Amy Duggar: I Was Terrified to Visit Jim Bob Because I Knew He Beat His Kids

At the height of her family’s popularity, Amy Duggar was forced into the role of the family rebel.

She was a natural fit for the part, as she was not a member of Jim Bob Duggar’s beloved cult, and she had no qualms about expressing her opposition to her uncle’s more bonkers beliefs.

But Jim Bob and TLC producers worked hard to create the impression that Amy was a cantankerous outsider rather than a voice of reason — a scold from the modern world forever raining on her uncle’s patriarchal parade.

These days, of course, we know the truth of the situation.

Jim Bob was a cult member who sought to become a leader.

His approach to this goal was two-pronged:

He became the ideal follower of the Institute in Basic Life Priciples in hopes of being named successor to his corrupt guru, Bill Gothard.

At the same time Jim Bob raised a family so large that it was basically a mini-cult of his own.

The recent Amazon Prime documentary Shiny Happy People worked to expose Jim Bob’s depravity, an effort that the courageously outspoken Amy undertook several years prior.

Amy was featured in the docu-series, and now, she’s speaking out in another scathing interview.

Speaking with Insider this week, Amy was asked point-blank if the Duggars ever beat their kids with rods, as was alleged in the documentary.

“I might be writing a book, so I want to keep some of my stories for that,” Amy replied.

“But I will say yes, there were times that I was fearful. It’s interesting — I’ve never heard my aunt yell, not one time in her entire life have I ever heard her yell,” Amy recalled.

“But the reflection of her voice, and how calm and sweet she is with that whole tone, it doesn’t match the experience of what could have been taking place.”

In the documentary, Amy and others confirmed that the Duggars used corporal punishment on their children beginning at a very young age.

And the parents rather creepily referred to this practice as “encouragement.”

“They literally said, ‘You need to come into the room and we need to give you some encouragement,’” she recalled in the doc.

“But it was in the sweetest tone ever of like, ‘Do you need encouragement? I think you need encouragement.’”

“It’s interesting — I’ve never heard my aunt yell, not one time in her entire life have I ever heard her yell,” Amy told Insider this week.

“But the reflection of her voice, and how calm and sweet she is with that whole tone, it doesn’t match the experience of what could have been taking place.”

While Shiny Happy People was quite thorough in its exploration of the Duggars and the IBLP, Amy says there’s plenty of material left for a sequel.

“Listen, I think a season two is coming. I haven’t heard if a season two is coming, but I really truly hope so, because you can dive deep,” she said, adding that she hopes there will be an increased focus on the culture of abuse that enabled Josh Duggar’s sex crimes.

“Like, how did Josh get to this point? What has happened to Josh? I don’t know if those questions will ever be answered, but it’s not just Josh,” Amy added.

“There are so many people who have struggled in the IBLP. It’s not just the Duggars. That’s just what people know of.”

Many cult survivors have echoed Amy’s claim that there’s far more to the story.

Hopefully, the producers of Shiny Happy People will be able to dive into it soon.

Amy Duggar: I Was Terrified to Visit Jim Bob Because I Knew He Beat His Kids was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.