Josh Duggar Breaks Silence on Brother Joseph's Molestation Arrest

Speaking from the FCI Seagoville federal prison, where he is serving a 12.5-year sentence for receiving child p---ography, disgraced reality star Josh Duggar expressed his support for his brother Joseph, who was arrested on March 18, in Tontitown, Ark., on counts of lewd and lascivious behavior involving a minor under the age of 12 and unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

Josh’s lawyer told Daily Mail his brother’s arrest deeply saddens him.

“Josh understands the stigma of being accused,” the attorney said. “He lives with the painful reality of how false accusations can destroy a life. He understands how the targeting of a person for publicity can twist the truth into sensationalized fiction.”

While the attorney said that “Josh and Joe are not in frequent communication,” he added that Josh “hopes and prays for his brother's well-being in this difficult time.”

Despite Josh’s claims that the charges against his brother are false, Joseph did admit to them.

According to the Bay County Sheriff's Office, the victim, who was 9 at the time of the 2020 incident in Florida, reported that Joseph touched her private part.

Following a confrontation by the victim's father on Tuesday, March 17, Joseph reportedly admitted to the actions, according to investigations conducted by authorities in Arkansas.

The victim, now 14, stated that the incidents stopped in 2020 after Joseph apologized to her.

The 31-year-old, a married father-of-four, faces charges of child molestation and is currently awaiting extradition from Arkansas to Florida.

TLC canceled the Duggar family's spin-off series, Counting On, in June 2021 after 11 seasons following Josh's arrest on child p---ography charges.

This followed the 2015 cancelation of their original show, 19 Kids and Counting, which was dropped after ten seasons following revelations of a previous molestation scandal involving Josh.

Following the 2015 scandal, TLC produced a documentary special on child abuse featuring other family members.

Josh was convicted of one count of receiving child p---ography and one count of possessing child p---ography. The possession charge was later vacated.

Josh is scheduled to be released in October 2032, after which he'll spend 20 years on supervised release.

The Duggar family gained international fame as the stars of 19 Kids and Counting, which documented the lives of parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 children.

Known for their ultra-conservative Independent Baptist values, the family followed strict rules regarding modesty, supervised "courtships," and the Institute in Basic Life Principles, which some critics have described as a cult.