Josh Duggar’s Wife Gives Birth as His Child Pornography Trial Nears

Josh Duggar’s wife Anna Duggar has given birth to their seventh child. She announced that news via Instagram on Tuesday. Their baby’s birth comes shortly before Josh’s trial is set to begin on Nov. 30. The former reality was arrested and charged earlier this year with receiving and possessing child sex abuse material. He has pled “not guilty” to those charges.  

On Tuesday, Anna shared that she had given birth to her seventh child, a baby girl named Madyson Lily Duggar. Anna posted a photo of her little one, who donned a green onesie while taking a snooze. Anna and Josh revealed that they were expecting their seventh child back in April, mere days before he was arrested. At the time, Anna posted a video on Instagram of the couple’s gender reveal, writing, “It’s a GIRL!!!!! We are overjoyed to announce baby seven is on the way and we can’t wait to hold her in our arms this fall!” The two are parents to Mackynzie, Michael, Marcus, Meredith, Mason, and Maryella.

A few days after they announced that they were expecting, Josh was arrested. On April 28, he was taken into custody by sheriffs in Arkansas. While there was initially no word on the cause of the arrest, it was later reported that Josh was being charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. He was released on bail a week after his arrest. As a part of his release, Josh has to be monitored by GPS while staying with family friends Lacount and Maria Reber. He is also not permitted to have any contact with minors, including his nieces and nephews. However, he was granted “unlimited contact” with his own children as long as Anna is present. 

Josh’s place of work was reportedly raided in 2019. They raided the location as a part of their investigation into Josh’s alleged possession of child pornography material. Special Agent Gerald Faulkner told the court that the material that they discovered is “in the top five of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine.” Amid the investigation, Josh’s parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar released a statement, which read, “We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious. It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.”

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.