Joseph Duggar reportedly acted out of character with his family before he was arrested on child molestation charges.
“Joe and [his wife] Kendra have seemed off and distant from the entire family in recent weeks,” a Duggar family insider told the Sun on Friday.
“Everyone is in disbelief,” the insider added. “It’s a very sensitive topic with what happened with Josh a few years ago and they cannot imagine reliving that again – it was very difficult for the family.”
Joseph, 31, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving a victim younger than the age of 12 and lewd and lascivious behavior toward a victim aged 18 or older.
The former “Counting On” star is currently being held at Washington County Jail in Fayetteville, Ark. and is being extradited to Bay County, Fla.
His brother Josh, 38, was also accused of molesting minors, including his sisters, Jill and Jessa Duggar, in the early 2000s, in incidents that came to light in 2015.
In December 2021, Josh was convicted on charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. He was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison.
According to the Sun, the other Duggar siblings, including Jinger and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo,are focused on keeping their children safe following Joseph’s arrest.
“They were very close with Joe and Kendra but they haven’t talked to them as much during the past year, only at family gatherings,” the insider shared about the Vuolos.
The source also said that Jinger, Jeremy and Jessa “only found out about this along with everyone else when the news came out.”
Jill, 34, was the first Duggar sibling to speak out about Joseph’s arrest, writing in a joint blog post with her husband, Derick Dillard, on Thursday that she was “shocked” by the news.
“We first learned of anything related to his charges yesterday via a text from a friend who messaged us about the recent media reports of Joseph’s arrest and his alleged confession to molesting a juvenile female in 2020,” the couple said, emphasizing that they “strongly condemn abuse.”
They also gave “love” to Joseph’s wife Kendra, 27, and their four children.
Josh also reacted to Joseph’s arrest in a statement from his lawyer, who said the convicted sex offender was “deeply saddened” about the allegations against his brother.
The lawyer also said Josh “lives with the painful reality of how false accusations can destroy a life.”
Joseph was accused by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office of molesting a 9-year-old girl in Florida in 2020.
The now-14-year-old claimed Joseph asked her to to sit next to him on a couch before covering them up with a blanket and touching her privates. Joseph allegedly rubbed his hands on her thighs as well.
Joseph confessed to the crime when confronted by the victim’s father on Tuesday, officials said.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
The post Joseph Duggar’s out-of-character behavior with family revealed amid child molestation charges appeared first on Page Six.
