"14 Children and Pregnant Again": Jinger Reacts to the First Duggar Show

Summary

The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast: Episode Summary – "14 Children and Pregnant Again": Jinger Reacts to the First Duggar Show

Release Date: May 21, 2025

In this engaging episode of The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast, hosts Jinger Vuolo and Jeremy Vuolo delve into a nostalgic journey as Jinger reacts to the very first episode of the Duggar family's television presence. Titled "14 Children and Pregnant Again," this episode offers a comprehensive look back at the origins of the Duggar show, exploring family dynamics, the challenges of large families, and the evolution of their public persona over the years.

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1. Introduction to the Episode

Jeremy kicks off the episode by introducing the topic: Jinger's reaction to the inaugural Duggar documentary. He sets the stage by referencing the original documentary aired on Discovery Health, noting its focus on the medical and familial aspects of a large family.

Jeremy Vuolo [00:42]: "Today I wanted to get into Ginger reacting to the very first episode of the Duggar show ever."

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2. Origins of the Duggar Show

Jinger reminisces about the early days when the family first appeared on television. The documentary, initially titled "14 Children and Pregnant Again," was a pilot that showcased the family's unique dynamics, particularly emphasizing the health-related aspects of having such a large brood.

Ginger Duggar [04:11]: "And we thought it was great."

She highlights how the documentary stood out on Discovery Health by focusing on the family's size and homeschooling practices, which were quite unconventional compared to typical portrayals at the time.

Ginger Duggar [07:09]: "That's crazy."

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3. Reactions to the Early Episodes

The hosts discuss the initial impact of the documentary, noting how it captured significant moments like the birth of Jackson Levi, the first child introduced on the show. The episode was particularly poignant as it included intimate details such as Jackson’s cesarean birth, which was fully televised—a rare and raw glimpse into the family's life.

Jeremy Vuolo [26:05]: "They show the birth. It was a cesarean section, but they show it."

Jinger reflects on the emotional weight of these moments and how they have shaped the family's public image over the ensuing two decades.

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4. Family Dynamics and Routines

A significant portion of the conversation centers around the family's tight-knit structure and the logistical challenges of managing a household with 14 children. Jinger shares memories of maintaining an immaculate home in preparation for filming, emphasizing her mother's organizational skills.

Ginger Duggar [06:41]: "But I'm the type of person where I have to have. This is a side note, not about this show, but I have to have my house clean."

The introduction of the "Code O" system—where children lined up in birth order to stay organized in public settings—is discussed as a testament to the family's proactive measures in handling large group dynamics.

Ginger Duggar [18:20]: "So we did that primarily when we were younger."

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5. Building the Family Home

Jeremy and Jinger delve into the family's ambitious project of constructing a 7,000-square-foot home, highlighting the hands-on involvement of the parents. Jinger praises her father's dedication and skill in overseeing the build, which took over three years to complete.

Ginger Duggar [50:07]: "Stuff around all the time, constantly. And that's exactly what happened."

They discuss the unique architectural features of the home, such as the industrial-grade kitchen designed to accommodate the needs of a large family, and the strategic planning that went into creating a functional living space.

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6. Impact of the Show on Family Life

The episode explores how the family's early exposure to television shaped their daily lives and parental strategies. Jinger reflects on the balance her parents maintained between public appearances and private family time, especially during critical moments like childbirth.

Ginger Duggar [30:51]: "That's why you keep saying that."

She acknowledges the immense support system her parents cultivated, including grandparents and extended family members, which was crucial in managing the demands of both the show and raising a large family.

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7. Nostalgia and Reflections

As the conversation winds down, Jinger and Jeremy express heartfelt nostalgia for the early days of the show. Jinger marvels at how much the children have grown since their first televised introductions, noting the unchanged characteristics that persist across generations.

Jeremy Vuolo [53:35]: "Wow. Pretty crazy, actually, when you think about it."

They also touch upon the emotional aspects of moving homes, the challenges faced during the filming process, and the enduring bonds that have kept the family united through the years.

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8. Conclusion and Future Directions

Wrapping up the episode, Jeremy suggests the idea of revisiting old episodes for future reactions, hinting at more in-depth explorations of their family's history and personal growth.

Jeremy Vuolo [54:33]: "We should maybe get some more episodes throughout the years and have you react to them."

The hosts thank their listeners for joining them on this reflective journey, setting the stage for future episodes that promise to blend personal anecdotes with broader discussions on family, faith, and life in the public eye.

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Notable Quotes

• Jeremy Vuolo [08:14]: "It's like the premise is like fishbowl television... doing that was hard enough with one or two. Imagine that just multiplied."

• Ginger Duggar [14:54]: "Things bother me. When they're out of place like that."

• Jeremy Vuolo [50:08]: "If you and I were building a home, I'd be like, gin, do you want this bathroom a little bigger? Hey, Jen, what about."

• Ginger Duggar [53:35]: "Unless you think of another way to phrase it, it's hard to feel hesitant about how much you need."

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Insights and Conclusions

This episode serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities and triumphs inherent in managing a large family under the public spotlight. Jinger's reflections offer listeners an intimate glimpse into the foundational years of the Duggar family show, highlighting the meticulous organization, unwavering faith, and collaborative spirit that have defined their journey. The conversation underscores the importance of family support systems and adaptability, especially when navigating the challenges of reality television.

Listeners gain a deeper appreciation for the behind-the-scenes efforts that have kept the Duggar family resilient and united, despite the inevitable stresses that come with both a large household and sustained public attention. The episode not only celebrates past milestones but also sets the tone for future discussions that promise to explore the ongoing evolution of family life in the limelight.

Transcript

[Ginger Duggar]

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[Jeremy Vuolo]

Today I wanted to get into Ginger reacting to the very first episode of the Duggar show ever.

[Unknown]

Meet the Duggars.

[Ginger Duggar]

My name is Ginger Duggar.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Look at that.

[Ginger Duggar]

My name is Josiah. Look at that dress. My name is Josiah Duggar. My name is Joanna Duggar. My name is Josiah Jedi Duggar. That's very cute. That is one of the best clips, I think, from the entire show. My family, we went from that 15 passenger van, we outgrew it and then my dad found a shuttle bus and they seated 21.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

I believe this is the last clip I want you to watch. Hey, but it was when you guys were going into a new house and you were starting to build because you were renting a home. But we'll talk about it. Watch this clip.

[Ginger Duggar]

I want to see.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

What'S going on. Guys, welcome back to another episode of the Ginger and Jeremy podcast. We are glad to be at it another week. How are you doing, Ginge?

