Josiah Duggar

The couple met in the early 1980s when Duggar and a fellow church member were sent for a follow-up visit after Michelle experienced a religious conversion.

The Duggars were married on July 21, 1984, just after Michelle's high school graduation.

When they married, she was 17 and he was 19; neither attended college.

Together they first launched a used-car business, then towing and real estate businesses; both are licensed real estate agents.

The Duggars initially chose to wait before having children and used birth control pills in the early years of their marriage.

Their eldest child, Joshua, was born in 1988.

They resumed using oral contraceptives after his birth, but conceived again, despite this precaution; however, Michelle miscarried early in her pregnancy.

She has mentioned that they named this child Caleb, despite not knowing the baby's sex.

After consulting a doctor, the Duggars were told that birth control can (in some cases) allow conception, but cause miscarriage.

As a result, they decided to stop using birth control and allow God to determine the number of children they would have.

Michelle soon became pregnant again, this time with her first set of twins, Jana and John-David.

Michelle gave birth 17 times, over a period of 21 1⁄2 years, approximately one birth every 15 months.

The high number of children is partly related to their Fundamental Baptist beliefs that prohibit contraception.

They only watch programs they consider to be wholesome family television and various historical events.

Their Internet service is filtered.

They adhere to certain standards of modesty in clothing, in accordance with their religious beliefs.

Shorts and tank tops are prohibited, and the women do not wear skirts that go above the knee.

According to Michelle Duggar, such standards are mandated by scripture.

They believe that baring one's thigh is "nakedness and shame" and runs the risk of "defrauding" others – or stirring up and arousing "desires in someone else that cannot be righteously fulfilled".

Moreover, in 2001, Jim Bob and Michelle were interviewed for an article published on a Quiverfull affiliated website.

The Duggar family has also been connected with the Institute in Basic Life Principles and the Advanced Training Institute, both of which were founded by Bill Gothard.

These events occurred in 2002 and 2003, when Josh was 14 to 15 years old and prior to the beginning of the show.

The series began on September 29, 2008, and concluded on May 19, 2015.

The show was TLC's most popular, averaging 2.3 million viewers per new episode in Season 10 and scoring in the Nielsen "Cable Top 25".

19 Kids and Counting (formerly 17 Kids and Counting and 18 Kids and Counting) is an American reality television series that aired on the cable channel TLC for seven years until its cancellation in 2015.

The show features the Duggar family: parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their 19 children – nine daughters and ten sons – all of whose names begin with the letter "J".

During the duration of the show, two children were born, three children were married, and four grandchildren were born.

The show focuses on the life of the Duggar family, who are devout independent Baptists, and frequently discusses values of purity, modesty and faith in God.

The Duggars avoid birth control, saying they have decided to allow God to determine the number of children they have.

All of the children are homeschooled and access to entertainment such as movies and television is limited.

They practice chaperoned courtship, in which a couple becomes acquainted only in a group setting.

The values presented on the show have been associated with the Quiverfull movement, which has been described as promoting strict family conformity, male hierarchies and subservient roles for women.

The Duggars have stated that they are not associated with the Quiverfull movement.

However, in an article formerly published on their website titled "Why Have Such a Large Family?", the Duggars reference Psalms 127:3-5, from which the Quiverfull movement name comes.

On May 22, 2015, TLC suspended the series when the Duggars' eldest son Josh publicly apologized for having "acted inexcusably" following reports that he molested five girls, including some of his sisters, by fondling them.

On July 16, 2015, TLC announced that the show was officially canceled and would not resume production.

A spin off show, Counting On, aired in December 2015 and was cancelled in 2021, due to Josh Duggar's arrest for child pornography.

The Duggars live in Tontitown, Arkansas, near Springdale and originally appeared in several TLC and Discovery Health one hour specials, mostly focused on four of Michelle's last five deliveries.

Jim Bob Duggar has an older sister, Deanna, who occasionally appears on the show.

Michelle Duggar (née Ruark) has six older siblings (Pamela Ethel, Kathie Ann, Evelyn Alice, Carolyn Jeannite, Freda Louise and Garrett Floyd Jr.).