Amy Duggar King is speculating about how she thinks her uncle Jim Bob Duggar would have reacted to the news of his son Joseph Duggar being arrested.
Posting via her TikTok account on Friday, March 27, Amy, 39, said she “would almost take bets” that Jim Bob immediately “called a family meeting” or “texted on a big family group chat” when the news broke. (Joseph, 31, was arrested on March 18 on child molestation charges.)
Amy guessed that Jim Bob may have encouraged the family to rally together amid the scandal.
She thinks Jim Bob would have said something like, “‘Alright, I’m so sorry that we’re going through this again as a family. What’s most important is that we band together and that we show family loyalty and that we love each other no matter what. And right now, we need to just be closer than ever. Including our social media.’”
Amy added that she thinks Jim Bob would have encouraged his children to continue to “post about your life, post about recipes, post about your kids, post about whatever” but she thought he would have told them to “don’t mention Joseph.”
Continuing her impression of Jim Bob, Amy said she thinks her uncle would have instructed family members to pass on any interview requests to his team to deal with and “just don’t add anything extra to it.”
Joseph is the seventh of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 children. The pair also share Josh, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace and Josie. The family’s life was featured on the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting as well as the spin-off, Counting On. Amy also appeared on 19 Kids and Counting.
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Jim Bob and Michelle’s eldest son, Josh, was sentenced in May 2022 to 12 years in prison for possession of child pornography.
Joseph was arrested last week on suspicion of lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older. A 14-year-old girl came forward with accusations that Joseph molested her when they were on vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, when she was 9 years old in 2020.
Us Weekly confirmed days later that Joseph’s wife, Kendra Duggar, was arrested on March 20. She was released that same day on a $1,470 bond.
Joseph and Kendra, 27, are also both facing charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment.
A spokesperson for the Duggar family told Us in a statement, “[Kendra’s] is a misdemeanor charge totally unrelated to the Florida case.”
Amy initially shared prayers for Joseph’s wife Kendra in the wake of her cousin’s arrest.
“Recognizing that we do not yet know the full picture, I am also praying for Joseph’s wife, Kendra, as she begins to process this, and for the protection of their children,” Amy originally said in a statement on March 19. “I’m praying for eyes to be opened and above all, I pray that justice will be served to the fullest.”
However, she recanted the statement once Kendra was also arrested.
“I think that was a plot twist that no one saw coming,” Amy told TMZ on March 21. “When I gave that [first] statement … that was just the information I was given at the time and thought to be true. Now that the information has changed and there’s more that is coming out and there’s a lot of question marks right now.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
