Throughout the many, many scandals that have plagued the Duggar family over the past 18 months, the marriage between Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar has remained intact.

But even the strongest marriage would be put to the test by the series of public controversies that somehow haven’t kept the Duggars off TV.

So it’s not all that surprising that Jim Bob and Michelle attended a marriage counseling retreat last week.

What is surprising is that they were paid speakers instead of guests!

Yes, the couple – whose best marriage advice seems to be something along the lines of, “No front-hugging without a ring on it!” – was invited to address a crowd about “the Godly principals for keeping a vibrant, Christ-like marriage.”

No word on how much JB and Michelle got paid, but with a title like that, but attendees say they were charged an astonishing $275 per ticket.

For that price, we assume Michelle strapped on a guitar while Jim Bob Jaggered his way around the stage belting out a flawless rendition of “Satisfaction.”

Sadly, there’s no word on what JB and Michelle talked about, but we assume they repeatedly reminded their fans that Ashley Madison is owned by the devil.

It’s interesting that they decided to accept the engagement, as their speech came just a few weeks after they posted a message on their website

“Unfortunately, due to the number of invitations and our schedule we cannot entertain invitations to personal events such as birthday parties and weddings,” the Duggars wrote in late August.

“We wish we could go to everything!”  

“If you have expressed interest in our family speaking at a public event we will respond as soon as possible.” 

Maybe this gig was booked in well in advance.

Or maybe this is the Duggars’ way of coping with the fallout of reports that they’re trying to have Josh appear on Counting On.

The mere mention of using their reality series to try and rebuild Josh’s reputation was enough to spur reports that TLC would be giving the Duggars the ax.

Perhaps the timing is coincidental, but we wouldn’t be surprised if this were step one of a reputation-rebuilding campaign.

After all, Jim Bob is a master of marketing and self-promotion.

She’s like Kris Jenner, if her favorite book were the Bible instead of the novelization of Kim Kardashian’s sex tape.

Source: celebweddings