First Duggar Family Member Breaks Silence on Joseph Duggar’s Arrest

Jill Duggar Dillard has broken her silence following the arrest of her brother, Joseph Duggar, on charges of child molestation.

“We were shocked yesterday evening to learn of Jill’s brother (Joseph Duggar’s) arrest,” read a blog post by Jill, 34, and her husband, Derick Dillard, shared to their website on Thursday.

“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,” they continued. “We are shocked and heartbroken.”

The couple went on to “strongly condemn abuse,” adding, “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,” they wrote. “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.”

Jill and Derick, 37, also made sure to support Joseph’s wife, 27-year-old Kendra Duggar, with whom he shares four children.

“We love our sister-in-law, Kendra, and our four nieces and nephews,” they concluded, “and pray that they feel loved and supported during this time as we cannot imagine the indescribable pain they feel as they process and grieve everything.”

Joseph, 31, was arrested on Wednesday evening on suspicion of 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.

He is accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl while vacationing with her family in Panama City Beach, Fla., in 2020, with police claiming that the 19 Kids and Counting alum asked the victim to sit on his lap before abusing her.

“As the vacation continued, he also asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket,” according to a release from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. “During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs.”

“The victim stated Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology,” as per the BCSO. Joseph is currently scheduled to appear in court on Friday, according to jail records.

This is not the first time the Duggar family has faced an abuse scandal. Back in 2022, Josh Duggar was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after being convicted of possessing child sex abuse materials. He had previously been accused of sexually abusing five girls, including sisters Jill and Jessa Duggar Seewald.

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.