Why Jinger Duggar hasn’t spent Christmas with her family in almost a decade

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Jinger Duggar has revealed she hasn’t spent Christmas with her family for the past nine years, and is now sharing the reasons why.

Jinger, the 32-year-old former star of TLC’s reality shows, shared her Christmas plans on her podcast, “The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast,” which she hosts with her husband, Jeremy Vuolo.

Jinger recently clarified that she has a good relationship with her family, calling it ‘exciting’ to spend the holidays with them after nearly ten years.

Jeremy mentioned that after nine years of marriage, they’re finally going back to the Duggar family’s house for Christmas this year. They haven’t visited since getting married.

Jinger explained she doesn’t celebrate Christmas with the Duggars anymore because she prefers to spend the holidays with Jeremy’s family, as it’s the one time of year they can all get together.

‘Throughout the years, we’ve decided, like, “Okay, that’s going to be the time that we spend with the Vuolo family”,’ she explained.

She emphasized that the Duggars are a very close-knit family who are frequently together, and they often travel from their home in California to visit relatives in Arkansas.

‘We went back one year, three times in one year, for weddings,’ she said.

Jinger and Jeremy first connected in May 2015 and got married in September 2016. They now have three children: daughters Felicity and Evangeline, and a son named Finnegan.

Jinger and her fifteen siblings became famous in 2008 when their family’s reality show, 19 Kids and Counting, premiered on TLC.

I remember when this show first came out! It originally had one name, but as the family kept growing, they just kept changing it to reflect all the new babies! It didn’t take long for everyone in the country to fall in love with it – it became a huge hit almost immediately.

The Duggar family—parents Jim Bob and Michelle and their 19 children—first gained widespread attention because of the extremely strict rules the parents enforced.

I’ve been following the Institute in Basic Life Principles for a long time, and it’s a really important part of my life. It’s a Christian organization founded by Bill Gothard, though he’s faced a lot of criticism and isn’t accepted by mainstream religious groups. Still, the principles have deeply impacted me and many others I know.

This group encourages families to educate their children at home, adhere to a conservative dress code, and refrain from dating or any interaction with members of the opposite sex until after marriage.

Jim Bob and Michelle controlled nearly every part of their children’s lives. They monitored their texts, dictated what they could watch and listen to, and even influenced who they befriended.

The show ran for ten seasons and concluded in 2015, but later that same year, a spin-off series called Counting On began airing.

The show continued for eleven more seasons until it was canceled following the arrest of Jinger Duggar’s brother, Josh, on charges related to child pornography.

He was ultimately found guilty and sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison. 

Jinger has openly discussed the long-term emotional pain caused by growing up in a strictly religious home, and she’s no longer involved with the IBLP organization.

In July, Vuolo shared that the couple experienced a significant betrayal early in their relationship, which deeply affected them both.

The former soccer player, 37, laid bare their struggles during an episode of their podcast.

Looking back on their relationship, he revealed that he and Jinger, 31, experienced a very difficult and disturbing time shortly after their wedding in 2016.

He explained that early in their marriage, they went through a period of what he called a profound betrayal.

When important relationships in your life are disrupted or end, it’s natural to question your direction and purpose.

He remembered sitting with their pastor and Jinger, who was crying deeply at the time.

‘This was a moment when we were both very deeply unsettled, we both felt shaken,’ he continued.

I’ll always remember the pastor’s words. He told me, “Jeremy, I believe God is teaching you to be independent and rely on yourself.”

It’s not about being separated from each other or from God, but rather about both of us relying on God individually.

Okay, so Jeremy’s been understandably private about this, but he’s clarified that the issue he’s referring to – he called it a ‘betrayal’ – isn’t connected to Jinger’s family at all. It seems like it involves people closer to him personally, and he’s choosing to keep the details under wraps for now. It’s a tough situation, and he’s understandably protective of that part of his life.

‘The betrayal wasn’t even family. I know a lot of people listening might try to figure out [what happened],’ he continued.

It was hard because these were people I was really looking forward to Jinger getting to know. I had been so excited for them to meet.

He explained that after the event, they lacked the help and resources they needed. However, looking back after several years, he now believes it had to happen.

Looking back, he realized they’ve built a strong network of friends who feel like family. They’re now part of a supportive community and feel truly connected – something they lacked in the past. He believes those earlier, difficult years ultimately led them to where they are now.

Jinger jumped in to share that the experience actually brought them closer together, both as a couple and in their faith.

She remembered those times of prayer and devotion as being incredibly profound. They were really relying on God to help them through a difficult period.

Being newlyweds was a really special time for us. It brought us even closer together – we already felt connected, but this deepened our bond in a completely new way.

‘When you walk through pain and hardship together, it just binds your hearts in a different way.’

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2025-12-25 01:36