[Ginger Duggar]

Doing great. Yeah, it's been busy. A little bit of time after having Finn. Now I'm about, I don't know how far out. Several weeks now. And we've been hosting company. Some friends have been in town.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Friends, family.

[Ginger Duggar]

It's so great.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Lots going on, which will be fun for the podcast because we've had some family in so that means they'll jump on the podcast. So you can be looking out for that. I know family is one thing that you guys as listeners have always asked for, for family to come on.

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh yeah. All the siblings. So all the siblings. Here we go.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

It'll take a while to get through all of them, but today I wanted to get into Ginger reacting to the very first episode of the Duggar show ever. And so this isn't even. I don't think it was even a show yet. It was a documentary on discovery called 14 kids.

[Ginger Duggar]

Discovery health.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Discovery health before discovery plus. Yeah, discovery plus was like two years ago before streaming services ever existed. Okay, so 14 children and pregnant again. And was that the documentary?

[Ginger Duggar]

That was a pilot documentary for our family, yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Okay. And have you ever watched the episodes back that one?

[Ginger Duggar]

I think I have, like. I think I have half of that one memorized. Okay.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Cause you would have watched that.

[Ginger Duggar]

It was what I watched when I was really young.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Gotcha.

[Ginger Duggar]

And it was interesting because we didn't really have that much TV or whatever, so it was so fascinating for us to watch our show and the network before they had us on. My parents were like, oh, well, what kind of shows do you have on? What is the Discovery Health Network like? So they sent them some of their documentaries that they had done. So it was Abby and Brittany that can join twins. I think it was called Joined for life. Cold Water. The mysteries of cold water survival. It was where people have fallen in icy waters and then their system freezes and they survive it. And then. I don't remember.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

I've never heard of that one. I've heard of the Abby.

[Ginger Duggar]

Abby and Brittany.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Brittany, yeah. And then I think I watched that as a kid.

[Ginger Duggar]

You did?

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah. I mean, not like episodes at a time, but I saw it.

[Ginger Duggar]

That's so interesting. I can't remember the other one.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So what did your family think when they got those? They went.

[Ginger Duggar]

We watched them over and over and.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Thought, like, okay, yeah, let's do it.

[Ginger Duggar]

And we thought it was great.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Let's be a documentary like these guys.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah. But it was more health related. So I think that's what Discovery Health, of course, in its name, it tells you what it is. And they. Up to that point, I don't think it had anything more like focused on a family like ours. And so it was interesting that they chose to do a documentary on our family, I guess, because of the health side, because my mom had so many kids and she was having another child. And so covering that aspect of it was enough for them to want to do it.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah. And, you know, as we. I was watching the episode this morning and I was. It was focused a lot on the medical side and like the giving birth and then the family's reaction and response. But it was very much a Discovery Health documentary.

[Ginger Duggar]

Interesting.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah. Okay, so let's get into it. Well, the first clip. I have a couple clips here, and I Want you to watch this one. This is the introduction, and it's like the very opening seconds of this show.

[Ginger Duggar]

I know this one.

[Unknown]

Family, a fundamental social group consisting of one or two parents and their children. In the United States, the average family has two. For practicality, we'll round it to two. Of course, those are just statistics. Some families are smaller and some are larger. Some are quite a bit larger. Some just seem to keep growing and growing.

[Ginger Duggar]

See, I know this intro.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

You do know the intro. So talk about that. I mean, that's the premise of the show, is how big the family is.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah, it started out, I think, just showing what the average family is and then showing how large our family is, which is wild. When I think about it, it's hard for me to comprehend how people would view it, because when you're looking at a large family, for me, it seems so normal, because that's what I grew up in until I had my own kids. I started to realize how much work, how difficult it is, because even as a young kid, in a family full of kids around, I would think, okay, well, it can't be that hard. I mean, because my mom was so organized, she had everything down. She was so patient. And so you didn't feel like she was constantly frustrated with everything and that it was constantly a battle to raise that many kids.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

I'm Googling the average size of a family, and it says it's around three people.

[Ginger Duggar]

Three people.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Family says, oh, wait, no, I gotta go. Average family size, average number of kids is what I gotta look up. Oh, look at this. The average number of children per family in the United States in 2023 is 1.94. So it's even less than what it was when the show started.

[Ginger Duggar]

That's crazy.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Which was 2.0 insane something.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah. I guess that's why there. There's such a fascination with how a large family does everything. And also my family, we did a lot of things differently than even your normal family. And so whenever we would go out, we would often drive a shuttle bus for years.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And, well, you see it in the intro there. It's like they show the size of a car and they show a bigger car, and they start to show, like, bigger and bigger. And it's like some families just keep growing and people are watching going, wait, so how big is this family?

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah, it's wild. So I think that's the fascination. Also, my mom having all of the kids is huge. So that's why Discovery Health could pick it up and make a big thing out of it for the health side as well. And so that documentary actually is what propelled the next couple documentaries and then the show, because it was the highest rated show on Discovery Health at that.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Time, and people were fascinated by the reality that people live this way.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

It's like the premise is like fishbowl television, and we've talked about that before, but, like, when you go to look at a fish in a bowl, you're, like, peering inside, like, what is that? You know, and you've got this, you know, from the fish's vantage point, these big eyes are coming to peer down in the glass. But this strikes me very much. You know, the opening of the show strikes me very much as like, can you believe it? Like, look how interesting this family is. And it was all about the size of the family.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

At that point, it wasn't anything more.

[Ginger Duggar]

No, it was primarily a size thing. And we. We did cover, I think, that we were all homeschooled. And so some of those aspects are very unique. Yes. I think that a lot of those things are so unique because even if you have two or three kids and you homeschool them, that's going to be different. And so just a few of those little things that we had in our family, those were highlighted on that first show.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah. Like how you function. Okay. This is still the introduction, but this is when all of the kids introduce themselves for the first time. And I want you to watch it. And check this out.

[Unknown]

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Duggars.

[Ginger Duggar]

My name is Joshua Duggar. My name is Jana Duggar.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

My name is John Duggar.

[Ginger Duggar]

My name is Jill Duggar. My name is Jessa Duggar. My name is Ginger Duggar. Look at that. My name is Josiah. Look at that dress. My name is Josiah Duggar. My name is Joanna Duggar. My name is Josiah Jedi Duggar. My name is Jamar Duggar. My name is Jason Duggar.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And this is James Duggar. And this is Justin. You say hi, and I'm Jim Bob, and this is my wife Michelle.

[Ginger Duggar]

Welcome to the Dugger home. We're going to take a break from this episode to tell you about Cozy Earth. Cozy Earth's mission is to transform your 5 to 9, the time that matters the most, into the most comfortable part of your day.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah. And our mission as podcasters that you're listening to with ads is to give you guys insight into products that actually help.

