At this rate, we’ll never be done counting! Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have 19 kids — and now that their older offspring are starting to marry and have families of their own, they officially have more grandchildren than children.
“It really is hard to believe that this is number 20 of our grandchildren,” Michelle expressed on Counting On after Joseph and Kendra Duggar welcomed their third child together, a daughter named Brooklyn in February 2021. “Now, our grandchildren outnumber our biological 19 kids. It’s just crazy.” As of now, the couple has 22 “grand-Duggars.”
Recently, the Duggars went through a bit of a baby boom. In 2019, Jessa and Ben Seewald, Joe and Kendra, Josiah and Lauren Duggar and Josh and Anna Duggar welcomed new additions to their family. When 2020 rolled around, John David and Abbie Duggar welcomed their tiny tot. Then, in March and May respectively, Joy-Anna and Austin Forsyth and Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo revealed they had rainbow babies on the way. Just three months later, Joe and Kendra announced they were expecting baby No. 3. Then in April 2021, Josh and Anna announced they were expecting baby No. 7.
It’s clear this family tree won’t be done growing any time soon — though one of the married couples hinted they might be done having children. In October 2019, Jill Dillard shared an exhausted video rant with fans where she chronicled a tough day of chasing after “just two kids.” Speaking directly to her followers, she said, “This is me frustrated … [My son] is screaming at me because he wants a game. I just told them to go lay down or go outside until mommy can cool down and handle this situation.”
Though it seemed like the mom of two got things under control as the day went on — a visit with a neighbor’s dog and a trip to the pool went a long way toward helping the kids get their energy out — it also gave fans the impression a third kid might be a little too much for the parents. Then, in October 2020, Jill revealed she was using non-hormonal birth control.
“Growing up, it was ingrained in me that if you don’t have as many kids as you’re able to, that there’s something wrong with that,” she said via YouTube amid her feud with her family. “But there was a shift in me, where I felt like it wasn’t wrong if you decide as a couple that it’s best for you to wait.”
Back in August 2019, Jill’s husband, Derick Dillard, hinted that he and his wife could be using contraception. “We never said we don’t believe in birth control,” he told fans at the time. “Each Christian family should follow God’s leading for their own family regarding when and how many kids to have.”
We bet Jim Bob didn’t exactly like hearing that. In the past, the Counting On patriarch has gone so far as to say that he hopes that, one day, he has 200 grandchildren to call his own. But if Jill’s siblings all keep up the pace, they’ll be there in no time. Keep scrolling to learn all about the Duggar grandkids below.