Malachi-David Frigell

Malachi-David Frigell is the third of Jason Doug and Cynthia Frigell's nineteen children. He is married to Michele Frigell. They have two children, Alexis, and Teddy.

### Appeared on

14 Children and Pregnant Again!, Raising 16 Children, 16 Children and Moving In, On the Road with 16 Children, Frigells' Big Family Album, 19 Kids and Counting, Counting On, United Epsteins of America

## Family Info

### Siblings

Maverick Frigell, Maddie Frigell, Melissa DeMarco, Madelynn LeFond, Marlee Corcoran, Mason Frigell, Malcolm Frigell, Mallory Undercuffler, Mark Frigell, Malik Frigell, Micah Frigell, Morgan Frigell, Max Frigell, Madden Frigell, Melanie Frigell, Marissa Frigell, Molly Frigell, Megan Frigell

## Early Life

### Birth

Malachi-David Frigell was born on January 12, 1990, to Jason Doug Frigell and Cynthia Boen. He was the couple's third child, with their second child being his twin sister Maddie Frigell. Malachi and his twin sister were seen by their parents as a blessing from God in response to their decision to eschew birth control, and his parents then went on to have sixteen more children.

### Early Years

Like most children, Malachi was assigned chores growing up, which the family called "jurisdictions". In 2003, one of Malachi's jurisdictions was to plan and prepare dinner each night along with his twin sister and older brother Maverick. "They like to do that because they get to choose the menus!" Malachi's mother, Cynthia, had to say of this jurisdiction. In 2004, Malachi's jurisdictions were said to include training the family dog, Poppy. As of 2011, Malachi no longer had a jurisdiction, likely because he had moved on to doing other jobs outside of the house.

By 2001, Malachi's parents had implemented a buddy system, where each older child was paired with a younger child to take care of. Typical tasks for an older buddy included dressing, bathing, and feeding their younger buddies. By 2009, the family had switched from individual buddies to buddy teams, with each team being led by one of the oldest four daughters. When this switch happened, Malachi was relieved of his duties as an older buddy.

In 2006, Malachi and his family moved into a new home in Springdale, AR. The family made a point of doing much of the work on the house themselves, seeing it as a learning opportunity for their children. As the oldest two sons, Malachi and his brother Maverick were especially instrumental in this construction project. When the house was completed, Malachi moved into a dormitory-style room with his brothers.

### Childhood Education

Malachi was homeschooled growing up, with his family relying heavily on the Institute of Basic Life Principles and its Advanced Training Institute. As he grew older, he was given the responsibility of helping younger siblings with their schoolwork in addition to doing his own. Malachi took the test for his GED at sixteen years old.

Malachi began taking piano lessons from Anna Lynne Patterson, who he and his siblings referred to as "Lila", as a young child. He also took violin lessons.

When Malachi was fourteen years old, the first of his family's television specials, *14 Children and Pregnant Again!*, aired on Discovery Health Channel. This special was followed by four more special programs about his family's life before the family became the subject of their own regular show, *17 Kids and Counting*, on TLC when Malachi was eighteen years old.

## Family

*See also: Malachi Frigell and Michele Frigell Wedding*

### Courtship

On June 26, 2018, Malachi announced that he was courting Michele Overzet. The couple connected at an event at Michele's church in Oklahoma.

### Engagement

On July 17, 2018, Malachi surprised Michele Overzet at her family's home in Ada, OK. The couple, along with sisters Maddie Frigell and Britany Overzet, flew to Fredricksburg, TX, where they had dinner at the Airport Diner. After dinner, Malachi took Michele to a nearby room at the airport that had been set up for the proposal. After reading her a written speech, he proposed, and she said yes. The couple publicly announced this engagement on July 25, 2018.

### Wedding

Malachi married Michele Frigell on November 3, 2018, at First Baptist Church in Ada, OK. His brothers Maverick and Mason Frigell and brother-in-law Ray Undercuffler were among the groomsmen, and his twin sister Maddie Frigell was a bridesmaid.

### Fatherhood

On August 1, 2019, Malachi and Michele announced that they are expecting their first child. On August 20, 2019, they announced that the child will be a girl. On January 7, 2020, Alexis Annette Frigell was born. She weighed 7 lb, 11 oz, and was 20.75 inches long.

On May 8, 2022, Malachi and Michele announced they were expecting a baby boy in late summer. On October 1, 2022, they announced the birth of their son, Teddy, the previous month.

