Now, Jinger is admitting that, as an adult, she’s found herself seeking an “older mentor.”
Adult friendships can be hard to find. That is even truer when you grew up in an extreme and isolated environment.
But some think that Jinger bonding with older women might be a swipe, however unintended, at Michelle.
On her podcast, Jinger Duggar discusses the strict wall between her family’s filming in childhood and what she discussed within her limited social sphere. (Image Credit: YouTube)
Jinger has a ‘not old, but older, mentor’
During a recent episode of the Jinger & Jeremy podcast, one of the eponymous hosts sat down with Joy-Anna.
“There’s a couple that I’m thinking of that are not in the season with kids and so they already they’ve had kids, or they are beyond,” Jinger described, “that and it’s really sweet because then I’m like it feels Like a godly older mentor.”
(As we have previously explained, some evangelical communities use “seasons” to refer to portions of one’s life, like chapters. This in-group terminology works to set people apart from members of the out-group.)
“Not old, but older, mentor and that’s also helpful for me,” Jinger continued, “especially living away from family and working through a lot of things like that.”
She commented: “It’s been helpful for me to have the wisdom and the care.”
Jinger went on to praise the “trustworthiness” of having an older mentor friend like the one that she has found.
Joy-Anna seems to agree.
The two say that they are both seeking adult friendships that are free of gossip and false pretenses.
(Maybe we’re just too far removed from the Duggar family’s subculture to understand, but it’s unclear what grown adults in their 20s and 30s would be gossiping about in a way that the sisters would find off-putting.)
It is very common for people to find it harder to make friends as adults. Someone whose fundamentalist background rules out common shortcuts (can’t really attend trivia nights if you’re unfamiliar with almost all arts and entertainment news from the past century) likely face additional challenges.
Together, Jinger and Joy-Anna Duggar discuss things that felt “taboo” growing up in the family cult. (Image Credit: YouTube)
Is this intended to shade Michelle?
Additionally, both Jinger and Joy discussed the ways in which their limited social lives did not include discussion of their reality TV family lives when they were growing up.
They likened it to a “taboo” to speak of their TLC adventures. That … doesn’t sound super healthy.
Additionally, Joy spoke about how she was “glued to his hip” after marrying husband Austin Forsyth, as she didn’t really have adult bonds that weren’t familial in one sense or another.
All of this and more led a lot of folks on social media to take one message away from this:
Are both women deliberately shading Michelle Duggar?
Joy-Anna Duggar participates in her sister’s podcast on August 12, 2026. (Image Credit: YouTube)
Simply put, even if Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were good people (they’re not), there is no possible way for them to have shown each and every child the love and positive attention that they deserve.
Commenters across social media have noted that this sort of “older mentor friend” dynamic is not uncommon for people who had bad childhoods or who have parents who are terrible people (or both).
If you feel like you’re walking on eggshells with your mom, then you might seek out a substitute mom — even if she isn’t old enough to be your actual mother unless she was a child bride — to give you a healthy dynamic.
Even if the Duggars likely struggle to recognize what a healthy dynamic is, they might still seek one instinctively. Everyone deserves love and emotional support without the whole abusive-nightmare-cult thing.
Jinger probably isn’t intentionally slamming her awful mom here. It’s just that people familiar with this family understand what sort of person Michelle is, and may understand some of Jinger’s emotional baggage a little better than she does.
Speculation about the cause of Panettiere’s death has been running wild on social media, and there’s now reason to believe she may have suffered an overdose.
Hayden Panettiere attends Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix’s New Film “Blonde” at TCL Chinese Theatre on September 13, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
That news remains unconfirmed, but Hayden’s struggles with substance abuse were well-documented.
However, she appeared to have turned a corner in recent years.
Just months before her sudden death, Hayden spoke openly about leaving behind the darkest chapters of her life and embracing what she believed would be a brighter future.
In a May appearance on Jay Shetty’s podcast, Panettiere discussed her deeply personal memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, which chronicled her struggles with addiction, mental health issues, and abuse.
But despite everything she had endured, Panettiere said she finally felt ready to move forward.
“I finally feel like I have shaken off all of this darkness and this negativity,” she said (via Page Six).