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So we want to endorse things that we love. Cozy Earth's one of them. And so here's the appeal you ready for this? You might go to the website and look at the 40% off discount code that Ginger gives. And go. This is incredible. But maybe you've got some other stuff you want to buy. Maybe you've got other priorities. Buy one piece of their bed sheets and you don't have to transform every single thing in your space with Cozy Earth. But just try one bamboo sheet set and you will realize this is incredible.

[Ginger Duggar]

It's amazing. And they have a 100 day return policy if you don't like it. But guys, you're not going to return it because you're going to love it.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah. Luxury should not be out of reach. So use code Jinger at checkout. J I N g E R 40% off. Sanctuary awaits at Cozy Earth. Check the code and enjoy.

[Ginger Duggar]

Now back to the episode.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Wow.

[Ginger Duggar]

So that's very cute. That is one of the best clips, I think, from the entire show. Because when it first started, there's this certain level of like, the cameras are coming down, they're starting at the oldest, they're working down to the youngest. They want everybody to say their name. I think we had probably done that a couple times because I doubt it worked on the first take. But at the same time it's super cute because Jed, when it got to Jed, he said, hi. He said, I'm Josiah. I'm Jedediah Duggar. Because he. He forgot his own name. There's part of that where when the cameras come and they're like right in your face and you're not used to. Can be difficult to know what to say. And when you're very small, it's gonna be even hard.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Did you guys rehearse that?

[Ginger Duggar]

I mean, we. I think that we did. Like, they probably. I figure Scott probably just walked down the line, like did his pan practice thing telling us what we were gonna do and then they did it, I'd imagine. But I don't remember that would make sense. Cause that's what we did.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

How long did it take to get everybody in line and ordered for that?

[Ginger Duggar]

That's what I don't remember. I can't remember all the details of it.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Do you remember the moment or do you remember that first?

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, I remember them coming. I definitely remember them coming to our house. And we cleaned like crazy.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Really?

[Ginger Duggar]

Because like, my mom always kept our house pretty clean. We had our chores. We would always, like. Our house was not terribly messy all the time. I mean, it would get messy, but then we'd always clean it up. So my mom did a great Job of, like, organizing all of us kids to get that done. And my dad would always, like, you know, do the yard work, get all the things organized outside normally. But when the show came, it was funny because anytime that they would come over those couple months, this did not happen in one week. They did not film this documentary in one week. It was filmed over the span of I don't know how many months. I guess it would depend on how far along my mom was pregnant.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Oh, yeah. Because the show goes from. And we'll see in a second, like, the introduction of Jackson after he's born. But the show covers a lot. So that first it was really a documentary.

[Ginger Duggar]

It may have been a year because it was a documentary. That's what it was.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

When it became a show, it was like.

[Ginger Duggar]

I still call it a show, but it's a documentary.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

But a documentary for a long period of time. And saying, look at this family here. They have a kid here. They're moving into a new home. Here's how they homeschool. So it's like a. Yeah.

[Ginger Duggar]

So with that, though, back to the cleaning. I just remember that we cleaned the baseboards. Cause we had white baseboards in our house. And I remember we had to scrub them very well. And our white walls. Cause they would get dirty. We would do that. But before they came, I remember our house was so clean. It was super clean.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Was it so clean that you were, like, afraid to mess it up? Clean?

[Ginger Duggar]

It's that type of clean.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Well, you always say, you know, and it's true. Cause the little kids, we'll clean the house here. Then you always say, like, 30 minutes later, it takes a minute, it's dirty, and everything's just.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah, but I'm the type of person where I have to have. This is a side note, not about this show, but I have to have my house clean. Clean with like, I can go two days and things can be a mess. But then at some point, I have to have it clean. As I'm the type of person who, if I'm cooking, yeah, I'm going to be cooking. If I'm baking whatever it is, the ingredients will be on the counter. As soon as I'm finished with it, it goes back in the cabinet. I cannot stand a messy countertop. That's like our bathroom, right? You get frustrated sometimes because you're like, where's my toothpaste? Where is this? Where's that? I'm like, it needs to be in the drawers or out of sight. But it just bothers me. Things bother me. When they're out of place like that.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So this is one of our disagreements in marriage.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yep.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And I don't know if we'll ever. We have to compromise, but I don't know if we'll ever change one another. But I look at a counter in a bathroom, I'm like, what's the counter for?

[Ginger Duggar]

It's not for holding stuff.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

You want it clean.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So, like, I'm like, where's. Where's the toothbrush?

[Ginger Duggar]

Right.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Where am I? Where's my watch? Or where's. I know exactly where everything is until I move it. I know it gets moved.

[Ginger Duggar]

Part of the reason is in a bathroom, too. I feel like in the bathroom, things should be more put away because toothpaste gets splattered on the countertop, on the mirror, on anything that's sitting around. And so then to clean the counters off. I will not clean the bathroom counters as often as I should if there's stuff everywhere sitting around. Cause it's, like, more things to pick up, more things to wipe down, and it is easier to keep it sanitary. Clean all the things. And I just love a clean countertop regardless. In the kitchen tables. It doesn't matter. If I'm gonna pick up that thing and use it five minutes later, I'm gonna put it in the drawer in the meantime.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah. That's where you and I differ fundamentally, is I'm like, why would you put this away if I'm gonna use it right away?

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So same thing with, like, making a bed. Now, I know making a bed is good for you and whatever, but. And that's fine. I'm for making the bed. What I'm not for is, like, decorative pillows. You don't do this. Yeah, but decorative pillows.

[Ginger Duggar]

You hate decorative pillows.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

But it's like you put it on to take it off.

[Ginger Duggar]

I actually got a couple. I got a couple. So last time that. I think it was Abby. Oh, yeah. Abby was visiting. That's who it was. John and Abby. They came to visit, and we went out and got this comforter set. It was actually. It's very nice. But then we picked out a couple decorative pillows to put on the bed for when you make it. And I remember those lasted for, like, a month. And then you started. You. You were like, babe, where do these pillows come from? Why do we have these pillows? And you said, I don't understand why we need pillows that we're not gonna, like, sleep with.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So here's the thing, though, is you put the decorative pillows on, you take them off. Where do you put them on the floor?

[Ginger Duggar]

On the floor.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So then you're taking the floor pillows and putting them back on your bed and say. And I'm like, what is this transfer of germs happening? What's the point of this transfer? And who's it decorative for?

