Which Duggar Siblings Are Closest: A Look at the Family's Dynamic

Look, if you're raised with 18 siblings, there's a good chance that you're not going to be friends which each and every one of them…and that's of course not a theoretical because we're flatly talking about the Duggars. Like, come on, what other family has 19 kids (OK, besides the Bates)? But seriously, we're realistic about the fact that even though the family claims to be so close, some sibs are closer than others. Usually being close in age helps, but sometimes bonding over small things brings two Duggars together. Like, Jessa and Jinger seem to be tight because they're not only 400-ish days apart, but they have a superficial love of "fashion." "Jessa's really into fashion, she's the one who got us all into it," Jinger shared in one video. To which Jessa faux-giggles, "No, that's you!" Actually, tbh, it seems that everyone has pretty strong feelings about Jessa, whether positive or passive-agressively negative.

But we'll get into that. Out of morbid curiosity, we decided to take a deeper look at the relationships between each sibling (i.e. paged through Instagram and old episodes for hints) to determine which siblings are friends or, beneath the surface, foes. So which Duggar siblings are closest? Click through our gallery to learn more about the interpersonal relationships between the Duggar kids.

Deal of the Day

Get This Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner for 90% Off! View Deal

Jinger and Jessa

Jinger and Jessa grew up only a year apart and as a result, grew up to be super tight, probably because of their (crushed) mischievous spirits and passion for style ("style"). "I love you so much," Jinger shared on Jessa's birthday this year. "Whether we were teaming up as little kids to color the kitchen cabinets with Sharpies or teaming up to help others as we got more mature—you have always been a faithful companion! I remember countless late night conversations as we would stay up for hours talking in the girls room."

In reality, though, maybe Jinger is detaching just a little bit from her sister. "Even though you're younger than me, I've always thought of you as one of my greatest role models," Jessa confessed when the sisters were saying goodbye to Jinger before her wedding day. She jokes about coming to visit Jing in Laredo and Jinger's like, "Yeah, lol ok, maybe give us a couple of months, I'm really excited to live in a house with only one person for as long as possible."

Jessa and Jana

Uh, ICYMI, Jana effing hates Jessa, or she hates Jessa as much as she's allowed to in a family that teaches you to be kind of your enemy. And Jessa, in fact, was Jana's enemy for years, kicking her bunk bed until Jana had to bribe her sister with her beloved jewelry box. Jessa repaid the favor by allowing Jana to raise her children and renovate her home. So sweet!

Jill and Jessa

It's a little hard to read what exactly the dynamic is between Jill and Jessa. Our suspicions are that because they were the first two moms of the Duggar sisters, it sort of forced them to bond. All of a sudden Jill and Derick Dillard and Jessa and Ben Seewald were on double dates. Or — so fun — triple dates with Michelle and Jim Bob. The curse of deciding to court. Well, anyway, even though there was early drama over Jill not following Jessa on Twitter (whoa) and rumors upstaging each other with wedding/baby announcements, they're definitely fake-tight now. Like, no doubt they grab Starbucks and laugh about Jana being an old maid.

Jill and Jenni

Oh, and you can double that for Jenni who was also quite devastated when Jill left. Like, look at her face in this picture. That expression 110% says, "Who will take care of me now? Certainly not the lady with the bad '80s perm." Anyway, Jill still spares a 'gram for her little sis every once in a while. Generous of her.

Jordyn and Josie (and Mackynzie)

These three are often lumped together because they're all the same age, and that lends itself to an informal trifecta (and lots of matching outfit). But don't be surprised if Jordyn — passed over for affection because of her "Miracle Baby" sister and forced to celebrate her birthday with a niece born months before — grows up a little resentful about them.

Johannah and Jackson

They might not be as close now, but in the early aughts of 19 Kids and Counting, the two were frequently paired together for confessionals and often spent time playing together. We think this is part of why Jackson pairs off more with the Little Girls than his brothers, although who knows, maybe time will change that too.

Joy-Anna and Joseph

Apparently, Joe is the reason that Joy-Anna stuck to the Duggars religion which like [sigh] how great of him. Before his wedding to Kendra, Joy-Anna shed some light on this. "Joe I'm so thankful for you, you really did change my life," she sobbed. "Just through my teen years I think I was, you know, having a hard time accepting my parents' faith as my own and you really befriended me as an older brother and being some of the first to say in the morning, 'I love you' and 'what are you going to do today?'"

…maybe it's a little weird that Joy marks closeness by Joe being one of the top five to say "good morning" to her, but whatever works. Those tears seemed real AF.

Conversation

All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. In Touch Weekly does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.