Derick Dillard

Derick Michael Dillard (born March 9, 1989) is the first child and first son of Rick Dillard and Cathy Byrum.

He is the brother of Daniel Dillard.

He is the husband of Jill Dillard and the father of their three children, Israel, Samuel, and Frederick.

Early life[]

Derick Michael Dillard was born on March 9, 1989, in Rogers, Arkansas, to Rick Dillard and Cathy Dillard. He was the couple's first child, and they went on to have one more child after him.

Derick grew up in Rogers, Arkansas.

Derick was saved when he was 9 years old.

Growing up, Derick was in Boy Scouts. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He also was involved in playing trumpet in marching band, swim team, and cross country.

Along with his brother, Derick attended Rogers High School. He graduated in 2007.

When Derick was 19 years old, his father died from a heart attack on January 18, 2008. On July 21, 2011, Derick's mother got remarried to Ronnie Byrum.

Personal life[]

Courtship[]

Derick and Jill Duggar first met when he came to her house while Christmas caroling in December 2011, however, they've stated that they don't remember each other. Before leaving for Nepal, Derick met Jim Bob Duggar, and the two became prayer partners. In March 2013, he met Jim Bob's daughter, Jill, over the phone, and began praying and asking God for direction on whether he should continue getting to know Jill. The two began talking more seriously via email and Skype in August 2013, at Jim Bob's suggestion, as featured on the 19 Kids and Counting episode "Another Courtship?". On November 16, 2013, Jill and Jim Bob went to Kathmandu, Nepal to meet Derick. During this trip, Derick and Jill entered an official courtship on November 22, 2013. He asked her to court in front of a hotel in Kathmandu. This trip was featured on the 19 Kids and Counting episodes "Going the Distance for Love" and "The Big Question". After returning home the following January, Derick and Jill began spending more time together in person, as featured on the 19 Kids and Counting episode "A Toast to Love".

Engagement[]

On February 18, 2014, Derick asked Jim Bob's permission to propose to Jill. Derick had a song written by singer-songwriter Walker Hayes to be played before his proposal. The song "When He Made You" chronicles the couple's love story. On March 29, 2014, Derick proposed to Jill at Bentonville City Square, and she answered "yes, totally!". Their engagement was featured on the 19 Kids and Counting episode "The Proposal".

Marriage[]

On June 21, 2014, Derick married Jill Michelle Duggar at Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas. The wedding had around 1,000 guests. The couple shared their first kiss at the altar. The wedding was officiated by Scott Hill. Derick's best man was his brother Daniel. His groomsmen were his cousin Tony Dillard, Jill's brothers John-David and Joseph, and his friends Stephen Jones and Madison McCalmon. The ring bearers were Jill's brother Jackson and Jill's nephew Michael. Jill's maid of honor was her sister Jana. Her bridesmaids were her sisters Jessa, Jinger, Joy-Anna, and Johannah and her sister-in-law Anna. The flower girls were Jill's sisters Jennifer, Jordyn, and Josie and Jill's niece Mackynzie. The ushers were Jill's brothers Josh, Josiah, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, and Jason. The carpet rollers were Jill's brothers James and Justin. The pianist was Jill's family friend Erin Paine. Their wedding was featured on the 19 Kids and Counting episode "Jill's Wedding" and their YouTube channel.

For their honeymoon, Derick and Jill went to Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. They rented a beach house and spent time on the beach, toured the Wright Brothers National Memorial, packed a picnic lunch and spent an afternoon at the Bodie Island Lighthouse, and saw a fireworks show.

Fatherhood[]

Derick and Jill have publicly expressed a desire to adopt children, due to Derick's mother being adopted at birth.

On August 20, 2014, Derick and Jill announced that they were expecting their first child, due March 2015. On October 21, 2014, they revealed that they were expecting a boy. On April 7, 2015, Derick and Jill announced that their son, Israel David, was born at 11:49 p.m. on April 6, 2015, at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, via an emergency C-section after 70 hours of labor. He weighed 9 pounds and 10 ounces, and was 23 inches long. His birth was featured on the 19 Kids and Counting episode "Jill's Special Delivery".

On December 20, 2016, Derick and Jill announced that they were expecting their second child, due July 2017. On January 31, 2017, they revealed that they were expecting a boy. On June 6, 2017, they revealed that they were naming their son Samuel Scott Dillard. On July 8, 2017, Derick and Jill announced that their son, Samuel Scott, was born at 1:02 p.m. on July 8, 2017, in Arkansas, via an emergency C-section after 40 hours of labor. He weighed 9 pounds and 10 ounces, and was 22 inches long.

On October 11, 2021, Derick and Jill announced that they had recently discovered that they were expecting what would have been their third child. The pregnancy ended in a miscarriage shortly after they found out. They named their miscarried child River Bliss Dillard. On October 3, 2022, Jill revealed that it had been a year since they miscarried River.

