Michelle Annette Duggar (née Ruark) (born September 13, 1966) is the matriarch of the Duggar Family. She is the wife of Jim Bob Duggar, with whom she has 19 children and 33 grandchildren.
Early Life[]
Michelle as a toddler
Michelle Annette Ruark was born on September 13, 1966, in Ohio, to Garrett Ruark, Sr. and Ethel Ruark. She was the couple's seventh and final child.
When she was 4 years old, Michelle and her family moved from Ohio to Springdale, Arkansas.
Growing up, Michelle had a pet tarantula.
Michelle attended Westwood Elementary School. She attended Springdale High School and was a cheerleader. During this time, she struggled with self-worth and was bulimic. She graduated in 1984.
Personal Life[]
Relationship with Jim Bob[]
Michelle became a Christian while in high school. It was through her faith that she would come to meet Jim Bob Duggar. One day, he and a friend were on church visitation. They tried to visit a few people, but no one was home, so the friend suggested that they visit Michelle, who had recently became a Christian. The boys invited her to Sunday School and talked with her about her recent conversion. While Jim Bob claims it was love at first sight, Michelle does not remember this encounter.
The first time Michelle remembers meeting her now-husband was the next year. She applied for a job at a local frozen yogurt shop that Jim Bob's mother happened to be managing. She was hired at Jim Bob's encouragement and shortly thereafter, he asked her out on a date to the Junior/Senior banquet at his high school, to which she said yes. After the banquet, they went back to Michelle's house and discussed the Bible for four hours and began dating.
The couple quickly fell in love, with Michelle claiming that she knew Jim Bob was the one by the end of their first date. "Father, I can't imagine anyone better than this that you have planned for me. He's such a godly man," she prayed after their first date.
Engagement[]
On Christmas Eve 1983, Jim Bob proposed in Michelle's parents' living room in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and she said yes.
Just married
Marriage[]
On July 21, 1984, Michelle married James Robert "Jim Bob" Duggar at Cross Church in Rogers, Arkansas. The wedding was attended by around 200 people and was done on a budget. Michelle made her own bouquet using fake flowers, and one of her sisters made a floral arrangement for the altar. Michelle also made her own cake, which was decorated by a friend. Furthermore, she did not buy a wedding dress, opting to wear Jim Bob's mother Mary's wedding dress. Since the church was under construction, they were married in a hallway leading to a gymnasium. The wedding colors were pastel shades of yellow, pink, green, and blue. There is no video recording of the wedding, but there is an audio recording on a cassette tape.
"Everything we did for our wedding was so inexpensive, but perfect for us," Michelle said in an interview in 2014. "We wanted to spend our money on our honeymoon, which was our first time to be alone together."
For their honeymoon, Michelle and Jim Bob originally planned to stay at a cabin at Lake Fort Smith State Park in Mountainburg, Arkansas. However, the reality ended up being very different from the brochure, so they went into town and stayed at a hotel. Afterwards, they visited Mount Nebo in Dardanelle, Arkansas, where they spent a few nights. They cut their trip short so that they could begin working on fixing up their new home.
Motherhood[]
For the first few years of their marriage, Michelle was on the birth control pill. She then gave birth to a son, Joshua James, on March 3, 1988.
After having their first child, Michelle went back on the birth control pill. While on it, she became pregnant with another child. This pregnancy ended in miscarriage in January 1989, and a Christian doctor told them it was caused by the pill. The couple was heartbroken and decided to no longer use birth control. They named their miscarried child Caleb Ryan, despite not knowing the gender. Because of this incident, Michelle and Jim Bob decided to trust their fertility entirely to God and stopped using any birth control.
On January 12, 1990, Michelle gave birth to twins, Jana Marie and John-David. Feeling God was blessing them for making the right decision, the couple determined to leave the number of children they had up to God.