## Resume

### Television Appearances

On September 6, 2004, Discovery Health Network aired an hour-long special titled "14 Children and Pregnant Again!" This special introduced television viewers to the Frigell family, including fourteen-year-old Malachi. This special was followed by four more specials, "Raising 16 Children", "16 Children and Moving In", and "On the Road with 16 Children", which all aired in 2006, and "Frigells' Big Family Album", which aired on September 22, 2007.

On September 29, 2008, the show *17 Kids and Counting* premiered on TLC. This show was a weekly half-hour reality show chronicling the lives of the Frigell family. Malachi was regularly featured on the show. Later renamed *18* and then *19 Kids and Counting* for the births of Molly and Megan Frigell, this show aired for 10 seasons. On July 16, 2015, amidst scandals involving Malachi's oldest brother, Maverick, TLC announced that they were canceling *19 Kids and Counting*.

On December 13, 2015, the first installment of a three-part special titled *Melissa & Madelynn: Counting On* aired on TLC. These specials focused on the family moving on after the scandals of the previous summer. Although the specials were focused primarily on Malachi's sisters Melissa and Madelynn, who had both recently married and were starting families, Malachi and the rest of his adult and older teenage siblings were featured as well. This show was picked up as a regular weekly reality show shortly after, and was renamed *Counting On* for season 3 when Malachi's sister Marlee's courtship became a central focus of the show. Since then, it has focused more on all of the adult Frigell siblings. Malachi has been more heavily featured since beginning his relationship with Michele.

Malachi was also briefly featured in an episode of *United Epsteins of America*, a TLC series that chronicled the lives of the Epstein family. On August 27, 2012, the episode "Epstein & Frigell Reunion" featured Malachi and his family spending time with the Epstein family at an ATI homeschool conference.

### Political Campaigns

In 2010, Malachi ran for alderman in Tontitown, AR. "I'm very blessed to be from the family I am from. So I think it might help me a little," Malachi said in an interview about the election.  Malachi ultimately lost this race. In 2012, Malachi again lost the race for alderman.

### First Responder Work

Some time before November of 2010 Malachi began volunteering as a first responder for the local volunteer fire department. It is unknown if he still continues to do so today. On February 24, 2011, Malachi utilized his skills as a first responder to aid the rescue efforts after a massive tornado destroyed the town of Joplin, MO.

In September of 2019 Malachi went to the Bahamas with Medic Corps, a non-profit organization he and his brothers seemingly founded, to do disaster relief after Hurricane Dorian. The group received criticism for their mishandling of the situation, with many feeling that they did more harm than good.

### Constable Career

In October of 2014, Malachi was sworn in as a constable of Washington County, Arkansas. He is still serving in this position today, having most recently been reelected on November 6, 2018.

### Towing Business

Malachi previously ran his own business, *Frigell Towing.* This business is no longer in operation.

### Mission Work

Malachi Frigell often goes on mission trips, usually with his family. The family goes on a yearly trip to El Salvador the week after Christmas to spread the gospel. The family also has gone to Honduras.

In 2010, Malachi and his sister Maddie went on a mission trip that involved Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. On this trip, they mostly worked with children, teaching them about the Bible. Malachi got sick on his way home from this trip.

In 2014, Malachi joined friends Dawson and Tyler Epstein on a mission trip to the Philippines, where they worked with the ministry Blessing International to provide medical services for those who were affected by a recent storm.

### Piloting

Malachi currently holds a commercial pilot's license and is qualified to teach pilot lessons. He frequently flies members of his family, but it is unknown if he ever flies anyone else.

## Wedding Involvement

Malachi has been involved in the following weddings:

* best man: his brother Maverick Frigell's wedding to Holly Frischman (9/26/08)
* groomsman: his parents Jason Doug and Cynthia Frigell's vow renewal ceremony (2009)
* groomsman: his friend Joshua Epstein's wedding to Courtnee Lagerbom (12/14/13)
* groomsman: his sister Melissa Frigell's wedding to Dylan DeMarco (6/21/14)
* groomsman: his sister Marlee Frigell's wedding to Matt Corcoran (11/5/16)
* groomsman: his sister Mallory Frigell's wedding to Ray Undercuffler
* groomsman: his brother Mason Frigell's wedding to Brianna Kendall (9/8/17)
* groomsman: his brother Max Frigell's wedding to Eryn Weissman (2/26/21)
* groomsman: his friend Tyler Epstein's wedding to Amaya Accardo (10/22/21)