Jinger Duggar Vuolo, part of the family whose lives were documented on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” addressed her brother Joseph Duggar’s recent arrest, saying it’s “unthinkable.”
“It has been such a long week,” the 32-year-old said Wednesday on her podcast with her husband, Jeremy Vuolo. “It’s been one of those weeks that feels like years, and I did not think that 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. It’s so hard and painful on many levels.”
Jeremy Vuolo said it’s been “heartbreaking” thinking about the victim, “who was brave enough to share her story,” and it’s “unimaginable” thinking about the effect on her life. He added that they are praying for the victim.
The former reality TV personality said she didn’t “even have words.”
Duggar Vuolo added, “All we can do in those moments is just cry out to God and ask him to sustain us and give us help.”
She continued: “You can’t be prepared for news like this, 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.”
Duggar Vuolo’s brother, Joseph Duggar, was arrested on March 18 for allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl when he was 25. A few days later, Joseph Duggar’s wife, Kendra Duggar, was arrested on child endangerment charges.
These arrests come just about four years after Josh Duggar, the eldest Duggar child of parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. Before that conviction, it was revealed that Josh Duggar molested five underage girls, including four of his sisters.
Jinger Duggar Vuolo is the second direct family member to speak out on Joseph Duggar’s arrest. Jill Duggar Dillard, one of their sisters, released a statement from her family, saying they “strongly condemn abuse.”
“We support the rule of law and hope that justice will be achieved,” the statement reads. “Our hearts go out to the innocent juvenile victim of this unspeakable crime and her family. We pray God gives her strength, comfort and hope, and that she is able to get all the help and support she needs and deserves in the days ahead.”
Amy Duggar King, the family’s outspoken cousin, said in a statement Friday that she was “shocked” but “not surprised” about Joseph Duggar’s arrest.
The Duggar family starred in TLC’s “19 Kids And Counting,” a reality TV show showcasing the group and their fundamentalist Christian upbringing. The Duggars subscribed to Bill Gothard’s Institute in Basic Life Principles, which taught extreme modesty, courtship over dating and homeschooling. Gothard’s teachings were the subject of the 2023 documentary “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets,” which highlighted the sexual harassment and abuse claims against Gothard.
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