Joseph Duggar pleads not guilty to child endangerment charges

This is a breaking news story and is being added to live

12:13 ET, 28 Apr 2026Updated 12:49 ET, 28 Apr 2026

Joseph Duggar has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment charges one month after his arrest on child sex abuse charges.

According to court documents, on Monday, April 27, the 31-year-old reality TV star maintained that he is not guilty to endangering the welfare of a minor.

The update comes one month after the 19 Kids and Counting alum was arrested and charged with child molestation after a now 14-year-old claimed she was inappropriately touched by Joseph when she was nine during a 2020 vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida. Officials said, “As the vacation continued, he also asked [the victim] to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket.

“During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs,” authorities stated. “The victim stated Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology.”

In Arkansas, he was taken in on charges including 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.

Two days later, Joseph faced additional charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. His 27-year-old wife Kendra was also arrested on the same charges.

At the time, a source told Us Weekly that the additional charges and Kendra’s arrest had “nothing to do” with Joseph’s child sex abuse case in Florida.

Earlier this month it was revealed that Joseph and Kendra’s four children are no longer living with them. The married couple share Garrett, seven, six-year-old Addison, four-year-old Brooklyn, and a fourth child, whose name and age are not known.

Joseph rose to fame during his time on the reality TV show 19 Kids and Counting, where he was one of the many children of Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar.

When he was originally arrested, his parents released a statement. A spokesperson for the couple said, “Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping Kendra and her children during this difficult time.”

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