[Ginger Duggar]

Well, if people just to look randomly, it's true. It's actually not a bad point. If it's in a guest room, I feel like it can look really nice.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Guest seems better because you want people's first impression when they show up. But then they have to. You know how many guest rooms I've stayed in? Or Airbnb, where you go, where do I put these bills?

[Ginger Duggar]

Yep. That's always the question.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And then they're just sitting there.

[Ginger Duggar]

I feel like this is the beginning of a Seinfeld or the end of Seinfeld show.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

If Seinfeld was still going, he would have definitely done an episode on decorative pillows.

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, 100%.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

I don't think they had decorative pillows in the 90s because they didn't have social media. So there's no reason for decorative pillows.

[Ginger Duggar]

I like it.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Right.

[Ginger Duggar]

Okay. So that was a whole rabbit trail because we were talking about the level of cleanliness of our home.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Oh, yeah. Cause you're cleaning your home because of discovery.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So this show was filmed. When was this show filmed? 20 years ago, 2005.

[Ginger Duggar]

How old is Jackson?

[Jeremy Vuolo]

21. Is he 21?

[Ginger Duggar]

I don't know.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

All right, so Jackson is born on this, so we gotta get to that. But do you remember, so the show, the crew is coming. You're cleaning up. Like, when you got in line, was that the first time you guys had ever lined up as a family?

[Ginger Duggar]

No, we would line up all the time. If we went out, we'd get in Code O is what we'd call it.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Code O.

[Ginger Duggar]

Code O. Have I ever told you that? So it was great, because when we would go out, my parents didn't want to get us, want to lose us. And when we were younger, it was very easy to do that. You can leave somebody behind, especially if you're at, like, Silver Dollar City, an amusement park, or if you're going to the store or if you're going to a political event at the Capitol and there's tons of people, well, we're going to get in Kodo. So that means birth order. It's code order. I guess I never actually understood what that meant.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Whoa.

[Ginger Duggar]

But they would say kodo, and then we'd hop in line. Birth order. Youngest in the front, oldest in the back. And we would walk around like that, like a pack of ducks.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Really?

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And were you responsible for the person in front of you and behind you?

[Ginger Duggar]

I mean, if they were really young.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

I guess, but, like, responsible for them being there?

[Ginger Duggar]

No, I don't think.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Because what if you're going.

[Ginger Duggar]

I mean, if they got. If they were, like, not there, we'd be like, cop in line. What are you doing? So. But I don't know, it was just a way to, like, get us around places in New York City. I think there was, like, one of the shows. Maybe we. Maybe we did that too.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Wow.

[Ginger Duggar]

Because otherwise everybody's like, spread out. And you know how hard it is to keep, like, the little two that are walking in our family around because they'll see a fountain and they'll be like, let's go splash in the fountain. And we're like, come back. You're gonna get taken. We're in la. Downtown LA is not a great place to play. I'm kidding. We don't take them down there all the time. But, you know, it's like that challenge of trying to keep kids together is hard enough with one or two. Imagine that just multiplied. And when you're all young, it's hard. So we did that primarily when we were younger.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Would you hold hands or just ducks in a row?

[Ginger Duggar]

Nope, just in a row.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Code O?

[Ginger Duggar]

Yep.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

That's wild. So did you guys say getting code O for this? Shoot?

[Ginger Duggar]

I don't know. I don't know what we did then. I think they just. Yeah, they probably did. I bet they did. We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about every plate.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So in this season, when Ginger's postpartum, we've had the baby, and we've also had a lot of friends and guests in town. It's been great. But that means a lot of the cooking is left up to this guy. And I'm not a cook. And so every plate makes it super easy to not only just be spending money on ordering food, because that's expensive, and it gets expensive fast. But to have in the refrigerator meals that are delicious, healthy, inexpensive, and ready to go and easy to cook. Everyplate is the solution.

[Ginger Duggar]

When you use every plate, you get restaurant level deliciousness every day.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah. So what are you waiting for? Dig into these delicious meals that your family will love. And here's a great deal. New customers can enjoy the special offer of only $1.99ameal. That's $1.99ameal. Go to everyplate.com podcast and use code ginger199 to get this discount to get started. And it's applied as a discount on your first box. Limited time only, so don't miss out.

[Ginger Duggar]

You're making me hungry now. Let's go eat lunch. Let's go eat lunch. All right, now back to the episode.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Were you nervous to say I'm Ginger?

[Ginger Duggar]

I bet I was. Yeah. Because in that time, like, having the camera in your face was one thing. Like, they would bring it down, but then they would say after that was done, and they were like, yeah, try not to look at the camera. Just do your thing.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Did anybody look at the camera in the final shot?

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah. I mean, you'll probably watch that show and see kids looking at the camera here and there, because it just would happen. We weren't used to that concept.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

It's funny to see those little kids and see how similar they look now. Especially Josiah. Like, Josiah looks like he hasn't changed.

[Ginger Duggar]

It is insane. It is so crazy how as kids. Yeah. You can look at them and you just see, like, this is Jed. He's grown up now, but this is little Jed.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

That's cool. Little time capsule. You were saying that the other day about little babies. You're like, it's incredible to see these little babies as adults.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And then, like, right now, little Finnegan is changing so much, and Evie and Felicity are as well. But to wonder, like, what is.

[Ginger Duggar]

What are they going to look like.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Felicity going to look like?

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, yeah. And you can kind of see how even with my younger siblings, probably half of the people who watched the show growing up could pick them out and know their name by looking at that. And at the same time, it's like, we can't picture what our kid's gonna look like growing up, which is wild.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

You know, it is wild. It's crazy to think that that was the start of, like, an introduction of this family to the world.

[Ginger Duggar]

Wild.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And the 20 years on TV that it became.

[Ginger Duggar]

That's insane.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And all that. That was the beginning. The introduction.

[Ginger Duggar]

What an intro. Oh, another big family thing we did. So whenever we would get in the car, I think it was probably a season, my dad was like. He realized, like, some of the kids were not wanting to buckle. And so instead of him having to say it every time as he'd get in the van, they were very good about, like, you know, you need to be in your car seat. You need to be buckled up. We aren't gonna roll until everybody's buckled. But with that, it was like constant, you know. Cause you have all these kids piled in the 16 passenger van. And so anyhow, 15 passenger. I think there were only 15 passenger vans. I said 16. But anyhow, they're all piled in there. And so my dad would say, okay, please everybody remember to buckle up. Whoever the first person was to say, click or something like that. I think that's how it goes, really. You would get a penny and then that would add up, you know, over time. Because every time you hopped in the van, it was like a game. If you do that, it was literally a game.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

It was like a hundred times. You get a dollar.