“I’ve closed one door and another door is opened … I can feel all the exciting possibilities. I feel like I have a lot more life to live.”
Panettiere died on Sunday, just five days before her 37th birthday. Her father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed the devastating news in a statement describing his daughter as “an incredible light and a force of nature.”
Hayden had spent years publicly confronting personal struggles, including addiction and postpartum depression following the 2014 birth of her daughter, Kaya, whom she shares with former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
In her final months, however, the actress appeared determined to focus on what came next.
During another interview promoting her memoir, Panettiere described herself as “a work in progress” and said she was taking life one day at a time.
“I’m doing the work, and I’m doing my best,” she said.
She also spoke about her relationship with Kaya and the difficult decision that ultimately led to her daughter primarily living with Klitschko.
“I’ve been able to put her first, no matter how I’ve felt or what I’ve experienced,” Panettiere said.
The actress hoped that, someday, her daughter would understand her struggles and why she “wasn’t able to be with her all the time.”
Panettiere also reflected on the impact of sharing her story.
She said fans and others in the entertainment industry had approached her to explain that her honesty about mental health had inspired them to seek help.
“I was like, This is worth it,” she recalled. “I can hopefully leave the world a better place than I found it.”
Now, those hopeful words have taken on an entirely different meaning.
Hayden Panettiere believed she had more life ahead of her.
Tragically, she was right — just not nearly as much as she deserved.
Scotty McCreery’s 3-year-old son Avery asks the same question every single morning on the tour bus, and it’s the same one he asks right before showtime. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Scotty McCreery’s 3-year-old son Avery asks the same question every single morning on the tour bus, and it’s the same one he asks right before showtime. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
The Baltimore Orioles sold at the deadline, are under .500 … and would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. That’s the current state of affairs in the underwhelming American League, where five teams are fewer than two games behind the Orioles for the final playoff spot. Every AL team other than the Royals, A’s and Angels still feels like it’s in contention. That’s not the case in the National League, where three teams with winning records (Arizona, Miami, St. Louis) are chasing the final wild-card spot, which currently belongs to San Diego. All of those playoff hopefuls will need a late-season spark plug in order to make an October run. In this week’s Power Rankings, we identify one player from every team worth watching down the stretch. The Angels decided to keep Zach Neto at the deadline, but he has a .489 OPS since the break. It’s hard to envision the team taking strides forward until it gets its shortstop on track. It’d be fun to see Bryce Eldridge go on a late-season tear to bring some hope for the future in what has been a lost season in San Francisco. The rookie has 13 homers in 81 games. The A’s were never going to do much with Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom all injured, but they certainly weren’t expecting right fielder Lawrence Butler to be a below replacement level player in the second season of his seven-year extension. He has looked better lately, so maybe he can turn it around. Could Zac Veen be a post-hype sleeper down the stretch? After raking in 100 games at Triple-A (.327/.402/.635), the Rockies outfielder is already providing a spark in his first four games back in the big leagues. As bad as things have gone in Kansas City, Jac Caglianone is on fire in August. The 23-year-old is slashing .407/.429/.759 with nine extra-base hits and 18 RBIs in 14 games this month as he continues his breakout. Elly De La Cruz is 7-for-51 (.137) with one stolen base in August. The Reds need him to get back to being a dynamic force down the stretch if they want to challenge for a playoff spot. It took until August, but the Mets are finally playing some ball. A significant part of that is the uptick from Bo Bichette, who is starting to resemble the player the Mets envisioned. The Mariners mustered a big series win in Houston, but their road back to relevance won’t get any easier as their next three series are against the Brewers, Cubs and Phillies. Julio Rodríguez is heating up, and one of his annual late-season surges might be the only thing that can save Seattle. Acquired as part of the Mackenzie Gore trade with the Rangers, 24-year-old first baseman Abimelec Ortiz has five home runs in his first 13 games. Is Royce Lewis … back? The 27-year-old infielder has an OPS over 1.000 in August. After years of injuries, it would be a joy to see the former top overall pick find the form that made him such a captivating young talent a few seasons ago. Unmoved by their deadline additions, the Guardians are 9-19 to start the second half, and José Ramírez hasn’t looked like himself since returning from his hamate fracture last month. The Guardians aren’t going to do much if Ramírez is a league-average hitter. You simply can’t drop back-to-back series against the Angels and A’s when you’re trying to be taken seriously as a contender. Wyatt