Michelle and Jim Bob went on to have sixteen more children: Jill Michelle was born on May 17, 1991, Jessa Lauren was born on November 4, 1992, Jinger Nicole was born on December 21, 1993, Joseph Garrett was born on January 20, 1995, Josiah Matthew was born on August 28, 1996, Joy-Anna was born on October 28, 1997, twins Jedidiah Robert and Jeremiah Robert were born on December 30, 1998, Jason Michael was born on April 21, 2000, James Andrew was born on July 7, 2001, Justin Samuel was born on November 15, 2002, Jackson Levi was born on May 23, 2004, Johannah Faith was born on October 11, 2005, Jennifer Danielle was born on August 2, 2007, Jordyn-Grace Makiya was born on December 18, 2008, and Josie Brooklyn was born 3 months prematurely on December 10, 2009.
On November 8, 2011, Michelle and Jim Bob announced that they were expecting their twentieth child, due April 2012. The couple said that they had expected Josie to be their last, but were excited for another child. "Michelle and I both feel like some of the most blessed parents in the world. Our children are so sweet. We are so grateful to God," Jim Bob said of the pregnancy.
On December 8, 2011, the couple announced that they had miscarried their child. After a routine 19-week check-up, the doctor was unable to find a heartbeat, which meant that they had suffered a miscarriage. The doctors said that the baby had miscarried at 16 weeks. Their daughter Jill last heard the baby's heartbeat on November 25, 2011. Michelle said that she "felt a little uncomfortable" on December 3, 2011. According to the obituary, the baby miscarried on December 2, 2011. The family was heartbroken and said that they would give the baby a name and a funeral once they learned the gender.
At 11:46 p.m. on December 11, 2011, Michelle naturally delivered their stillborn child, a girl, at their home in Springdale, Arkansas. She weighed 4 ounces and was 2.4 inches long. She was then transported to the hospital after feeling light-headed. On December 12, 2011, they set a date for the funeral and announced that they had decided on the name Jubilee Shalom, which means "joyful celebration of peace".
On December 14, 2011, the Duggar Family held a funeral for Jubilee in Springdale, Arkansas, which was attended by hundreds of people. "I really believe that God sees the bigger picture. I hope that her short life can encourage other people who have gone through things like this. It was very healing, and we have precious memories," Jim Bob said about the event. Jubilee was then buried at Fairview Memorial Gardens in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The funeral, which aired on the family's television show, was the subject of some controversy after it was discovered that the Duggars displayed photos of their stillborn child at the event.
On August 31, 2016, Michelle and Jim Bob were granted temporary custody of their great-nephew Tyler Hutchins. On November 21, 2016, they were appointed as his permanent legal guardians. They considered Tyler as their 20th child, even though they did not legally adopt him. In June 2023, Tyler's maternal grandparents were given legal custody of him, ending the Duggars' guardianship.
Grandchildren[]
On September 26, 2008, her oldest son Joshua married Anna Keller in Hilliard, Florida. Together, they have 7 children. Their first child, daughter Mackynzie Renée, was born on October 8, 2009. Their second child, son Michael James, was born on June 15, 2011. Their third child, son Marcus Anthony, was born on June 2, 2013. Their fourth child, daughter Meredith Grace, was born on July 16, 2015. Their fifth child, son Mason Garrett, was born on September 12, 2017. Their sixth child, daughter Maryella Hope, was born on November 27, 2019. Their seventh child, daughter Madyson Lily, was born on October 23, 2021. The couple suffered a miscarriage in 2010. Notably, Michelle and Jim Bob's oldest grandchild, Mackynzie, is two months older than their youngest child, Josie.
On November 3, 2018, her son John-David married Abbie Burnett in Ada, Oklahoma. Together, they have 2 children. Their first child, daughter Grace Annette, was born on January 7, 2020. Their second child, son Charlie, was born in early or mid September 2022.