On February 27, 2022, Derick and Jill announced that they were expecting their third child, due July 2022. On March 23, 2022, they revealed that they were expecting a boy. On July 11, 2022, Derick and Jill announced that their son, Frederick Michael, was born at 5:16 p.m. on July 7, 2022, in Arkansas, via a planned C-section. He weighed 7 pounds and 6 ounces, and was 20 inches long.

On April 13, 2024, Derick and Jill revealed that they had been pregnant with their fourth child, a daughter. When Jill was 4 months pregnant they discovered that the baby had died in utero. They named their daughter, Isla Marie. On September 19, 2024, Jill revealed that it had been six months since she miscarried Isla.

Health[]

On March 10, 2022, Jill revealed that she and Derick tested positive for COVID-19. They tested positive on March 8, 2022. Derick was fully vaccinated when he tested positive.

Career[]

Education[]

In August 2007, Derick began attending Oklahoma State University, his parents' alma mater. In April 2008, Derick tried out to play Pistol Pete, the school's mascot, a role that his father had once held, but did not make the cut. In April 2009, Derick tried out again, and this time he got the part. In May 2011, Derick graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor's of Business Administration Degree in Accounting with a minor in Economics.

Accountant[]

On February 24, 2014, Derick began working as a Tax Accountant at Walmart's corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. On June 10, 2015, Derick announced that he had left this job. Although it was originally speculated that Derick was quitting to move his wife and child away from Northwest Arkansas after it was discovered that Jill had been molested by her older brother, Josh, as a child, Derick later said that this decision had been planned for some time. In May 2015, Derick shared with his manager that he would be leaving this job to do missionary work in Central America with his family.

Missionary work[]

In April 2012, Derick moved to Kathmandu, Nepal, to do volunteer work. While there, he led teams of American volunteers into villages in the Himalayan mountains to provide services and education to Tibetan refugees. He stayed there for two years, returning home in January 2014.

On June 26, 2015, Derick and Jill announced that they would be leaving for a long-term mission trip. On July 5, 2015, Derick, Jill, and Israel left for El Salvador. After a number of complaints from fans and donors alike that the couple was spending just as much time back in Arkansas as on the mission field, the couple began refunding donations to those who were unsatisfied. Much of their time in both locations has been featured on the show Counting On. They most recently returned to the United States in May 2017, in advance of their second child Samuel's birth. On August 9, 2017, they announced that their family were permanently relocating their mission to Northwest Arkansas.

Substitute teaching[]

On October 2, 2016, Derick posted a photo on his Instagram account with a caption that said he was substitute teaching at Springdale High School. He has been photographed as a substitute teacher on other days too. It is unknown how often Derick worked in this role.

Ministry training[]

In 2013, Derick began studying Missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He graduated on April 30, 2017.

Derick studied at the Cross Church School of Ministry. His ministry track was the International Student Ministry at the University of Arkansas through the C3 Ministry team at Cross Church. C3 is a ministry that caters to college students in the Fayetteville, Arkansas area.

In March 2018, Derick went on a mission trip to Mexico as a part of his ministry training. This trip included a few days of tourist activities, as well as street preaching and providing assistance to a local church in Guadalajara.

In April 2018, Derick went on a mission trip to Colorado as part of his ministry training. This trip involved community outreach at a local church in Colorado Springs.

On August 12, 2018, Derick graduated and earned his license in Gospel Ministry.

Lawyer[]

In August 2018, Derick began attending the University of Arkansas School of Law. On May 8, 2021, he graduated with his Juris Doctor Degree. In February 2022, he passed the Arkansas Bar Exam. On April 7, 2022, Derick received his Attorney's License. On May 13, 2022, he was sworn in as a licensed attorney at the Supreme Court of Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas. In September 2022, Derick was sworn in as a licensed attorney in Oklahoma after getting his bar exam score transferred from Arkansas to Oklahoma due to bar reciprocity. Derick is able to be a lawyer in both Arkansas and Oklahoma. He decided to become a lawyer after the media leaked that Jill's older brother, Josh, molested her and three of her younger sisters when they were children. He wanted to use this job to advocate for victims' rights.

In January 2019, he volunteered with a judge at Washington County Teen Court. From May 20, 2019 to June 28, 2019, he worked as a Public Service Fellow with a Federal Public Defender, performing legal research and writing on various issues of federal law to assist the office's poor clients. From July 1, 2019 to August 9, 2019, he worked as a Law Clerk for the Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, performing various legal research and drafting criminal appellate briefs for the State. From January 2020 to May 2020, he volunteered at Benton County Legal Helpdesk. From January 2020 to May 2020, he worked as a Legal Extern for the Sebastian County Prosecutor's Office. From June 2020 to August 2020, he worked as a Judicial Extern at Benton County Circuit Court - Division 6. From August 1, 2020 to May 8, 2021, he worked as a Student Attorney at the University of Arkansas School of Law Legal Clinic. From August 2021 to December 2021, he worked as a Rule XV Attorney at Doss Law Firm.

Derick is a Public Service Attorney. In May 2022, he began working as an Assistant District Attorney for Oklahoma District 27 at the Adair County Courthouse in Stilwell, Oklahoma.