Langford, who had a 1.005 OPS in June and an .819 OPS in July, has a .597 OPS in August. The Rangers need to get him going again. All eyes are on Paul Skenes as he tries to right the ship. Pittsburgh’s ace has a 5.62 ERA since the start of July, and the Pirates have won just three of his past 13 starts. Skenes’ velocity is down, he just threw 65 pitches in his last start, and he had his next start pushed back. Those are all ominous signs, but maybe he can figure it out in time to save Pittsburgh’s season. They don’t have Adley Rutschman or Taylor Ward anymore, but they still have the Polar Bear. Pete Alonso is hitting .380 with four homers in August and giving the Orioles a chance to sneak into the playoffs even after their deadline selloff. Framber Valdez signed a three-year, $115 million deal that gave him the highest average annual value of any left-handed pitcher in the sport, but his performances all year have been marred by inconsistency. The Tigers need Valdez to get in more of a rhythm with Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize gone. Their spectacular pitching has the Blue Jays still dreaming of October baseball. The offense, meanwhile, has been the worst in the American League. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. can’t be a below league-average hitter all season, right? … RIGHT? Considering how thin their rotation is — they rank 28th in starters ERA — the Astros can’t afford for Hunter Brown (3.67 ERA) to simply be solid. Free passes continue to be a problem that he’ll need to figure out quickly. Since returning from a leg injury in June, Eury Pérez has a 1.80 ERA over his past 10 starts. When Perez and Sandy Alcantara are pitching the way they are now, the Marlins have a chance against anyone. Rookie Joshua Báez, who just became the first player ever to homer in each of his first three at-bats, is already helping jump-start a Cardinals offense that had the lowest OPS in the sport in July. We know the Phillies’ top three starters give them a chance against any team they’ll see in October. But if they want to make it there, they’ll need to win some of the other games, too. On that note, Aaron Nola has a 2.91 ERA over his past four starts. The seemingly indomitable Red Sox have suddenly dropped seven of their past nine games and have scored more than four runs just once in that stretch. Adley Rutschman is 1-for-17 to start his Boston career, which obviously has to change if the Red Sox want to make a run. (Of course, getting Roman Anthony, who’s been out since early May with a finger injury, back for the stretch will also help.) The White Sox put a ton of faith in Luis Castillo to turn his season around when they traded for him at the deadline. In two starts with his new club, Castillo has already provided fodder for the believers (7 IP, 0 R, 10 K) and the doubters (4 IP, 5 R, 5 K). With the return dates for injured starters Zac Gallen, Ryne Nelson and Corbin Burnes unclear, what Brandon Pfaadt is doing right now is invaluable. He has a 1.09 ERA over his last eight starts and hasn’t allowed an earned run in any of his past four starts. The answer here is obviously Aaron Judge, whenever he gets back. For now, the Yankees can enjoy the spark provided by rookie George Lombard Jr., who’s giving them reason to get excited about the shortstop position again. Sweeping the Brewers? You have my attention, San Diego. The Padres have had the best offense in baseball since the break, and Jackson Merrill has looked a lot more like the phenom who gave Paul Skenes a run for his Rookie of the Year Award two years ago. After dropping three of four to the Brewers, the Dodgers are now 5-10 in August and 18-21 since the start of July. I’m putting the focus here on both of their major offseason additions: Edwin Díaz has a 10.66 ERA and has blown three of his past five save opportunities, while Kyle Tucker can’t hit at home. As talented as the Dodgers are, one of those two has to get right by season’s end if they want to three-peat. After a pedestrian start to the year, Alex Bregman has been MLB’s most valuable third baseman since the All-Star break. The Cubs are going to be hard to stop if Bregman continues hitting like this. The Braves have enjoyed this bounce-back campaign despite Austin Riley enduring the worst offensive season of his eight-year career. However, Riley has a .957 OPS in August. Can he keep it up? The Rays won nine straight games on the road before returning home to welcome the Orioles, who then took three straight at Tropicana Field. One of those losses went to Freddy Peralta, who remains in search of his old form. The two-time All-Star’s past two starts (10.2 IP, 5 R) were at least an improvement on his Rays debut disaster (3.2 IP, 7 R). After getting swept in San Diego, the Brewers had a statement series win in L.A. while playing without Brice Turang, who might need to manage his knee pain the rest of the year. Getting William Contreras going feels vital. The standout catcher has a meager .604 OPS in the second half, but he homered on Saturday and reached base twice Sunday.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
The Alaska governor’s mansion in Juneau is seen on Aug 14, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Nine of 17 candidates for Alaska governor weighed in on plans for communicating with the media and the public. They touched on a variety of topics, including town halls, news conferences, public records, use of artificial intelligence and the role of their communications teams.
