A new Prime Video docuseries aims to unmask the Duggar family’s deep, dark secrets and those of the religious teachings they follow.
In a trailer released Thursday for “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets,” former members of the Institute in Basic Life Principles are interviewed about the ultra-conservative ministry’s cult-like practices.
Jill Duggar, who participates in the series along with her cousin Amy Duggar, says in the clip, “There’s a story that’s going to be told and I would rather be the one telling it.”
The “19 Kids and Counting” alum is not the only member of her family to bash the non-denominational Christian organization.
In January, Jinger Duggar revealed the manipulation she felt due to the “cult-like” teachings.
“I thought I could be killed in a car accident on the way, because I didn’t know if God wanted me to stay home and read my Bible instead,” the TLC star said at the time.
She also released a book, “Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear,” which detailed her experience leaving IBLP in 2017.
Aside from the Duggars, Bill Gothard, the founder of IBLP, is also at the forefront of the new docuseries.
A male speaker is heard in the clip alleging that the disgraced minister turned “every father into a cult leader and every home into an island.”
A female participant then likens the Christian-like church to the dystopian novel “The Handsmaid’s Tale,” saying she thought to herself, “This is my life,” when she read it.
“The Institute raises little predators,” another woman adds, prompting the trailer to reference Josh Duggar’s child pornography scandal and molestation allegations.
In May 2022, the former reality star was sentenced to 12 years in prison for receiving and possessing child porn after files were uncovered on a computer he left at his now-shuttered used car dealership.
Josh was also accused in 2015 of sexually abusing five underage girls, including sisters Jill and Jessa, while he was a teenager.
One documentary participant proceeds to point out, though, that the issues surrounding IBLP are “much bigger than the Duggars.”
“You give these kids training and political engagement, from there you send them to the halls of Congress, into the White House as interns,” another adds. “They’re playing the long game.”
A separate speaker concludes, “The real story is a much bigger one.”
“Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” starts streaming on Prime Video June 2.
