Jill Duggar reunites with Jim Bob despite his distance

Jim Bob Duggar and Jill Dillard are apparently making progress.

The long estrangement between Jill and her horrible parents is no secret.

Her own father has forbidden her access to the family home, except on rare occasions when he gives her express permission to enter.

However, Jim Bob had to give Jill permission quite recently. As you can see in the photos below, there was a family reunion of sorts over the holidays.

Derick Dillard and Jill Duggar for Shiny Happy People. — In the documentary “Shiny Happy People,” Jill Duggar attempted to convey the complex emotions she still feels toward her horrible parents. Her husband Derick Dillard was by her side. (Image credit: Amazon Prime)

Yes, it's Jill at Jim Bob Duggar

Jill, 33, appeared in a series of massive family photos. They weren't his photos, nor those of Jim Bob.

Instead, brother James Duggar shared photos from the family's infamous Christmas party. Instagram.

If you look at the post below, the third image shows Jill among the massive crowd.

As any Duggar fan or critic could tell you, these photos are from the Duggar compound. And more specifically, from Jim Bob and Michelle's house.

In the most interesting photo we see Jill and Jim Bob sitting on a couch. The same sofa.

Don't worry, Jill still has her husband, Derick, as a buffer. Her rightly controversial husband sits between her and her father.

Jim Bob Duggar is a seriously messed up dude. (Photo credit: TLC)

Things haven't been good between Jill and Jim Bob Duggar

For years, it was clear that Jill was distancing herself from Jim Bob, his famous rules and his egregious behavior.

Over time, Jill became more vocal on the subject, acknowledging the estrangement and detailing her traumatic childhood.

She participated in the 2023 Happy and bright people documentary for Prime Video. She also published her memoirs, Count the costlater the same year.

Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard speak here as part of a documentary about their family. (Image credit: Amazon Prime)

Most of the criticism Jill (and her husband Derick) has leveled at Jim Bob has more to do with money than, say, the abusive cult Jill grew up in.

Unfortunately, the Duggar family patriarch used the money to keep most of his adult children in line. But it went further than many critics thought.

Jill and Derick explained that her father presented the family's reality TV career as a kind of awareness raising, as if they were volunteering to model their extreme fundamentalist lifestyle as some kind of public good. In reality, Jim Bob pocketed huge salaries from TLC…and Jill and Derick had to hire a lawyer to get a fair share.

Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar to happier, more innocent times. Still bigoted and a bit backward, but less controversial, of course. (Image credit: TLC)

What does this reunion mean?

Truth be told, all we know from this photo is that Jill was willing to spend time with Jim Bob, and that he in turn allowed her into his home in this case.

We don't know how often she sees her parents these days. It may have been a special occasion, especially since the Duggar family are fundamentalist Christians and consider Christmas a particularly important time.

Jill doesn't need to reconcile with her horrible father. But if she wants a closer relationship with him, that's allowed. This is a mistake, but it is allowed.