Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard’s romance has captivated fans for years, beginning with their whirlwind courtship.
The 19 Kids and Counting alum, who is the fourth child of Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar, found her now-husband through her father, making their road to marriage somewhat seamless.
The duo’s courtship began in 2013, after Dillard had become close with Jim Bob during his two-year mission to Nepal. “Being that we had similar life goals, she caught my attention,” Dillard wrote via the couple’s wedding website in 2014, noting he spoke with her on the phone once before she came to visit him in Nepal alongside her dad.
“The more I spent time with him and observed his integrity, sweet spirit and love for God and service to others, the more I fell in love with him,” Jill recalled.
Dillard proposed in March 2014 after he returned to the U.S. They tied the knot three months later.
The couple have since welcomed three sons, Israel, Samuel and Frederick, but they’ve experienced some difficulties in expanding their family. In April 2024, they announced the loss of their “beautiful baby girl,” Isla, who was stillborn.
Scroll down to relive Jill and Dillard’s relationship through the years:
The Arkansas natives grew up within 45 minutes of each other but didn’t meet until Christmas of 2011. Jill recalled on the couple’s wedding website that she first met Dillard when he came to her house while caroling with a church group.
Courtesy Jim Bob Duggar
While Dillard was doing humanitarian work in Nepal back in 2012, Jim Bob served as one of his prayer partners. “We would talk every couple weeks or so to discuss how our work was going and what current prayer needs were,” Dillard wrote on the couple’s site.
Jill added: “As my dad got to know Derick he was really impressed with his Godly character. He started telling me about Derick and also told Derick about me! I listened in on a few phone conversations with my dad without Derick knowing I was doing so.”
Courtesy of The Duggar Family/Instagram
“The first time Jill and I spoke was over the phone in a brief conversation we had back in March 2013,” Dillard recalled. Jill explained that Dillard had called her father to give him an update on his mission when she walked into the room. “My dad told Derick I had just come in the room and asked him to tell me a little bit about himself,” she said. “We talked briefly that evening, however, in the months following I didn’t think much about him.”
Courtesy of Derick Dillard/Instagram
“I continued speaking with Jim Bob (Jill’s dad) over the summer, but didn’t speak with Jill again until August,” Dillard wrote, noting that during that time he was “praying about Jill” and trying to figure out what was next for them. Toward the end of the month, Derick said he received Jill’s phone number from Jim Bob, which is when the pair started conversing on their own.
Courtesy of Jill Duggar/Instagram
Three months later, Jill and Jim Bob went on a two-week trip to Nepal and the couple finally met face to face. “I had no idea what to expect,” Dillard revealed on the pair’s website, adding that after spending time with Jill he “felt the Lord directing me to ask Jill to officially begin a courtship relationship.”
Courtesy Jim Bob Duggar
Two months after meeting the whole Duggar family upon his return to the U.S., Dillard proposed after a lunch date at a Mexican restaurant. The lawyer popped the question after walking around a park as a musician played a song for them, which was preplanned.
Courtesy of Derick Dillard/Instagram
The lovebirds tied the knot in front of more than 1,000 witnesses at the Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas, on June 21. After they were pronounced husband and wife, the couple shared their first kiss.
Tlc/Kobal/Shutterstock
The Duggar family celebrated the arrival of Jill and Dillard’s first child, son Israel, via Facebook. “We are so thankful for a healthy Mom and baby!” the statement read, after Jill gave birth on April 6. “Love this sweet baby Israel! We are happy grandparents, and we promise more pictures soon!”
Courtesy of Derick Dillard/Instagram
“We are excited to finally announce the arrival of Samuel Scott Dillard,” the family shared on their website following their second son’s birth on July 8. “After 40 hours of labor, he was delivered via C-section at the hospital. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!”
Courtesy of Derrick Dillard/Instagram
TLC announced that the network was no longer working with Dillard after he made transphobic remarks about reality star Jazz Jennings. “We want to reiterate that Derick’s personal statements do not reflect the views of the network,” the statement read at the time. Jill, for her part, did not return for season 7 of Counting On, which aired in 2018, following her husband’s exit.
YouTube
Ahead of their fifth wedding anniversary, Jill gave her fans advice for a healthy and happy marriage while detailing her and Dillard’s sex life. Among her list of more than three dozen “ways we can love our husbands,” Jill pointed to having sex as the No. 1 tip.
