The Duggars have been on TV since 2008, meaning we've had almost 10 years of the 19 Kids and Counting family.
But as their popularity grew, so did their family. We watched the Duggars go from 13 kids to 19 kids with 8 grandkids and two more on the way.
In their first special, 14 Kids and Pregnant Again!, the family was very upfront about their spending habits. If they didn't have the money for it, it was not purchased. Food, clothing, vehicles, houses, whatever. If they had to take out a loan it would not be happening.
When doing groceries, the family buys in bulk and keeps a stockpile of staples in their pantry. As for clothing, it's almost exclusively from the thrift shop. Their house was built over a course of many years, as they would only build when they had the money. It was also all built by the family.
You would think that a family so frugal must be struggling, even after getting their own reality show. But you'd be surprised to know just how much the Duggar family makes per episode.
Networks like TLC will rarely share their monetary negotiations with the general public, but reality producer Terence Michael has some inside knowledge.
According to Michael, families on reality TV make approximately 10% of the show's per-episode budget. He suspects that TLC budgets approximately $400,000 per episode, meaning the Duggar family gets $40,000 for 5 days' work, which is how long it takes to shoot one episode.
With 20 episodes per season, that means the family is raking in about $800,000 each year. This doesn't include any potential bonuses, sponsorships, or other means of income such as their commercial properties. It's reported that the family has an overall net worth of $3.5 million.
The sisters who appear on Counting On also bring in their own money, which is estimated at around $50,000 per episode.
Did you know the Duggars were worth this much?