all of whom are “fans”) had all but written off Jana, wondering if anyone compatible with the family’s fundamentalist cult would marry someone as “old” as the 34-year-old eldest daughter.
But Jana clearly broke multiple Duggar rules. She and Stephen had an engagement. And they seemed incredibly familiar with each other before their nuptials. Even her wedding gown deviated from the cult.
On her YouTube channel, Jana Duggar walked viewers through as she harvested and ate her own Arkansas pineapples. (Image Credit: YouTube)
This is relevant because Jana has been the obedient, overly-put-upon eldest daughter for so long. She seemed totally under Jim Bob’s thumb, not even marrying — many assumed — because Jim Bob and Michelle demanded that she continue to provide childcare.
Now? Now fans are starting to wonder if Jana’s taste of rule-breaking is bringing her closer to Jill.
After all, Jill has been the “black sheep” of the sisters for years. Maybe Jana seeing what freedom feels like (relatively speaking) is helping her to understand why Jill broke away from Jim Bob’s control.
Jill Duggar and Derrick Dillard speak here as part of a documentary on their family. (Image Credit: Amazon Prime)
Which siblings avoid Jill Duggar? Has Jana changed her tune?
In her memoir, Jill doesn’t really specify who among her toxic family avoids her altogether.
Recently, Reddit denizens discussed the idea of whether the newly “liberated” Jana might feel more open to chatting with Jill.
Maybe she didn’t understand Jill before — but does now.
On YouTube in the summer of 2024, Jana Duggar took followers on a tour of her Tiny House. (Image Credit: YouTube)
Commenters quickly pointed out that there’s a theory that Jana remained with the family for two reasons: Josh Duggar and the kids.
Josh keeps losing his appeals, thankfully. Maybe Jana had to wait around for whatever reason until his prison sentence felt like a sure thing.
Additionally, she has been caretaker to her massive brood of younger siblings for all of her life. Now, they’re all older, and Jana’s time as an involuntary mother may be over.
On her YouTube channel, Jana Duggar walked her fans through the installation of her above-ground pool. (Image Credit: YouTube)
There’s another theory, however
One commenter went so far as to suggest that Jana Duggar has been telling the truth. That she didn’t feel that she’d met the right suitor until Stephen Wissmann (this time around). That she’s been making her own choices for years, including remaining single and including marrying.
If that’s the case, maybe the perceived gulf between her and Jill won’t go away. “I don’t think any new relationship sibling wise will magically appear because of the wedding,” the redditor wrote.
That said, many of the siblings may feel sympathy for Jill. Not Josh, of course, but many. Several commenters noted that anyone keeping Jill at arm’s length may have no choice — not wanting to incur Jim Bob’s wrath.
Jana Duggar & Jill Duggar Friends Again Now That Jana’s Free? was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.