“You both need this time together regularly (3-4 times a week is a good start. lol),” she wrote on the Dillard Family blog. “And when you may not be able to actually have intercourse for a period of time or for health issues, find other ways to have fun and be intimate. Let your spouse know that you’re always available. Guard against fulfilling sexual desires alone. Be open with your spouse about your desires and change things up to keep it exciting!”
Courtesy Jill Duggar/Instagram
Jill and Dillard shared a video on their YouTube channel, revealing the reason they have distanced themselves from her family following their step back from Counting On three years prior. “We found out we didn’t have as much control over our lives as it related to the show and stuff, as we needed,” Jill claimed at the time. “We had to make a decision at that time to kind of put the show aside … to pursue our own goals and everything. That’s when we made that decision.”
After they stopped filming the reality show, the mother of two explained that there has been “some distancing” with her parents and siblings. “We’re not on the best terms with some of my family. We’ve had some disagreements, but we’re working toward healing definitely and restoration, but we’re having to kind of just take some time and heal,” she added.
Tlc/Kobal/Shutterstock
“So proud of my man,” Jill captioned a mirror selfie with her husband in honor of his University of Arkansas School of Law graduation.
Courtesy of Jill Duggar/Instagram
“👰🏻🤵🏻7 years ago today we said, ‘I do’ and became husband and wife!” the 19 Kids and Counting alum gushed via Instagram on the pair’s seventh anniversary. “@derickdillard I could’ve never imagined at the time all we’d face together and where we’d be now, but I’m forever grateful for you always by my side! 🌳. Thank you for being my man and loving and leading through thick and thin! You’re my bestie for the restie! 😘💋.”
Courtesy of Jill Dillard/Instagram
The duo announced they are expecting baby No. 3 after previously suffering a miscarriage in October 2021. One month later, the pair revealed the baby’s sex. “It’s a boy!! We couldn’t be more excited!” Jill captioned an Instagram snap in March 2022. “💙 Thinking maybe we should pad our house and turn it into a trampoline park🙃😋.”
Courtesy Jill Duggar/Instagram
The Supreme Court of Arkansas announced in a press release that Dillard was among the many individuals who passed the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) and “successfully completed” the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) nearly one year after his law school graduation.
Dillard, who took the bar exam in February 2022, will now be “certified to the Clerk of the Arkansas Supreme Court for admission as attorneys licensed to practice law in Arkansas,” per the statement.
Courtesy Jill Duggar/Instagram
The couple announced that they were moving out of their home in Arkansas due to Dillard’s law career. “We are joining the masses of people who are currently navigating this crazy real estate market … We are sad to say goodbye to our very first home that we bought three years ago but pray it brings much joy to the next family who will get to make memories here,” the blog post read.
Courtesy of Jill Duggar/Instagram
The pair welcomed baby No. 3 after previously suffering a miscarriage. “‘Freddy’ Frederick Michael Dillard is here!” they gushed via their family blog days after the little one’s July 7 arrival. Later that month, Jill and her husband shared sweet photos of Frederick meeting his older brothers.
Courtesy of Jill Duggar/Instagram
Jill and Dillard participated in an interview for the Prime Video docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. The duo claimed they were not paid for their participation in the family reality shows, and Jill was pressured to defend her family after Josh’s child molestation allegations went public.
Amid the docuseries release, the pair announced their book Counting the Cost: A Memoir. “Thanks to time, tears, truth, and therapy, God has begun to heal our wounds into scars,” Jill shared via Instagram at the time. “Though we would have never chosen this path, and it has cost us dearly, we want to use our voice to show others that there is hope beyond the pain.”
Courtesy of Jill Duggar Dillard/Instagram
The couple mourned their stillborn daughter in a joint Instagram statement. “💔It is with heavy hearts that we announce the stillbirth of our beautiful baby girl, Isla Marie Dillard. Jill was 4 months pregnant (due in August) when we found out that our baby died in utero,” read the caption. “From the moment we found out we were pregnant, we couldn’t wait to meet our baby. Isla was much loved from the start, and her 3 big brothers were so excited to introduce her to their world.”
The twosome added, “We appreciate your prayers as we continue to grieve and heal from the loss of our little Isla Marie.”
Later that month, a funeral was held. “Isla Marie, our baby girl. We will love you forever & hold you in our hearts until we hold you in heaven,” the couple wrote via Instagram.
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