Earlier today, we explored the question of why Jill Duggar is hated by so many Counting On viewers. Now, it’s time to answer the much simpler question of why Duggar fans are so often critical of Derick Dillard. As you’re probably aware, Derick was fired from Counting On back in 2017 after launching a bigoted bullying campaign against fellow TLC star Jazz Jennings. Needless to say, many fans of the Duggar clan were not terribly thrilled by the situation. And it seems some of Jim Bob and Michelle’s closest friends also took issue with Derick’s behavior on social media. For over a decade, the Duggars have been close friends with the Bates family, stars of WeTV’s Bringing Up Bates . Like the Duggars, the Bates are a massive evangelical clan whose unorthodox belief system and penchant for extreme breeding practices earned them a basic cable reality show. The Bates never became as popular as the Duggars — but they’re also considerably less problematic. The Bates share the Duggars’ ultra-conservative belief system, but it seems they draw the line at public expressions of bigotry, such as Derick’s campaign against Jazz. As many Reddit users have now pointed out, several members of the Bates family used to follow Derick on Twitter and Instagram. Now, it looks as though the entire family has unfollowed Derick. “The shunning begins,” wrote one viewer. “The Bates family have unfollowed Jill and Derick. Individual accounts unfollowing just Derick, meanwhile Ben unfollowed him, who’s next?” “For as much as they probably agree with what he’s saying, at some point, they don’t want to be responsible for negative attention that this will invariably draw,” another fan remarked. While it’s likely true that the Bates were not personally offended by Derick’s views, it seems they’ve decided to distance themselves from the controversial law school student. But despite the reports to the contrary, the Bates have not entirely cut ties with the Duggars. Insiders claim Jim Bob and Michelle are as close as ever with Gil and Kelly Bates. In fact, the couples have reportedly made plans to celebrate their next wedding anniversaries together. So it seems that the Bates decided that they’d like to remain close with the Duggars while completely severing ties with Derick. Something tells us that will be an increasingly commonplace arrangement in the years to come. View Slideshow: Jill Duggar & Derick Dillard: Here’s Why Fans Think They’re Getting Divorced
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Derick Dillard: Driving Away the Duggars’ Closest Friends?
