In their first interview since In Touch reported that their eldest son had sexually molested five girls, reality TV stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar told Fox News host Megyn Kelly that all five victims — four of Josh Duggar's sisters and a babysitter — had forgiven him, that the family had moved on, that Josh Duggar (now 27) wasn't a pedophile because he was 14 and 15 at the time of the molestation, and that, in Michelle Duggar's words, the releasing of the police record was "more about there's an agenda, and there's people that are purposing to try to bring things out and twisting them to hurt and slander."
After Josh Duggar, at age 14, told his parents he had sneaked into his sisters' room and "improperly touched" them, they were "devastated," Michelle Duggar told Kelly. "He said he was just curious about girls and he had gone in and just basically touched them over their clothes while they were sleeping; they didn't even know he had done it," said Jim Bob Duggar, who did most of the talking. "This was not rape or anything like that," he added. "This was like touching somebody over their clothes. There were a couple instances where he touched them under their clothes."
The Duggar parents said that after Josh's admission, they talked to him, punished him, and "watched him all the time," but after his third confession, they sent him away to a Christian guidance program which, they said, did the trick.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When Kelly asked why, five years after finally reporting the molestation to the police (the officer Josh talked to is now in jail on child pornography charges), the Duggars decided to sign on for a reality show in 2008, Jim Bob explained they had "nothing to hide." The family "had taken care of all of that, years before. We had a clean bill of health from the state. We had no fear. That was actually a sealed juvenile record. They said it would never be brought out." Kelly's interview with two of Josh's self-identified victims, sisters Jill and Jessa Duggar, will air Friday.
-
How Putin misunderstood his past victoriesIn Depth Though Vladimir Putin has led Russia to a number of grisly military triumphs, they may have misled him when planning the invasion of Ukraine
-
Codeword: August 18, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Sudoku medium: August 18, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in ZürichThe Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
