This past year has been filled with plenty of bittersweet news about the Duggar family and the while majority of it has centered around pregnancies, babies and Josh Duggar's recent child molestation and infidelity confessions, the spotlight is now shifting to Duggar patriarch Jim Bod Duggar.
Sources close to the "19 Kids and Counting" stars told People Magazine that the 50-year-old father rules his family with an iron hand and uses code words to help his sons repress lustful thoughts about women. Jim Bob is described as a "dictator" who is not afraid to confront and question others on their different lifestyles.
"Jim Bob's favorite word is 'No,' " one insider told People. "He's like a dictator. He once saw a guy kissing a girl before marriage and confronted him about it. And the guy said, 'Jim Bob, show me that verse in the Bible that says we can't kiss. Get out your Bible.' And Jim Bob was like, 'Uhhhh ...' because no one ever confronts Jim Bob. No one."
Another source added, "Jim Bob calls the shots. Always has and always will."
The Duggar family skyrocketed into fame with their now-cancelled TLC series "17 Kids and Counting," which changed into "19 Kids" as the family grew. The show centered on the family's strict Christian values and opinions regarding everything from working traits to courtships and marriage.
In the family's 2014 advice book, "Growing Up Duggar," four of the Duggar daughters, including Jessa and Jill, revealed that the family used the safe word, "Nike," to the help the boys resist lustfulness. The word was a' signal to the boys to look down at their shoes when an attractive woman walked by.
"That's a signal to the boys, and even to Dad, that they should nonchalantly drop their eyes and look down at their shoes as we walk past her," the book read, according to PEOPLE.
The source added that the Duggar family does not talk about sex or sexuality. As for the safe code, "They say it, and all the boys look straight down to the floor every time. It's like an automatic military thing. Things like that blow my mind."
This year, headlines have circled mainly around Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's oldest son, Josh Duggar. In May, the 27-year-old father-of-four admitted to molesting five underage girls – four of whom were his sisters – when he was a teenager. The family later revealed that Josh was removed from the household after his confession and sent to receive treatment.
Last week, Gawker reported the disgraced reality star had had two accounts on the cheating website Ashley Madison and paid close to $1,000 for extramarital affairs. Adult star, Danica Dillon, told InTouch Magazine the disgraced reality star paid her "thousands of dollars" to have sex with her twice while his wife Anna was pregnant.
Josh later released a statement calling himself "the biggest hypocrite ever. He also confessed to a secret pornography addiction and being unfaithful to his wife. On Wednesday, the Duggar family released a statement informing the media of Josh's decision to check "himself into a long-term treatment center."
"We are so thankful for the outpouring of love, care and prayers for our family during this most difficult situation with Josh. As parents we are so deeply grieved by our son's decisions and actions. His wrong choices have deeply hurt his precious wife and children and have negatively affected so many others," reads the statement posted to the Duggar family website.
