Josh Duggar's sister Jill says it's 'very sad’ ex-reality star was arrested for downloading child pornography
Josh Duggar’s sister Jill and her husband Derick Dillard have expressed their views over the child pornography arrest of the disgraced ex-reality star. The couple told The Sun they were “very sad” and they “hope justice is done”. Jill and Josh reportedly do not have a pleasant past since in a 2015 interview she, along with her sister Jessa, told Megyn Kelly that he molested them when they were minors in the early 2000s when he was a teen.
Now since the 33-year-old has been taken into custody on two counts of child pornography and indicted, Jill stated, “We’re very sad about the whole thing, it’s horrible. It’s all very sad. Josh’s wife Anna is pregnant with their seventh child, I cannot imagine how she is feeling.” Derick noted, “Obviously if there is anything there related to child pornography, we hope that justice is done. I don’t think anybody supports child pornography." He also spoke about Anna, who had recently announced her pregnancy. "We’re sad for Anna, put yourself in her situation and imagine how you would feel if that happened with your family member. I imagine it would be really hard,” said Derick.
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According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas, on Thursday, April 29, Josh was arrested and arraigned a day later on accusations of downloading material that showed the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12. The indictment mentioned that he intentionally accepted child pornography” between or about May 14, 2019, and on or about May 16, 2019.
Josh also “knowingly possessed material that contained images of child pornography,” including “images of minors under the age of 12.” The father-of-six pleaded not guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one of possession of child pornography. However, if found guilty, he could face two decades behind bars and fines of up to $250,000.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, May 1, Derick “liked” a tweet thread that called for the termination of ‘Counting On’, a spinoff of '19 Kids and Counting' with the Duggars. When asked about this, he replied in The Sun interview, “People assume that Counting On is a different show from 19 Kids and Counting but it’s not, it’s the same show. I’m just frustrated that it’s deceptive to the public to say ‘we’re going to change this or change that’ and it’s the exact same.”
The 32-year-old also said he and Jill have plans to write a book together that will include their experiences. “I’m in law school right now so my time is limited but I’ve said for a long time that we are planning on writing a book. We’re making notes as we think of things and we want to write something that is tasteful but honest,” Derick added.
Earlier, it was reported that after Josh’s arrest, his family was “concerned.” An insider said, “The family has known that this has been coming for weeks, and Josh has been preparing himself. They are praying together for Josh and Anna, who is standing by her husband as she always has. Family members are extremely concerned by what is happening and they just want to find out the truth. They know that this will put them in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, and are stunned they are having to go through this again. The family will be speaking out shortly and hope this in many ways will bring them closer together and even closer to God.”