‘Counting On’ Star Michelle Duggar Visits Grandson Israel Amid Family Feud With Derick Dillard

No family feud is going to come between Michelle Duggar and her grandson on his fifth birthday! On Monday, April 6, the Counting On star swung by daughter Jill Dillard’s house to wish a happy birthday to her grandson Israel. Though the Duggars and the Dillards have been at odds over the past few months — Derick Dillard even spoke out against Jim Bob Duggar and the family’s TLC show on social media and in a recent interview — the grandma and some of her younger children helped Izzy celebrate in a creative way amid social distancing.

“Although the current state [of the world] with coronavirus has changed our plans, we are counting our blessings and trying to make [lemonade] from lemons,” Jill, 28, and Derick, 31, each shared on Instagram. “We decorated the house after the boys went to bed last night, and they were so excited this morning. We did a special birthday breakfast and are planning a drive this afternoon to say hey to friends from our car before we make our way to [Derick’s] mom and stepdad’s for a simple celebration in their front yard (keeping our distance)! Who knows, it may turn into a bear hunt around their neighborhood looking for stuffed bears in neighbors’ windows.”

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One of the photos the parents of two shared featured Michelle, 53, peeking through a window with Izzy’s aunts Josie and Jordyn. “Happy to see Jill’s family celebrating him!” one fan commented on the post. “I love that your mom [and] sisters still came to see him for his special day,” another wrote. A third chimed in, “So glad to see Michelle outside.”

The families previously butted heads when Michelle and Jim Bob, 54, shared a birthday post for Derick in March 2020. Though the sentiment was sweet, not all thought it was genuine — and plenty were surprised to see it. Just one day later, the birthday boy himself seemingly threw shade at his in-laws after a fan insisted that the stars never had any issues with each other and all appearances to the contrary simply came from TLC firing Derick due to his controversial statements about Jazz Jennings. “I have to respectfully disagree,” he responded, shutting down that theory.

Weeks later, the father continued to call out his in-laws in an interview with YouTube Channel Without a Crystal Ball. “We weren’t even allowed to be the first ones to announce our own life events — our marriage, expecting our baby, our genders of our children, our births — not by our own choice,” he said according to vlogger Katie Joy. “If I had to do it all over again, I would’ve announced myself when we were expecting and things like that, even if I would’ve gotten in trouble. … Your family relationships are affected to this extent that you are on board with the family business.”