The Duggar family has seen better days. Not only was Josh Duggar arrested for possession of child pornography after an ongoing federal criminal investigation, but his sisters are also in the midst of some legal drama.
Josh's public reputation was damaged in 2015, when it was revealed that as a teenager, he had molested several girls — including his own sisters. However, Duggar sisters Jessa Duggar Seewald, Jill Duggar Dillard, Jinger Duggar Vuolo, and Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth — all of whom reportedly filed the claim — feel as if this information was never meant to be public.
While Josh needs to be held accountable for his actions — even those he made as a teen — the information coming out after so many years did negatively impact the family in the media.
For one, TLC chose to cancel the family's original series, 19 Kids and Counting. Prior to the information being made public, the show was one of the most popular on the network. According to CinemaBlend, the report about the molestations was initially released by In Touch Weekly.
While the siblings were able to participate in another show on the network that didn't include their highly problematic sibling, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, and Joy-Anna were led to believe that this information would remain private. Not only did they file a lawsuit against Bauer Media, which published In Touch at the time, but they also went after the city of Springdale, Arkansas, and the police unit that received their initial reports from 2006.
The sisters also rightfully assert that despite the fact that they were public figures at the time, they were also minors. Their information shouldn't have been leaked, and they deserved to have their privacy. Obviously, this incident affected them tremendously — to have the public know must have been devastating.
In Touch reportedly used the Freedom of Information Act in order to obtain and publish the information. The information reportedly did not include the sisters' names, but it alluded to these sexual acts happening within the family home, as their parents were included on the paperwork. The sisters likely had to heal from the incident when it happened as children, but having to relive the trauma years later while in the public eye is just as painful.
In Touch reported heavily on the case, noting that the paperwork claims that Josh admitted these sins to his brother. "James said that [redacted, Josh] had told him that he had been sneaking into [redacted, his sisters’] room at night and had been touching [redacted, his sisters] on the breasts and vaginal areas while they were sleeping," the report read. "Apparently all of the girls were sleeping in a common room at this time."
Josh reportedly told James that he did this four or five times while the girls were asleep. The source also claims that Josh's parents, Michelle and Jim Bob, refused to get him counseling with a licensed mental health professional for 16 months. They also didn't offer this service to any of the girls who were violated.
In that way, Jim Bob and Michelle failed their children. This is one of the accusations they've swept under the rug, and they're seemingly doing the same now that Josh is facing serious criminal charges. While it might be hard to make a statement to the public that regards your firstborn son, Michelle and Jim Bob seemingly failed to realize how many Duggar lives Josh had the potential of destroying.
"We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious. 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 Anna and continue to pray for their family," they wrote online. While most of their fans offered prayers, only one managed to think about the victims instead.
"I’m not saying people shouldn’t pray for the Duggar Family, but I’m just so saddened that not one comment above puts the children that have been abused and exploited first in their thoughts and prayers," wrote a fan named Chris. And he has a point. While trying to battle their own reputations, the Duggar girls also likely felt pressure from their family to downplay their own emotions while talking to the press.
Megyn Kelly's show The Kelly File interviewed Jill and Jessa about the incidents back in 2015. And even then, they tried to protect their brother's reputation. These incidents happened before the Duggar family was successful with their series, so there was a lot on the line financially after it came to light. That said, while it was brave of them to speak at all. It was a situation they didn't bank on years prior after giving their statements as minors.
Josh's wife Anna also seems to be in denial about Josh's recent arrest and charges. Days before the arrest happened, she publicly announced that she was pregnant with her seventh child. Hopefully, his own children were not victims, and they will also be able to move on from this with love, help, and support.
Anna has endured other scandals during which she could have dropped her support of Josh. Shortly after the 2015 revelations, it became clear that Josh had also had sexual affairs outside of his marriage.
Josh was one of the countless many exposed in the Ashley Madison data breach that same year. According to CNN, Josh spent $986 on the affair site between 2012 and 2015. "As I am learning the hard way, we have the freedom to choose to our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences," Josh said in yet another public apology. "I deeply regret all hurt I have caused so many by being such a bad example."
It seems as if the family has given Josh Duggar enough passes. They should focus more on making sure their daughters and any other victims of their son are in a healthy place, getting the help they need to recover. Even if Josh's sisters have forgiven the incidents of their childhood, many women have trouble processing such a vile truth — but at least those women aren't expected to publicly stand by and support the men who brought them pain.
