The &34;19 Kids and Counting&34; star is currently in jail serving a 12year prison sentence for possessing child pornography. Josh Duggar speaks out from jail via lawyer about brother Joseph's child sexual abuse allegations The &34;19 Kids and Counting&34; star is currently in jail serving a 12year prison sentence for possessing child pornography. :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/JoeyNolfiauthorphotoba4923fec03a4027868306485696ef41.jpg) Joey Nolfi Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at . Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul's Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.
The "19 Kids and Counting" star is currently in jail serving a 12-year prison sentence for possessing child pornography.
Josh Duggar speaks out from jail via lawyer about brother Joseph's child sexual abuse allegations
The "19 Kids and Counting" star is currently in jail serving a 12-year prison sentence for possessing child pornography.
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Joey Nolfi
Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul's Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.
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March 20, 2026 11:43 a.m. ET
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Josh and Joseph Duggar. Credit:
Washington County Sheriffs Department (2)
Amid a child sex abuse allegation that led to the arrest of *19 Kids and Counting* star Joseph Duggar, the reality TV personality's currently incarcerated brother, Josh Duggar, has reacted to the claims through his attorney.
Speaking via lawyer from jail, where he's serving a 12-year sentence for possessing child pornography, Josh's attorney told the *Daily Mail* that the allegation that his brother inappropriately touched a 9-year-old girl in 2020 "deeply saddened" him.
"Josh understands the stigma of being accused," the attorney told the publication. "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."
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Ida Mae Astute/Getty
The attorney continued, noting that, while Josh and Joseph aren't in consistent communication, Josh "hopes and prays for his brother's well being in this difficult time."
Joseph's sister, Jill Duggar Dillard, also addressed the allegation on the Dillard family blog.
"We were shocked yesterday evening to learn of Jill's brother (Joseph Duggar's) arrest," she wrote. "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. We are shocked and heartbroken."
See what the Duggar family's been up to in the 10 years since '19 Kids and Counting' ended amid scandal
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'19 Kids and Counting' star Joseph Duggar's mug shot released
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She added, "We strongly condemn abuse. We support the rule of law and hope that justice will be achieved. Our hearts go out to the innocent juvenile victim of this unspeakable crime and her family. We pray God gives her strength, comfort and hope, and that she is able to get all the help and support she needs and deserves in the days ahead."
On Wednesday, the Bay County Sheriff's Office announced that Joseph was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old, and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older. Authorities said that the ex-reality TV star was arrested and booked in the Washington County, Ark. jail.
The charges against him stemmed from allegations regarding a then-9-year-old girl who was on vacation with her family in Panama City Beach, Fla. She accused Joseph of repeatedly engaging in "unlawful sexual activity," according to language in a statement from the sheriff's office.**
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Joseph Duggar's mugshot.
Washington County Sheriff's Department
Joseph allegedly asked the girl to sit on his lap, Bay City police said. "As the vacation continued, he also asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket," authorities added.
The girl, who is now 14, reported the alleged sexual assault Wednesday in Tontitown, Ark., telling authorities that Joseph "eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology."
Joseph, Josh, and Jill all starred with parents Jim Bob and Michelle on TLC's *19 Kids and Counting* from 2008 to 2015.
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Source: "EW Reality"
Source: Reality
Published: March 20, 2026 at 11:57AM on Source: PRIME TIME
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