Fresh from the “every conservative accusation is a confession” file comes a new documentary series that tells the sordid tale of Josh Duggar: evangelical Baptist, son of a US politician, former reality star, and currently locked up for 12 years on child porn charges. Intrigued? Horrified? Both? Then check out Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, now streaming in the UK on Prime Video.
Here’s the gist: Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar rose to international prominence off the back of their reality show 19 Kids and Counting. It’s exactly what it says on the tin: an inside look at the trials, tribulations, and triumphs involved in raising a literal platoon of children, all of whom have names that start with the letter J (weird, but we guess the saved time adds up). The series was popular enough to run for 10 seasons.
The Duggars presented as an all-American family. But they had secrets, one being that eldest son Josh was a prolific serial rapist and abuser, his victims including his own sister. Damningly, it came to light that Jim Bob had known about his son’s activities since at least 2002. His crimes were covered up, only coming fully to light in 2015. The scandal resulted in the cancellation of the series, but it wasn’t until 2021 that Josh was convicted for possession of child pornography.
Shiny Happy People tells the full story across its four episodes, also delving into the Duggar clans deep involvement with the Institute of Basic Life Principles, a fundamentalist Christian cult with its own awful history of sexual abuse. Equally fascinating and repellent, it’s nonetheless a compelling portrait of the hypocrisies and double standards that lie at the heart of the American evangelical movement.
