Photo: Washington County Sheriff's Office
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, the parents featured on the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting, broke their silence on their son, Joseph, being arrested for child molestation charges in a statement shared by a spokesperson on their behalf to Us Weekly.
“Jim Bob and Michelle are heartbroken over this entire situation,” the statement reads. “Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping Kendra and her children during this difficult time. They are praying for the victim. They ask for privacy and appreciate the kind words and prayers offered by so many.”
Josh Duggar, 31, was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving sexual activity with a victim who was 9 at the time of the incident and is now 14. The child spoke with authorities during a forensic interview and disclosed several moments involving Duggar during a 2020 family vacation to Panama City Beach which allegedly included him repeatedly asking her to sit on his lap, as well as manipulating the child's underwear and grazing her genitals on a couch while under a blanket.
The girl claimed that Duggar, the seventh oldest of 19 siblings previously chronicled on the TLC reality series, later apologized for his actions and no further incidents occurred, according to the Bay County Sheriff's Office. The child's father later confronted Duggar about the incidents on Tuesday (March 17) and the former reality TV star admitted them to authorities in his hometown of Tontitown, Arkansas, and he's set to be extradited to Bay County to face his charge.
Joseph's arrest came years after his oldest sibling, Josh, was arrested for possession of child pornography in 2021, convicted that same year and sentenced to more than 12 years in prison in 2022. TLC had previously canceled 19 Kids and Counting amid revelations that Josh had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter as a teenager and admitted he cheated on his wife in 2015.
A 2023 docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets included revelations that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar joined the Institute for Basic Life Principles, a fundamentalist Christian organization often described as a cult, as a young couple. Bill Gothard, a leader in the conservative Christian "Quiverfull" movement, founded the institute and taught women and children to be unwaveringly obedient and submissive, having later been forced out of his role due to allegations of sexual harassment and assaulting young girls, according to the docuseries.