The reason for former TLC reality star Josh Duggar‘s arrest has been revealed, and it is completely horrifying. The 33-year-old father of six has been charged with “knowingly receiving child pornography” and “knowingly possessing material that contained images of child pornography,” that allegedly showed the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12. The incidents allegedly occurred in May 2019. Josh was arrested by federal agents and placed behind bars with no bail at the Washington County jail in Arkansas on Thursday, April 29. The following day he appeared in court via video, where his lawyer entered a not guilty plea on Josh’s behalf.
Josh had previously admitted in 2015 to molesting four of his sisters when he was a teen. He had confessed his actions to his dad Jim Bob in 2003, who sent him away to a prayer camp. Jim Bob later told an Arkansas State Trooper friend about the incidents 2006, though no report was ever filed against Josh. In Aug. 2015, he entered rehab for a six month in-patient stay after confessing to a serious pornography addiction. Now his family is speaking about about Josh’s arrest on child pornography charges.
Sister Jill Duggar Dillard
The 29-year-old mother of two was one of her brother Josh’s molestation victims. Counting On star Jill Duggar released a statement along with husband Derick Dillard saying “We just found out this information yesterday. It is very sad.” In 2002, a teenage Josh told his dad Jim Bob that sneaked into his sisters’ room at night and touched the girls “on the breasts and vaginal areas” as they slept. Jill admitted in a 2020 YouTube video that she was no longer as close as she once was with her 18 siblings and her parents. “There’s been some distancing there,” Jill shared in the video. “We’re not on the best terms with some of my family. We’ve had some disagreements, but we’re working towards healing definitely and restoration, but we’re having to kind of just take some time and heal.”
Sister Jinger Duggar Vuolo
Photo credit: TLC
Jinger Duggar was also one of Josh’s molestation victims The 27-year-old mother of two and her husband Jeremy Vuolo said, “We are disturbed to hear of the charges against Josh,” the couple wrote in an Instagram statement on Apr. 30. “While this case must go through the legal system, we want to make it clear that we absolutely condemn any form of child abuse and fully support authorities and judicial process in their pursuit of justice.” The pair did not leave a caption and disabled the comments, allowing the statement to stand for itself.
Parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar
Family patriarch Jim Bob Duggar, 55, and his wife Michelle Duggar, 54, told fans, “We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious,” Josh’s parents wrote on their website. “It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and (wife) Anna and continue to pray for their family.” The couple and their 19 kids were featured on the popular TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, which was cancelled in July 2015 after the revelations about Josh molesting his sisters were made public.