The Duggar scandal stretches long and far, and at least one person close to the drama is straight and up front about it. Amy Duggar King has been open about her relatives, the Duggar family, who rose to fame on TLC's 19 Kids and Counting.
Now, Amy's recounting the moment that she confronted her cousin, Josh Duggar, amid his allegations of sexual abuse.
Amy recently opened up about her 2015 confrontation with her cousin, Josh Duggar, who was accused of sexually abusing four of his sisters. Josh, at the age of 15, reportedly did admit to these accusations, stating that he began the abuse when he was 12.
The Duggar family rose to fame from their TLC series, 19 Kids And Counting. Amy, a niece of family patriarch Jim Bob Duggar, appeared in the series from time to time.
She explained that she found out about the sexual abuse allegations on the news in 2015, just like the rest of the world. “I felt like I wasn’t worth telling … that they didn’t want to protect me. They didn’t want anyone to know, [and] they wanted to keep it inside their little bubble."
Amy decided that she couldn't sit back and do nothing, so she went to confront Josh. “He was staying in a trailer and I went in there and I said, 'How could you do this?' … And I was very bold about that,” she said.
Amy revealed that at the time she confronted him, Josh said that he knew better than to try to touch her. She believes this is so because he knew she'd talk, and so he targeted those who he didn't think would say anything.
And she didn't feel like his parents helped the situation any, claiming that their reactions and behavior to their son's allegations were "evil." She also noted that they were part of the reason that his actions were kept a secret for so long.
Along with a few others, Amy appears in the new documentary series on Amazon Prime, Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. It's a four-part series that examines the family's rise to fame and all of the scandals that unfolded over the years.
The parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar called the series "sad" in a statement released on their website. “Like other families, ours too has experienced the joys and heartbreaks of life, just in a very public format. This ‘documentary’ paints so much and so many in a derogatory and sensationalized way because sadly that’s the direction of entertainment these days.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
