Former reality star turned convicted sex offender Josh Duggar slammed the “false accusations” against his brother Joseph Duggar, who was arrested for allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl.
Josh – speaking through his lawyer from prison – claimed to share the same “stigma” his 31-year-old sibling has after the latter’s arrest on Wednesday.
“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,” Josh’s lawyer told the Daily Mail on Friday.
The “19 Kids and Counting” star was “deeply saddened” to learn his brother was accused of inappropriately touching the girl multiple times during a family vacation to Destin, Fla., in 2020.
Joseph has been charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
The unidentified girl, now 14, made the disturbing claims to a detective with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, asserting Duggar had repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap during the trip.
Duggar had also requested that the girl sit next to him on the couch and they would share a blanket, where he allegedly “manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals.”
The then-25-year-old also allegedly rubbed his hands on the girl’s thighs on multiple occasions.
Duggar eventually stopped the alleged abuse and apologized to the girl, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The girl’s father confronted Duggar about the allegations on March 17, 2026, as the businessman admitted to him and detectives that the accusations were true.
Duggar is being held in Washington County, Ark., awaiting extradition to Bay County, Fla.
The siblings have not been in regular communication since Josh was sentenced to 12 years in prison for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material in 2021.
The older sibling had previously been under fire for allegations he sexually abused five girls – including sisters Jill Duggar and Jessa Duggar – in the early 2000s.
An investigation was opened into the accusations in 2006, but Josh was never charged and the statute of limitations has run out.
Josh is scheduled to be released from FCI Seagoville in Dallas, on Dec. 23, 2032 — but is desperately fighting to appeal his sentence.
He hired a Chicago-based attorney after his request that the court provide him with a new legal team was denied, according to court papers obtained by Page Six.
The younger Duggar had supported his brother’s disturbing “secret life” during a December 2015 episode of their sisters’ show “Jill & Jessa: Counting On.”
“Whenever somebody you respect the most is willing to get up and proclaim what we believe as Christians, about being true to your wife, you’d never think that that’s the person who’s involved in it,” Joseph said.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
