Duggar Family Member Praises Girl Who Came Forward About Joseph Duggar’s Alleged Sexual Assault

Outspoken Duggar family member Amy Duggar King has nothing but praise for the girl who came forward about her cousin Joseph’s alleged sexual assault.

While appearing on Carrie Berk on Fire Chats: The Mindfire Pod, Duggar King said she was in contact with the girl and was “so proud of her” for speaking out.

“It’s scary,” Duggar King said. “She could have stayed quiet and given him all the power.”

The Duggar cousin further shared that she will continue to support the girl as the case against her cousin continues. “I want to encourage her as she goes forward in this trial: Don’t let up. Give it all you’ve got. Be a little spitfire and speak your truth.”

Joseph was arrested earlier this year after the girl reported that he assaulted her several times while she was with him on a family vacation. She was 9 years old at the time. The girl, now 15, claimed in the affidavit that Joseph would ask her to “sit on the couch beside” him and “cover the parties with a blanket.”

“Once the parties were covered, the defendant would pull the victim’s dress up and touch the victim’s thighs,” Deputy Sheriff Darrell Norris of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida wrote in the affidavit.

He would also graze over the girl’s lower body parts as well. Such incidents occurred “several times” during the trip, leaving the girl “uncomfortable” and “confused.”

The girl’s father approached Joseph about the situation while at a family party on Mar. 17, 2026. He later told police that Joseph had confessed to allegedly abusing the girl. He was charged with one count of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under 12 and one count of lewd or lascivious conduct.

“I immediately cried,” Duggar King said, describing her reaction. “I immediately called Jill, and Jill and I cried on the phone.”

Duggar King said she wouldn’t hang up with her cousin until she was sure she was “OK.”

Joseph is currently awaiting trial at his home in Arkansas. He previously posted a $600,000 bond. If convicted on both counts, he could face life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence.

As a condition of his release, Joseph is not allowed to have unsupervised contact with any minors, including his four children.

Regarding whether she has been in contact with her cousin and his wife, Kendra, Duggar King said, “No. It’s not worth it. It’s honestly not worth it. I have nothing to say to any of them right now.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.