Josh Duggar’s Arrest Prompts Reaction From Sister Jill Dillard

Josh Duggar was arrested on Thursday and his sister Jill Dillard has now reacted to the news. Speaking exclusively to Yahoo and said, “We just learned this information. It is very sad.” Duggar was reportedly taken into custody in Arkansas by a local sheriff’s department. Officials stated that they were holding him for “another department,” and no bail has been set.

During a federal court hearing Friday, Duggar pleaded not guilty to charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. Additionally, U.S Chief Magistrate Judge Erin L. Wiedemann said if he is awarded bail, Josh will have to be “in a residence where there’s no minor in the home.”

The new charges relatively came out of the blue, though he is not without his missteps and previous wrongdoings; Duggar’s car dealership he owns in Arkansas was the subject of a federal raid and investigation back in 2019, which could possibly be a connection but that is not confirmed. In the past, Duggar has been accused of molesting some of his sisters when they were minors. He was also once sued for battery by an exotic dancer.

Just days ahead of his arrest, Duggar’s wife Anna revealed that she is pregnant with the couple’s seventh child. On Saturday, the couple shared a video of the baby’s gender reveal, announcing that “it’s a girl!” Anna added in the social media caption, “We are overjoyed to announce baby seven is on the way and we can’t wait to hold her in our arms this fall!”

Notably, the family’s series — 19 Kids and Counting — which featured Duggar’s parents and siblings, was canceled in 2015 after the accusations emerged that he had sexually assaulted some of his younger sisters when they were underage. TLC, the show’s network, eventually created the hit spin-off show Counting On, featuring the majority of Duggar’s siblings, but not his own family.

Dillard previously identified herself as one of Duggar’s sexual abuse victims. Speaking to Megyn Kelly in a past Fox News interview, Dillard — who was 12 at the time of the abuse —shared how she felt when it happened. “I was shocked. And I’m sad because this is my older brother who I love a lot. I was angry at first. I was like, ‘How could that happen?’” At this time, there is no indication that Duggar’s arrest is related.