At this point, several members of the Duggar family have rebelled against their parents’ ultra-strict worldview.
But perhaps no one has been so open and entertaining about their defiance as James Duggar.
In case you’re unaware, James is the 21-year-old thirteenth child of Jim Bob and Michelle.
The Duggars seem like suspicious folk, so the patriarch and matriarch might’ve suspected that baby number thirteen would create problems — and boy, were they right!
Lately, James Duggar has been traveling the world and filming his adventures for his YouTube channel.
That might sound innocent enough, but you have to remember who his parents are.
James has been eating in pubs, pranking his friends, and generally acting like a normal 21-year-old man.
Naturally, all of these activities are strictly forbidden by his parents, who view anything remotely fun as the work of the devil.
James was even forced to change the name of his YouTube channel from the amusing “Duggars Gone Wild” to the boring and innocuous “James Duggar Vlog.”
But hey, the important thing is, James has been getting out from under his parents’ roof and seeing the world for himself.
In fact, he spends so much time bouncing from one location to the next that observers now suspect his folks have given the boot.
“Did James get kicked out of the big house or something?” one fan asked on Reddit this week, according to UK tabloid The Sun.
“He’s been on a continuous ‘vacation’ since January.”
“Maybe Jim Bob is paying him to stay away,” another user suggested.
“I feel like Jim and Michelle are letting him be free since he’s the weird one,” a third theorized, adding:
“This looks like significant untethering from family rules and regs.”
Others suggested (jokingly, we hope) that James might soon face more extreme forms of discipline.
“Better be careful, James. Dear old Dad might have to have you knocked off as a way to save the family, and family comes first,” one redditor quipped.
Still others suggested that James’ newfound freedom might be an indication of the general erosion of Jim Bob’s authority.
“I’m suspecting that he has more personal freedom, and Jim Bob is slowly losing control of how many adults he can keep under his wing at all times,” wrote one such user.
Whatever the case, James seems to be having the time of his life.
We hope he’ll continue to make the most of this freedom while he can.
After all, you never know when Jim Bob might suddenly decide to crack down.