[Ginger Duggar]

A dollar. But I mean, when you think about it, it was like, it was just a fun game. And so we would try to see who could win it.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

That's really funny.

[Ginger Duggar]

That's my memory of it. We'll have to ask one of the siblings and see if they remember.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Did you ever win the penny?

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Really?

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And he would just give you a penny right there.

[Ginger Duggar]

I don't know if we'd get a penny right there. Probably add it to our bank account. They had a little running tally of that too for like little chores that we would do. Like cleaning out the van. Yeah, we would get however much money they wanted to pay us for like cleaning all the junk out of the van. Oh, another thing my mom did in that season, it was brilliant. And the other day I was in the car and I was a little frustrated because I did not have an extra pull up or I didn't have an extra diaper and I needed a band aid that I didn't have a band aid. These things happen with kids. And I realized I was like, I need a survival kit in my car. Cause my mom had this bucket, it was blue Rubbermaid bucket. And it was probably like this deep, almost like a file box size. It was pretty good size. And it slid under the seat in our 15 passenger van. And it was called her survival kit. So it had like a first aid kit in it. It had who knows what, Hair ties, hairbrush, probably an extra pair of socks for the kids, underwear, maybe even a change of clothes for a little one. I don't remember what all was in there, but she had a survival kit in the car and that's what she called it. And so I was thinking, I was like, I needed an extra change of clothes. The other day one of the kids got wet and it's like, dang it. Now you have to wait till we get home to change. So I think I might end up implementing that as well.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Oh, we need that for sure.

[Ginger Duggar]

It's great. We only have a couple little kids.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah. Okay. This is a very cool part of the show that I wanted you to check out because it's the time where some of your siblings were literally born on tv.

[Ginger Duggar]

Took their first breath on tv.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Ginger, I was watching this, I gotta tell you. And we're not gonna show this part, but the birth of Jackson.

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, I don't think I've seen that in ages.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Ginger. They show the birth. It was a cesarean section, but they show it. And again, I was thinking this is Discovery Health.

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So this isn't like TLC at this point. So you're expecting stuff like that. Like if you're watching a show on surgery.

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, they have all the surgery stuff. Of course. Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And so I was not prepared for it. I'm watching it this morning and they're like, you know, going through. Because your mom. It was like 2 o' clock in the morning, everybody was asleep, and they realized the baby was transverse, which means, like, on its side. And so they take your mom in to deliver the baby and they do the C section and it's like they show the whole thing.

[Ginger Duggar]

Wow.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Okay. This.

[Ginger Duggar]

I remember they called him Action Jackson. So that's why I could remember he was a C section was. Because he wouldn't stop moving and he was transverse. I remember that.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Oh, really? Okay.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So he's always. He wouldn't stay head down.

[Ginger Duggar]

They wouldn't.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And the only other C section was Jana and John.

[Ginger Duggar]

The twins, Jackson and Josie.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah, Josie. Cause she was supreme. Yeah. Wild. So it did. It was like this incredible moment. I mean, I was just thinking, wow, this really did start out as a health documentary. And then I guess people were so attached to the personalities of the family, they wanted more.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Pretty crazy.

[Ginger Duggar]

That's crazy. That's insane.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Okay, so this is when Jackson. I think this section is when Jackson's coming home and being introduced to the family. Let's. Let's watch it.

[Unknown]

Finally, there's all faithful. Time for Jackson Levi to be introduced to the clan. Some of the older kids have seen more births than some families have, and six or seven generations, but every birth is just as exciting. Jackson doesn't know it yet, but he may well live to be the most hugged baby in Arkansas history with that many brothers and sisters to tend to him.

[Ginger Duggar]

So sweet. Look at that.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

How crazy. Look at that. Little Jackson.

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, my goodness. It is really hard to believe that he took his first breath in that setting.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Televised.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah. And now he's just all grown up. That's wild.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah. So that was how many. How many children were born on TV after that?

[Ginger Duggar]

Jackson, Johanna, Jennifer, Jordan, Josie. So. And then Jubilee was the last one. The miscarriage. And so that. I mean, Jackson included. That's six, but, yeah. Wild.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah. Interesting.

[Ginger Duggar]

But I guess Jubilee wasn't. Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Would you guys always run out to the car to see him?

[Ginger Duggar]

Totally. Yeah. Anytime that they came home. I do have memories of my mom and dad coming home from the hospital and bringing a new sibling home. And they would be like, don't climb on Mom. Back up. She needs space. Cause as little kids, you know, all the little ones running up, they wanted to just hug on mom, jump on her, you know, and be like, we've missed you. So I just always remember that dad would be like. He'd say, oh, yeah, everybody just give her a little space. Mom just had a baby, and she was. She was incredible. Like, I. I mean, going through the labor and delivery process and then postpartum, it's interesting. I had great experiences, and I look at my mom and say, how in the world did she do that? Because the level of care that she has extended to me in those seasons, just being there to help out with every little thing, to recover. Postpartum and helping me with the baby at night, you helping me. It's interesting, that kind of support and help around and then going back into her position, it really shows you how gentle, patient, kind, loving others, focused she is. Because in those seasons, my dad did such a great job of, like, helping her with the kids and the house and all the things. And we had friends who would bring us meals. But at the same time, there's recovery for mom. And that's the side of it where. I mean, I'm sure she did have that downtime, but at the same time, she didn't because she had so many littles, especially in the years when we weren't even old enough to maybe help out some more. And so it's incredible, really.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Did she have someone who'd come help her during that time?

[Ginger Duggar]

I mean, we had.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Your dad was with her.

[Ginger Duggar]

My dad.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Older siblings would watch the kids.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah. Grandma and Grandpa Duggar would come around and help a lot. So that was something that they had help in that way. And Nana, eventually, I don't remember at what season she came in on the scene, but it was somewhere around there where she started doing laundry for our family. And that was helpful. But everything else, I mean, even just being there for postpartum recovery is a lot. It takes a lot.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Did your mom ever have, like, varied postpartum responses to the kids? Or did she just, like. And I mean, like, mentally or emotionally, or was she just kind of steady in her recoveries?

[Ginger Duggar]

I mean, from all I could remember, she was so steady and very, very sweet. Kind, like. And just taking care of the kiddo nursing baby, which is. I mean, it's almost unheard of nowadays. Like, if you had that many kids and you're nursing them, that's wild. So, yeah, just that level of devotion, sacrifice, and it's just a lot.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And she. The fact that you don't remember what she went through postpartum shows you how much she didn't let that affect the kids.

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Cause she had to have gone through various postpartum experiences.

