Jinger Duggar and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, are speaking out after the arrests of Joseph Duggar and his wife, Kendra Duggar.
“I mean, it has been such a long week,” Jinger, 32, said on the Wednesday, March 25, episode of her “Jinger & Jeremy” podcast. “It’s been one of those weeks that feels like years. And I did not think my heart could break like it has this week. The pain and heartbreak that we’ve had over this and just thinking of how it’s affected so many, yeah, it’s just unthinkable. So hard and painful on many levels.”
Jeremy, 38, added that the news was “devastating to hear,” noting that the couple were “taking a bit of space this week” to process what happened after Joseph was arrested on alleged child molestation charges.
“Thinking about the victim who was brave enough to share her story has been heartbreaking,” he continued. “Just the effect on that young person’s life is unimaginable. And then to see the ripple effect of that horrific crime across the board … I think that’s been for me, the forefront of my mind is just thinking [about] the horror of a crime like that affecting so many for so many years. It’s devastating to think about.”
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Jeremy said he and his wife are “praying for the victim” who came forward and “for all of those affected.” Jinger, meanwhile, added, “I don’t even have words.”
“You can’t be prepared for news like this,” she said. “Even though we’ve experienced something very similar before with one of my other siblings who made unthinkable choices and decisions that have affected all of us. And yet, the pain and hurt that’s caused to us … it’s hard to know what to do sometimes, moving forward. You just feel the weight of it.”
News broke earlier this month that Jinger’s brother Joseph, 31, was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older for an incident that allegedly occurred in 2020.
According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the alleged victim, now 14, was on a family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, when Joseph allegedly asked her to sit on his lap and “grazed her genitals” while under a blanket. Joseph apologized for his actions at the time, and no further incidents occurred.
Police were alerted to the allegations when the victim’s father confronted Joseph, who later admitted his actions to both the father and to authorities in Arkansas.
Joseph made a virtual court appearance on Friday, March 20, where he waived his right to an extradition hearing, meaning he agreed to be transferred to Florida. No plea was entered.
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As Joseph’s arrest made headlines, his wife, Kendra, faced her own set of legal issues. She was arrested in Arkansas on Friday, with the Tontitown Police Department confirming Kendra and Joseph are facing four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the second degree and four counts of false imprisonment in the second degree.
A source later explained to Us Weekly how the two arrests are connected. “Kendra’s arrest has nothing to do with Joseph’s — although one precipitated another,” the insider said, noting that a “home study” was conducted after Joseph was taken into custody.
Kendra was arrested based on the home investigation, per the source. A spokesperson for the Duggar family later told Us that Kendra’s arrest “is a misdemeanor charge totally unrelated to the Florida case.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
