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As we previously reported, Joseph Duggar was arrested last week for allegedly sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl during a vacation in Florida in 2020.
His wife, Kendra Caldwell, was also detained, but unlike Joseph, she was allowed to post bail.
Joe remains behind bars, and as another Duggar abuse scandal unfolds, his family members share their thoughts.
Amy Duggar has already expressed her opinion on the situation and Jill Duggar made a statement through her representative.
Now, Jinger Duggar and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, addressed Joseph and Kendra’s arrest in the latest episode of their podcast.
“Hearing this news was devastating,” Jeremy said Wednesday, noting that “it’s been a really difficult week” for the couple.
“It’s been one of those weeks that feels like years. And I didn’t think my heart could break like it did this week,” Jinger chimed in, adding
“The pain and anguish we’ve had over this and just thinking about how it’s affected so many people, yeah, it’s just unthinkable. It’s so hard and painful on so many levels.”
Jeremy added that he and Jinger are “thinking about the victim who was brave enough” to come forward with the allegations against Joseph, 31.
“The effect on that young man’s life is unimaginable,” he explained.
“And then seeing the ripple effect of that horrible crime across the board… I think that’s what it’s been like for me, the first thing on my mind is just thinking [about] the horror of a crime like that affecting so many people for so many years,” Jeremy continued, adding:
“Where do we go from here? We are praying for the victim. We are praying for everyone affected.”
This, of course, isn’t the first time the Duggars have found themselves in this type of situation.
In 2021, Jinger’s older brother, Josh Duggar, was found guilty of possession and distribution of child sexual abuse materials.
He is currently behind bars and is not scheduled to be released until 2032.
Jinger alluded to that situation when talking about the scandal involving Joseph.
“You can’t be prepared for news like this, even though we’ve experienced something very similar before with one of my other brothers who made unthinkable decisions that have affected us all,” he said, adding:
“And yet, the pain and the damage it has caused us…sometimes it’s hard to know what to do to move forward. You just feel the weight of it.”
It is unclear at this time whether Joseph will ultimately be granted bail or will be forced to remain behind bars while awaiting trial.
We will have more updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