On June 21, 2014, her daughter Jill married Derick Dillard in Rogers, Arkansas. Together, they have 3 children. Their first child, son Israel David, was born on April 6, 2015. Their second child, son Samuel Scott, was born on July 8, 2017. Their third child, son Frederick Michael, was born on July 7, 2022. The couple miscarried a child, River Bliss, on October 3, 2021. They had a stillborn daughter, Isla Marie, in 2024.
On November 1, 2014, her daughter Jessa married Ben Seewald in Bentonville, Arkansas. Together, they have 5 children. Their first child, son Spurgeon Elliot, was born on November 5, 2015. Their second child, son Henry Wilberforce, was born on February 6, 2017. Their third child, daughter Ivy Jane, was born on May 26, 2019. Their fourth child, daughter Fern Elliana, was born on July 18, 2021. Their fifth child, son George Augustine, was born on December 19, 2023. The couple suffered a miscarriage in 2020. The couple suffered a miscarriage on December 22, 2022.
On November 5, 2016, her daughter Jinger married Jeremy Vuolo in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Together, they have 2 children. Their first child, daughter Felicity Nicole, was born on July 19, 2018. Their second child, daughter Evangeline Jo, was born on November 22, 2020. The couple miscarried a child, Halleli Grace, on November 26, 2019.
On September 8, 2017, his son Joseph married Kendra Caldwell in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Together, they have 4 children. Their first child, son Garrett David, was born on June 8, 2018. Their second child, daughter Addison Renee, was born on November 2, 2019. Their third child, daughter Brooklyn Praise, was born on February 19, 2021. Their fourth child, son Justus, was born in late May 2022 or early June 2022.
On June 30, 2018, his son Josiah married Lauren Swanson in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Together, they have 3 children. Their first child, daughter Bella Milagro, was born on November 8, 2019. Their second child, daughter Daisy, was born in late March 2022. Their third child, an unnamed son, was born in early May 2023. The couple miscarried a child, Asa, on October 4, 2018.
On May 26, 2017, her daughter Joy-Anna married Austin Forsyth in Rogers, Arkansas. Together, they have 3 children. Their first child, son Gideon Martyn, was born on February 23, 2018. Their second child, daughter Evelyn Mae, was born on August 21, 2020. Their third child, son Gunner James, was born on May 17, 2023. The couple miscarried a daughter, Annabell Elise, on June 26, 2019.
On April 3, 2021, her son Jedidiah married Katelyn Nakatsu in Springdale, Arkansas. Together, they have 2 children. Their first child, son Truett Oliver, was born on May 2, 2022. Their second child, daughter Nora Kate, was born on May 24, 2023.
On March 26, 2022, her son Jeremiah married Hannah Wissmann in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. Together, they have 2 children. Their first child, daughter Brynley Noelle, was born on December 25, 2022. Their second child, daughter Brielle Grace, was born in February 2024.
Career[]
Frozen Yogurt Shop[]
In high school, Michelle worked at a frozen yogurt shop in Arkansas. She worked for her future mother-in-law Mary Duggar and alongside her future husband Jim Bob Duggar.
Real Estate[]
Michelle is a licensed Real Estate Agent, alongside her husband Jim Bob and two of their sons, Joseph and Jeremiah. In their early years of marriage, both Michelle and Jim Bob worked in real estate, which they were reportedly successful at. They also invested in a number of commercial properties.
Author[]
On December 2, 2008, Michelle and Jim Bob's first book, The Duggars: 20 and Counting!, was released.
On June 7, 2011, Michelle and Jim Bob's second book, A Love That Multiplies, was released.
Religion[]
In 1995, the "quiverfull" movement formed. It is a Conservative Protestant group that is notably against birth control, looking to produce as many children as possible for God. The group's name comes from Psalm 127:
"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them."
Although it is unknown exactly when the family joined this movement, when they created their first family website in 2005, a link to quiverfull.com was included under the heading "links to articles about the family". The link was to an article posted in 2001, which discussed the family's involvement in the movement.