The candidates are vying for the top four spots to advance to the ranked choice general election in November. The primary election is on Tuesday, August 18.
The Anchorage-based public relations firm Thompson & Co. conducted a survey of 12 candidates on communications with the public “whose campaigns have demonstrated significant organizational capacity, fundraising, and public support,” according to a statement announcing the survey results.
The candidates that chose to participate answered an 18 question survey. The respondents were Democrats Tom Begich and Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins; Independent Bill Walker; and Republicans Adam Crum, Lesil McGuire, Click Bishop, Edna DeVries, Shelley Hughes and Matt Heilala.
Republicans Dave Bronson, Treg Taylor and Bernadette Wilson received the survey but did not respond.
“Candidates answered the same questions on press access, crisis communications, social media, rural and language accessibility, public records requests and staffing for the governor’s communications office,” the statement said.
Transparency and public access
All nine candidates that responded agreed that a free press providing information to the public is critical to democratic government. Several candidates committed to an open and transparent relationship with the press, including Kreiss-Tomkins.
“If I find myself annoyed as Governor by seemingly pesky questions from the media, I think that is a good thing for Alaskans, for transparency, and for a healthy democracy,” he said.
Hughes and Heilala noted the press also should be held to a standard of fairness. Hughes said she would be more responsive to “those who are fair.”
“I want journalists to report in a balanced fashion and strive to be unbiased – the way they should be in a healthy democracy (in our case, constitutional republic) – but that rarely is the case,” Hughes said. “I will give more time to those who are fair. I will be more apt to provide written comments to those who aren’t.”
Candidates varied on how often they would hold open press conferences and public town halls.
Bishop, McGuire and Hughes said they would hold weekly press conferences, with some flexibility due to scheduling Hughes added. Crum and Walker committed to two press conferences a month.
DeVries and Heilala said they would hold conferences as events warranted; Begich and Kreiss-Tomkins were unsure.
Seven candidates promised to hold regular town halls and public events across the state, with DeVries and Crum saying they were unsure of frequency.
“I intend to hold regular town halls and community visits across Alaska, including remote communities,” Bishop said. “My goal is to maintain a visible statewide presence through in-person visits and virtual options so Alaskans know their governor is accessible and engaged.”
Candidates split on their willingness to publish a public-facing calendar of the governor’s official schedule.
Currently Dunleavy’s calendar isn’t officially published publically, but has been available through a public records request.
Bishop, Walker, McGuire, and Heleila said they would publish a public-facing calendar. Kreiss-Tomkins said he would publish a schedule of public events.
Begich and DeVries said they were unsure, and Crum and Hughes said it would depend on security considerations.
Limiting media access and non-traditional media
Candidates were asked under what circumstances they would refuse to take press questions or limit media access to them personally.
McGuire and DeVries said “None.”
Kreiss-Tomkins, Crum, Bishop and Heilela said the default would be to answer questions.
Begich noted the line between personal and professional life should be respected.
“However, when the personal veers into the professional, it is fair for the press to question those actions, and it is essential that a Governor respond to them in the interest of public integrity and the truth,” Begich said.
Several candidates noted access may be limited on issues related to ongoing law enforcement investigations, active litigation, personnel issues or public safety.
