Amy Duggar King’s Mom Lives with Her Where She’s ‘Safe’ After Enduring Years of Alleged Abuse (Exclusive)
- Amy Duggar King’s mom now lives with her, her husband Dillon and their son Daxton Ryan, she tells PEOPLE while discussing her new memoir Holy Disruptor
- The move comes after what Amy claims was years of abuse from Amy’s father and Deanna’s ex-husband, Terry Jordan
- “I knew she loved me, but she just couldn’t show it because she was so bogged down from this terrible relationship,” Amy says of her mother’s former marriage
Amy Duggar King says her mom Deanna is “safe” living with her after enduring years of alleged abuse.
“She knows she’s safe,” Amy, 39, tells PEOPLE while speaking about her debut memoir Holy Disruptor, releasing Oct. 14. “I know that sounds crazy, but really, she used to wake up with so much fear. She was so scared,” Amy says of her mother, who is Jim Bob Duggar’s older sister.
In the book, the former 19 Kids and Counting star, labeled as “Crazy Cousin Amy” by her relatives on the show, addresses the actions of her cousin, convicted sex offender Josh Duggar; her predator grandfather, Jimmy Lee Duggar; and alleged abuse within her own immediate family.
Growing up, Amy claims her father, Terry Jordan, was emotionally abusive towards her and her mother and as a result, Deanna was not able to fully commit herself to parenting.
Amy Duggar on ’19 Kids and Counting’
“Even as a little girl, I knew my dad took up most of her heart, and she did not have time for little old me,” she says. “ I knew she loved me, but she just couldn’t show it because she was so bogged down from this terrible relationship.”
She continued: “When things were really bad, there were days that she wouldn’t even come out of a room. I just knew that the good times were fleeting, and I would just hope and pray that, someday, it would change.”
PEOPLE was not able to make contact with Jordan.
In December 2015, Terry and Deanna announced they were getting a divorce after nine years of marriage, Amy confirmed to PEOPLE.
As an adult, Amy later cut off her relationship with her father with a final text goodbye.
“It was the most heartbreaking yet liberating moment of my life,” she says. “But I knew that going forward, that’s what I had to do in order to break free, in order to change the direction of my life.”
She adds: “I didn’t want that for my marriage. I didn’t want that for my future kids… I said what I needed to say, and he is still blocked till this day.”
The cover art for Amy Duggar King’s memoir ‘Holy Disruptor’
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Today, Amy is “very much in love” with her husband of 10 years, entrepreneur Dillon King. Together they welcomed their first child, Daxton Ryan King, on Oct. 9, 2019.
“My husband and my mom and Daxie are my world,” Amy says of what is most important to her right now. With Dillon, Amy is focused on modeling a healthy relationship for Daxton.
“I used to be like, ‘Oh, it’s a good day. Thank God it’s a good day,’” she explains. “Now every day is a good day. So that is just the epitome of what I’ve always wanted.”
Holy Disruptor: Shattering the Shiny Facade While Getting Louder with the Truth is out on Tuesday, Oct. 14 and available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