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, ton. I know the C section now. I do remember that because they. You can't lift a lot. And I think that there was. That's probably one of the ones I remember was like, she can't lift much, so don't, you know, like, grab this for mom. She can't lift it. Cause that is a little bit of a longer recovery because of the C section. And so I remember that part. And then with Josie, whenever my youngest sister was born, she was born at 25 weeks gestation. And that was another time where my mom had Jordan. This is a fascinating, fascinating thing. I think I may have mentioned it before, but I'll mention it now because we're talking about health. She had my sister Jordan, who was number 18, and she had her in December. Her birthday is December 18th. And then a year later, she had Josie. She gave birth to Josie on December 10th. Somebody's gonna have to fact check me. December 10th is Josie's birthday.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

I'll look it up right now.

[Ginger Duggar]

And so for basically two weeks, they're the same age as well as Mackenzie.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

You got it right. December 10, 2009.

[Ginger Duggar]

And Jordan's December 18, I think. And then Mackenzie, she's the same age as well for a season with Jordan and Josie, my youngest, two sisters. So my niece, Mackenzie.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah.

[Ginger Duggar]

Which is crazy.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

That is crazy.

[Ginger Duggar]

It's wild. So anyhow, with that, though, I remember how after she had Josie, we all up and moved to Little Rock to be with her because she had to be in the NICU for, I think, six months.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Wow.

[Ginger Duggar]

So we lived there, rented a house in the heart of Little Rock, Arkansas. Not the best area. And it was, like, quite an adventure. But just seeing how my mom responded with such grace and trust in God. Through everything was amazing.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So on the show, you know, you're pulling up an Old Faithful. Was that a minivan or station wagon?

[Ginger Duggar]

It was a 15 passenger van.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Oh, the 15 passenger. That's what they pulled up in the show.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And then the kids all run out. Was that production? Because at what point did the production start? Because you would have had to have some sense of.

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh yeah, no, they had us. They had us pull up and do that.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

But was there a film crew inside going, okay, kids go, yes. So that scene, if you're thinking reality tv, how realistic was that scene? Is that what would have happened when a new baby pulls up? You guys would run out the door and run up? Or was that the film crew saying, hey, let's do this?

[Ginger Duggar]

No, I think that's how it worked. Like we would run out because we wanted to meet the new baby if we hadn't at the hospital. Even if we met him at the hospital, it was still so special to have him home. So the second that they got back, we would run out. And that was something that was common. So if my dad came back from working, he was at real estate, you know, places, he would typically have one or two of his kids with him. But then if not, we'd all run out and be like, daddy's home and go outside and see him. Kind of like our girls do with you.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

That's the best part of parenting at this stage is when you get home and the kids scream and run up to you. It's so sweet because they might not always do that. Yeah, I don't think they're always gonna do that.

[Ginger Duggar]

But cherish it while it's here.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Oh, it's so sweet.

[Ginger Duggar]

So we would always run outside whenever my dad or mom would come back. And also another thing that they did was one on one trips. So if they were going out to the grocery store, we had a list running on the wall and they wanted to make sure they got some one on one time with us kiddos. But with that many, it's super hard. So they had a literal list and you would get. It would start with the oldest and it would work. You'd work your way down and then you would get to go with mom or dad to whatever errand they were running. So it wasn't necessarily like, okay, now we're gonna go out to a nice restaurant, we're gonna go do that. That was more birthday, but for just everyday stuff. My mom would be like, okay, I need to go to Walmart or I need to go to you Know, a fabric store, whatever it was. My dad was going out on a project. He would take one or two of us to an auto auction or to a real estate thing, and then we would check off the name and they would let us get something for a dollar, which was like a can of Pringles or something like that when we were out, which was a special treat, and we really looked forward to those times.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

That's awesome. So you called your van Old Faithful. Did you name all of those?

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, no, that's not what it was called. I just said that because I think that was probably. We probably had a couple of those vans. We had a few red 15 passenger vans is what I think I remember. And then eventually, once we started actually driving more, then we switched over to. Well, no, Okay. I was gonna say we switched over to SUVs. That was later.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Right.

[Ginger Duggar]

Didn't you do minivans? No minivans ever. No minivans. I think we're anti minivan. I am anti minivan.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And no, now you're not anti minivan as a concept. Those are. They're safe and they're convenient and easy to get kids into.

[Ginger Duggar]

They're great. I'd rather almost drive. Yeah. I don't know what I'd rather drive.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

This is a stylistic preference.

[Ginger Duggar]

Very much so. It is not about functionality. I have seen the videos of how the minivans work. I just can't get on board.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Hey, you know, in Japan, they soup up minivans.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And they do, like lowrider minivans and they put rims on them.

[Ginger Duggar]

I have seen the videos. I actually saw one at the park the other day. I was like, that's a really nice minivan, but I don't like it.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

I saw a minivan this morning with all terrain tires on it, like mean tires.

[Ginger Duggar]

I was like, on you.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

But it was like a really average.

[Ginger Duggar]

Or you should have just got an suv, because at that point, I mean, why not just put it on? I'd rather drive a really old Suburban and throw some mean tires on it than a minivan. Than a brand new minivan.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

People love the sliding door.

[Ginger Duggar]

I know it is Okay. I sacrifice. Because when I go to the grocery store, for instance, the other day I went and I needed to go get something at Whole Foods. And those parking spaces were not as wide as I wish they would have been. Somebody parked really close to me, and I had to get Finn out in his duna. And so there's only like this much space. So I pushed it there. I was holding My leg against the side of that person's car to keep the door from opening too far. When I got him out, I looked like a clown. If only that was a photo, you know, captured in a photo. But anyhow, I made it. The car did not get scratched. But I will sacrifice.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah, but Trader Joe's has tight parking spots, so then you'd want a minivan.

[Ginger Duggar]

So my family, we went from that 15 passenger van, we outgrew it. And then my dad found a shuttle bus. I think it was used for our local. What is it called? Regional something center. Regional transit. And so he bought it and I think maybe an Airport Shuttle 1, too. And so we had a couple shuttle buses that we went through, and they seated 21, I believe. And he was able to drive it because you have to, like, have a CDL or something, which he already had.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Right.

[Ginger Duggar]

And so he would drive us around in that. And we would go to Christmas parties, Christmas recitals. I remember that, multiple times. And then just to bigger events and stuff like that, we would drive our show bus.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Okay, so this show, this first show showed an introduction to the family. It did talk about, like, some of your friendships. Like, it brought up the other families that you guys knew who had tons of kids. And I think it started talking about dating. So it did get into some of, like, the religious convictions. And then it covered the actual birth of Jackson, which, you know, trigger warning. It's the actual birth. So if you're watching it, you were.

