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Josh Duggar’s NSFW Jail Messages to Wife Anna Duggar Revealed
Amy Duggar King is lending support where she can.
Four months after her cousin Joseph Duggar was arrested over allegations that he molested a then-9-year-old girl in 2020, his cousin Amy confirmed she’s spoken with his alleged victim.
“I don't want to speak for her or anything like that, but I will just tell you when I talked to this person—we're just going to be respectful of the situation since she’s still so young—but I just gave her hope,” she said during her appearance on the July 14 episode of The Sarah Fraser Show. “I said, ‘This doesn't have to destroy you. It really truly doesn’t.’”
The 39-year-old continued, “I just tried to offer her encouragement and I told her that if she ever just needed a safe place to talk, that I'm here and she just said, ‘Thank you so much.’”
Following his March arrest, Joseph—whose brother Josh Duggar is serving a 12-year sentence for possession of child sex abuse content—was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person over 18.
He entered a written plea of not guilty in the case via his attorney, while also waiving arraignment and demanding a jury trial in the matter, according to a court document viewed by E! News on March 31. (Joseph and wife Kendra Duggar, parents to four children, are also facing child endangerment and false imprisonment charges in a separate case, of which they’ve both pleaded not guilty.)
During her conversation with Joseph's alleged victim, Amy also wanted to relay the impact her coming forward has already had.
Sara Fraser Show/Youtube & Office of the Sheriff Washington County, Arkansas
“I said, ‘You speaking out and you being so honest and vulnerable, knowing the backlash and knowing the people that would turn their backs on you and not believe you and all the things,’” she recounted, “I was like, ‘You are such a strong person.’”
But more than anything, Amy hopes the alleged victim is able to find peace.
“I hope she sleeps at night,” she noted. “I hope she finds healing. I told her about counseling, and I told her about, how important that is, to go and to talk it out loud and to clear her conscience, and it’s not on her."
Amy—who appeared alongside Joseph and the rest of the Duggars on the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting—confirmed the conversation occurred after she reached out to the family of the victim.
“I think they're doing the best that they can,” she said of the family. “I think they are just trying to find peace in all of this. I think right now, they're also focused on getting healing for the victim. I think that is no. 1 priority for them. And I do believe that their heart is in the right place.”
E! News reached out to Joseph's legal team for comment but has not yet heard back.
And this isn’t the first time Amy has addressed her cousin’s arrest.
"I am sickened, heartbroken and deeply angry," she said in a March 20 statement to People. "My first thoughts are with the victim, a child who deserved to be safe, protected and surrounded by people she could trust."
"For years, I have spoken out about the importance of truth, accountability and protecting children, even when it meant going against my own family," she continued. "Family ties should never equal automatic trust or access, especially when it comes to the safety of children."
For more on what the larger Duggar family has said about Joseph's arrest, read on.
Duggar Family/Instagram
Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar
Joseph Duggar's parents broke their silence in a statement on March 30.
“Jim Bob and Michelle are heartbroken over this entire situation,” a spokesperson for the Duggar family told Us Weekly. “Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping Kendra and her children during this difficult time."
The spokesperson added that the couple was "praying for the victim. They ask for privacy and appreciate the kind words and prayers offered by so many.”
Jill Duggar Dillard & Derick Dillard
“We were shocked yesterday evening to learn of Jill’s brother (Joseph Duggar’s) arrest,” the couple wrote in a blog post March 19. “We first learned of anything related to his charges yesterday via a text from a friend who messaged us about the recent media reports of Joseph’s arrest and his alleged confession to molesting a juvenile female in 2020. We are shocked and heartbroken.”
Derick and Jill—who spoke out against the family in the 2023 book Counting the Cost—said they “strongly condemn abuse.”
Kris Connor/Getty Images
Josh Duggar
"Josh understands the stigma of being accused," his attorney told the Daily Mail in a story published March 20. "He lives with the painful reality of how false accusations can destroy a life. He understands how the targeting of a person for publicity can twist the truth into sensationalized fiction."
Noting that Josh—who is serving 12 years in prison for child pornography—is "not in frequent communication" with Joseph, the attorney said the former TLC star "hopes and prays for his brother's well being in this difficult time."
Instagram/Jana Duggar
Jana Duggar Wissmann & Stephen Wissmann
"We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the situation involving my brother, Joseph," Jana and her husband said in an April 2 statement shared on Instagram Stories. "This news came as a shock to us, as we have no prior knowledge before it became public."
The countinued, "Our hearts are with the child who has been harmed—this is a grievous and unacceptable wrong. We continue to pray for the victim and for justice to be carried out."
Insatgram/Jason Duggar
Jason Duggar & Maddie Duggar
The couple, who married in 2024, said they are "angered" by the "unthinkable" actions of his brother Joseph.
"We, like many, have spent the week completely shocked, confused, and grieved to list a few emotions," Jason and Maddie said in a statement shared on Instagram March 26. "We are disgusted to hear the news about my brother, however, this isn't about how it's impacted our lives. Our hearts are burdened because a child's life has been turned upside down due to evil actions of someone who should have never hurt the vulnerable."
"Maddie and I have always had a special place in our hearts for the vulnerable around us, and we will continue to do so," their message went on. "To fathom that someone would abuse their authority to harass the innocent is vile."
They asked for prayers for the "brave" victim as well as Joseph's family, saying, "His children must face the reality of losing a father that should have been a spiritual leader in their lives."
Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth
"What has come out about my brother is heartbreaking and deeply disturbing," Joy-Anna wrote on her Instagram Stories March 26. "My heart is with the victim, and I am grieved by the pain and harm caused. I have been a wreck this week and am taking time to process."
She added, "I will be taking some much-needed time with my family."
Jinger Duggar Vuolo/Instagram
Jinger Duggar Vuolo & Jeremy Vuolo
As Jeremy put it in March 25 episode of The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast, “It’s been a really difficult week for us to process and think through and pray through this with the podcast.”
As for Jinger—who moved to Los Angeles with Jeremy in 2019—she said, “I did not think my heart could break like it has this week,” adding, “The pain and heartbreak that we’ve had over this and just thinking of how it’s affected so many. It’s just unthinkable. It’s so hard and painful on many levels.”
“It’s hard,” she continued. “All we can do in those moments is cry out to God and ask him to sustain us and give help because you can’t just be prepared for news like this.”
Amy Duggar King/Instagram
Amy Duggar King
"I am sickened, heartbroken and deeply angry," Joseph's cousin said in a March 20 statement to People. "My first thoughts are with the victim, a child who deserved to be safe, protected and surrounded by people she could trust."
Amy explained she was "utterly shocked to hear about these allegations and Joseph’s arrest."
"For years, I have spoken out about the importance of truth, accountability and protecting children, even when it meant going against my own family," she added. "Family ties should never equal automatic trust or access, especially when it comes to the safety of children."
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