Hughes said media access would be limited: “Would limit if information is confidential, uncertain, or would jeopardize a positive outcome. Would limit access if a safety issue,” she said.
Candidates agreed that their media distribution lists would be broad and inclusive, and they would host virtual online press conferences. They agreed their administrations would be available to rural reporters and give them access equivalent to that of reporters in urban areas.
The majority of candidates agreed they would grant access to “non-traditional” media organizations, including podcasters, bloggers, independent journalists and online-only outlets.
Begich said he would evaluate such interview requests on a case-by-case basis depending on his availability. He said in the past he’s done interviews for outlets that were “inherently biased,” but said “as long as they and I acknowledged that, it was fine.”
Social media and artificial intelligence use
All candidates said they plan to maintain active social media accounts across major platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube and others.
Candidates varied on whether they plan to use artificial intelligence-generated content on their social pages.
McGuire and Heilala said yes.
Hughes said she would on occasion. “It would be the exception rather than the rule,” she said.
Begich and Bishop said no.
Kreiss-Tomkins, Crum, Walker, and DeVries answered “unsure at this time.”
Candidates were also asked under what circumstances they would mute or block members of the public from government social media accounts.
DeVries answered she would not block anyone. The majority of candidates said they would keep social media pages open and welcome criticism or differing opinions, but would consider blocking accounts for hate speech, threats, intimidation or spam.
Heilala said his administration would monitor such blocked accounts. “Any blocks will be documented, applied consistently, and reviewed periodically. Viewpoint discrimination will never be tolerated. Alaskans have a right to speak to their government, even critically. I expect robust debate, not an echo chamber,” he said.
Public records
All the candidates said their administrations would comply with public records law, under the Alaska Public Records Act.
Kreiss-Tomkins and McGuire said they would not charge any fees.
Currently the law allows public agencies to charge after the first 5 hours of work on filling public records requests for personnel time based on their salary.
Walker said he would “like to avoid fees if at all possible” and would assess once in office. Bishop noted that fees should reflect actual costs and not be a barrier to accessing public records. Hughes said a small fee would be necessary for large projects.
Language access and communication with non-English speaking communities
Alaska is home to 21 official languages including Inupiaq, Yup’ik, Alutiiq, Tlingit and others.
Candidates were asked how their potential administrations would communicate with non-English speaking communities, and what resources would be committed to making official information available across languages.
Begich, Kreiss-Tomkins, Walker and Bishop said they would work with tribal and community organizations to translate government communications and make translation services available, particularly for emergencies.
Kreiss-Tomkins pointed to his legislative record officially recognizing Native languages. “I’ll prioritize it in emergencies, when a delay in someone’s own language can cost lives. I’ve worked on this issue dating back to my service as a Representative, when I sponsored the bill that made Alaska’s 20 Native languages official languages of our state alongside English,” he wrote.
Crum said his administration would follow current law which “requires broad availability of public material.”
Hughes and Helaila said they would use AI translation tools and refer the public to AI translation services— “While always having human review for important documents,” Heilala added.
McGuire said she would build on the Division of Elections translation model, and also seek bilingual team members in her administration. “I would also consider sight and hearing impaired Alaskans,” she said.
Staffing communications teams
Bishop, Heleila and McGuire provided some details on their potential communications offices, which would include a communications director, press secretary, digital communications and outreach coordinators.
Walker pointed to his previous term as Alaska governor, from 2014 to 2018, with staff including a communication director, deputy communication director and several assistants to the director.
Hughes said she would have a minimum of two communications staff, and possibly task others with communications duties.
Several candidates responded that plans on staffing their communications teams are premature, and would be determined if elected to office. That included Begich, Kreiss-Tomkins, Crum and DeVries.
“We are focused on campaigning, listening to Alaskans, and getting our message out,” Kreiss-Tomkins said. “If we win the election, that is when we will make decisions on staffing the administration.”
Hayden Panettiere had high hopes for her daughter Kaya’s future.
Just months before the Heroes alum’s tragic death at age 36, she detailed what she wanted for her and ex Wladimir Klitschko’s… E! Online (US) – Top Stories
Hayden Panettiere had high hopes for her daughter Kaya’s future.