[Ginger Duggar]

Probably caught off guard.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

I was caught off guard.

[Ginger Duggar]

That's why you keep saying that.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah, it was intense. But then bring Jackson home. But then it's like, yeah, it's that first year they covered you guys. And so then this phase, this is the last clip I want you to watch. But it was when you guys were going into a new house and you were starting to build because you were renting a home. And then I guess somebody let you rent a home. Well, we'll talk about it.

[Ginger Duggar]

Watch this clip I want to see.

[Unknown]

In the year since Jackson was born, a lot has happened. You're probably thinking one change is where the family lives. But you know how it is when you're trying to build a 7,000 square foot house with your own hands.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah, I know.

[Unknown]

Things are taking a bit more time than they had hoped. And with the new house still not complete, the families found themselves in a.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Bit of a pickle.

[Unknown]

They had already sold the house they were living in. The church's expansion project can wait no longer.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

We found out about a month ago that we were going to have to move out of this house.

[Ginger Duggar]

It's a bemoan.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

The church had been so nice to let us stay here while we were working on building our other house, but didn't quite get it finished in time. We searched for a month to find a house that someone would rent to us. Finally we found a house that. That is going to be part of the development where in a few months the property's gonna be sold, the house gonna be removed, and they didn't mind renting it to us.

[Ginger Duggar]

That's funny.

[Unknown]

The house was doomed for demolition anyway.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So this house was gonna be demolished. So they let you guys go in there.

[Ginger Duggar]

That is so great. Because see, we lived in a house like they said on there, that it was the house I was born in. I was literally a home birth. My mom's first home birthday child, number six, Joe was number seven. He was a home birth as well. We were born in that house.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

The one that you were renting from the church.

[Ginger Duggar]

We owned it. We lived next to First Baptist Church of Springdale and they decided to do an expansion. I guess they had wanted to buy it for a while, I believe. And there was. It was interesting. So there our house was here and then we had First Baptist Church there. In between was cow field and on the other behind us there was one little house in a cow field, another cow field on our left. So we were surrounded. And so they just wanted that little property right in between. And interesting thing, my cousin Amy went to school at that Christian school across the way. And it was kind of funny because she would come over on occasion or like we knew she was over at the playground, so be like aang me trying to yell. And I think once or twice maybe she found her way over to our.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

House across the couch during recess or something.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah. But they ended up selling. My parents sold that house to the church. And we thought, oh, this is so sad because it was our family home for so many years. And then we didn't have anywhere to go like they said. Which is kind of interesting because could you imagine being a renter? And I mean, you have somebody come to you and you own this property and they're like, hey, can we move in? Sure. Tell us about your family. How many kids do you have? You know, and you have 15 kids at that point. It's crazy. I don't know if I'd say yes to somebody with 15 kids moving in.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

But if you're gonna demolish it a few months later.

[Ginger Duggar]

But you know what the Interesting thing was, after we moved into that house, it was great. Immediately. I remember one of the kids, not so little, dropped an iron on the carpet in the house, and there was an iron in print. It, like, ate through the carpet. I think it was in the kitchen or something. There was. Was there carpet in the dining room? I don't fully remember, but all I remember is there was a shape of an iron in the carpet. Because one of my siblings, like, set the iron down or dropped the iron and it fried the carpet.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Crazy.

[Ginger Duggar]

That's what I remember. And anyhow, that house did not get destroyed. I think it's still there.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Oh, they never tore it down.

[Ginger Duggar]

They never tore it down.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Why?

[Ginger Duggar]

It was. I don't know. It was wild because whenever I came back to town, every time I would come back, I would think, surely they're gonna tear this down one day. And I think they were just gonna have a development there that never went in. Maybe it never went through. And so the house was still standing, and they turned it into, like, an insurance office for some insurance. Big insurance company. Yeah. If it's still there. I don't know now. I don't know. I'll have to ask one of my siblings. Is that house still there?

[Jeremy Vuolo]

How far away is it from your current house?

[Ginger Duggar]

It was only, like, 10 minutes.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Wow. In Springdale.

[Ginger Duggar]

In Spring. Well, Springdale. And then Taneytown is where the family lives.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

That's crazy.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah. It was across the street from Marketplace.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So this episode goes into, like, you guys moving. Was moving fun? Cause you only moved twice. No. Well, you had a temporary move up to.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah. And in Little Rock. We actually lived in Little Rock. I lived in Conway. In Little Rock. Whenever my dad was in the legislature before the show, he served two terms in the Arkansas State House. And so with that, there would be, you know, these terms that he would need to be in Little Rock. A lot of families who were elected, they would just decide, okay, my family's gonna stay back home, because maybe their kids were in school or something like that. And then the dad would just drive on the. You know, he would drive to the capitol, however many hours away, and be there for a few days, be there for a couple weeks, and then come back to the family. But my parents decided we weren't gonna do that, so we always moved with my dad for those terms.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

So moving wasn't foreign to you guys? I mean, all hate.

[Ginger Duggar]

It was. It was, in a sense, but it also. It became, like, normal, because, like, people would help. You know, we had a lot of friends but what I will say about that rental house was the cool thing they had next door was a fire department and they would test their water hoses on occasion over this big. It was like a tall wooden privacy fence and they would shoot it into this big pasture.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Right.

[Ginger Duggar]

And so on occasion we were able to go over on the other side of the fence where they were testing their hoses and stand over there and get hit by the fire hose, like the water they were shooting over. I don't know if they knew we were over there or not, but that was a memory.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

That's country living.

[Ginger Duggar]

That is country living.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

And was the. Did the water come down hard? Like was it.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah, I mean it was legit. Fire hoses.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Was it forceful?

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Did it hurt?

[Ginger Duggar]

I don't remember. I mean, I don't remember, but all I remember is they did that a couple times. It wasn't like all the time, but a few times.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Wow. You'd hope they do it when it's hot outside, not cold. I know, that's crazy. So they showed footage of you guys like building your new home.

[Ginger Duggar]

Building our new. Oh, the new house. Yeah. The big house.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah, the 7,000 square foot house.

[Ginger Duggar]

That house took three and a half years.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Did it early. So you were in that rental for how long? All those three years or had you already started building it when you were in the building?

[Ginger Duggar]

We started building it, yeah, we started building it. I think that's why they sold, because we bought. We. I didn't buy. My parents bought that property and it had chicken hatcheries on, was like big, I don't know, 20 something acres of property.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Wow.

[Ginger Duggar]

And then they decided to build the big house on it.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah.

[Ginger Duggar]

And they did it all debt free, which is incredible. And that's why it took so long was because of the process of getting everything doing a lot. My dad, he is very capable of putting things together. So like he can just. If he, he wants a project to happen, it's going to happen. And yeah, just very handy. So he decided that they would build the house. So he called a couple people in to help. We had a friend who was general contractor and he came out and helped a lot. But my dad and like our family like did a lot of the work.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Wow.

[Ginger Duggar]

It was wild.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Crazy. And you, you, you helped too.

[Ginger Duggar]

I did. With your little. I didn't help as much because I was so young. I was in that, I was in that shot there. I probably wasn't doing too much. I felt like I was. Because there was like dewalt drills around and you'd grab one. And like, I remember the studs were movable in that house because it was metal. We had metal studs. And most homes now have wooden studs. So whenever you're putting together a room, you walk in and you're like, okay, this is the design of my closet space. And you can see it, it's all mapped out. But once those are like drilled in, they're not that easy to move. But with the metal ones, I don't know if it's easier or not. But for some reason, I remember we would go over on a Saturday and then my parents would often move. My dad would be like, oh, the laundry room, I feel like maybe we should make it a little bigger. And so they would go over, remove the studs and widen it. And so you had the normal, like, blueprints. But I'd imagine the original blueprints of the house that they had mapped out was not the same thing.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

This is the one thing. So I studied. I was in finance in my master's at Syracuse University, but I was really only there to play soccer. And so I didn't pay a ton of attention classes. But I do remember in my elective project management, I remember one lesson, which was as a project manager, when you finalize the project, do not allow changes throughout, because then the budget goes crazy, delays go crazy. But I can imagine if you're building your own home, the temptation constantly would be like, if you and I were building a home, I'd be like, gin, do you want this bathroom a little bigger? Hey, Jen, what about. What about this playroom? What if we did this and you get three months in, you see the walls, you start going, hey, can we move this wall still?

[Ginger Duggar]

Oh, yeah.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Like you would just want to move.

[Ginger Duggar]

Stuff around all the time, constantly. And that's exactly what happened. And part of that was the functionality side. With such a large family, you needed everything to run smoothly. And I think they did a brilliant job. When you look at the design of the big house, it was too steel structured homes put together into one. And so it's literal. It's a literal steel frame home. So I think it can withstand up to 150, 160 mile per hour winds of the studs. Now, that's not talking about the sheetrock and the siding, all that. That would probably go. So you might go with it.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

The structure is going to stay, which.

[Ginger Duggar]

Is going to be there. It's going to be there. But it's interesting because that it actually didn't fit together. Once they got the two kits, they thought, oh, we can make it work together. But our friend Clark Wilson, he came and stayed. They moved, I think from Mississippi for a year and a half and helped my family put it together. He was a welder. So he welded these two kits together and made it into one giant house. And so I remember a couple cool things. So if you watch the family show, if you haven't seen it, my family's house is 7,000 square feet. It looks like just a giant, I don't know, long barn from the outside, almost with windows.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Good description.

[Ginger Duggar]

And when you go inside, it's just a long rectangle home. And it has one big girls room, one big boy's room. And then it has my parents room and then there's a little room that was a guest room that actually grandparents lived in. Both sets of grandparents, which by the.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Way was so hidden away in the laundry room I didn't know existed until like a few years ago.

[Ginger Duggar]

That's crazy. Oh yeah, the room probably when we went to stay in it, I think we went to stay in it and you were like, wait, what is this room with a bathroom? This is insane. And the cool thing was too, we had a hot kitchen, which I don't know why it was called the hot kitchen, but we had a hot kitchen and then the normal kitchen, the pretty.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Kitchen, what is the difference?

[Ginger Duggar]

So the hot kitchen is industrial. Everything inside it is like restaurant grade. And so we literally have a buffet line that was from an old restaurant my dad found that was going out of business and so he put it in there. And then in the back there was like industrial grade ovens and like a fryer that we never used. It just sat there. Let's see what else? Oh, industrial dishwasher. It's a three minute dishwasher. So we would put in these large trays like you'd have at a restaurant, slide them in there, knock out the dishes, all the things. So they did a good job making it functional for a large family. And then we had industrial ovens back there, double stacked industrial fridge. And that was just the kitchen part. In the front we had two large ovens, stove tops. I don't know how many microwaves. Probably two large microwaves, warming drawers. I mean two dishwashers in the front.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

That's probably where you guys put. Most of the investment was into the.

[Ginger Duggar]

Kitchen because, oh man, we know how expensive appliances are too good. But my dad would go to auctions and so growing up we went to so many estate auctions. Industrial appliance restaurant, auctions. And that's where he got all of his stuff.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Wow.

[Ginger Duggar]

Yeah. Pretty crazy, actually, when you think about it.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Yeah, well, it's a cool start to the Duggar show, that little documentary. And it's crazy to go look back at little Ginger. You are so cute. As I was watching, I saw your mannerisms, and you're just such a sweet, cute little girl. And I see Felicity and Evie in you, and it's adorable. I love little Ginger. What a sweet girl. Now I have these two little Ginger lookalikes running around the house.

[Ginger Duggar]

So fun. Can't wait to see little Finn.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

I know.

[Ginger Duggar]

Looking just like Daddy.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Now let's see how he continues to grow. Well, this is fun. This is a good little Ginger. Ginger reacts to 14 children and counting.

[Ginger Duggar]

14 children and pregnant again.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

14 children and pregnant again. Wow. Blast from the past.

[Ginger Duggar]

Wild. It's been a minute.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

It's been a minute. All right, guys, well, thanks for hanging out. That was fun.

[Ginger Duggar]

Thanks for watching.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

We should maybe get some more episodes throughout the years and have you react to them. I want you to react to all those prairie dresses you used to talk about.

[Ginger Duggar]

My favorite ones. I like it.

[Jeremy Vuolo]

Be fun. All right, guys, thanks for hanging out. We will see you next time.

[Ginger Duggar]

If you've ever thought work could be better than this, you're right. We were taught work had to look one way, grind harder, climb the ladder, keep your head down. But it doesn't have to be like that. We're Amanda and Lizzy, partners in life and work, and we host you Got a Minute, A weekly podcast about how people actually experience work. We talk through what's hard, what's working, and what might actually make a difference. Listen to on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to work and connect cross culturally with confidence? On the Berlitz Language and Culture Podcast, we dive into the fascinating world of languages, cultures, and global connections, sharing practical tips and real stories to help you navigate differences and embrace the excitement of our multicultural world. Whether you're a traveler, a language learner, or a global professional, the Berlitz Language and Culture podcast is for you. Search and listen now on Spotify.