Jason Duggar and his wife Maddie Grace Duggar are the latest family members to speak out about Joseph’s March 18 arrest on child sexual abuse charges.
“Like many people, we have been completely shocked, confused, and saddened this past week, just to list a few emotions,” the couple wrote on Instagram Thursday. “We are tired of hearing the news about our brother, but this is not how it has affected our lives.”
They went on to write that their “heart is heavy because a child’s life has been turned upside down by the evil acts of someone who should never have hurt vulnerable people,” calling the allegations “unthinkable.”
“We are outraged by what happened and pray that God’s prosthetic arm and the court system will deliver the justice that is due in this situation,” the joint statement continued.
“Maddie and I have always had, and always will have, a special place in our hearts for the vulnerable people around us. It is despicable to think that someone would abuse their power to harass innocent people.”
The statement asked fans to “pray for the victims,” and concluded by praising the singer for “having enough courage to share what happened” during the alleged incident in Florida in 2020.
“We also ask that you pray for his family during this time, as his children must face the reality of losing their father, who was supposed to be their spiritual leader in life,” they wrote, referring to Joseph and Kendra Duggar’s four children. “We stand by innocent children. Always.”
Representatives for the family did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
The statement from Jason and Maddie, who married in 2024, followed reactions from other family members, including Joseph’s sister Jinger Duggar Vuolo and her husband Jeremy Vuolo.
“This was shocking news to hear,” Jeremy said on Wednesday’s episode of his podcast of the same name, explaining that it had been “a really difficult week” for them.
Ginger agreed that Joseph’s arrest was “very difficult and painful on many levels” for the couple, calling it “completely unthinkable”.
Meanwhile, her cousin Amy Duggar said in a statement obtained by People magazine on Friday that she is “sickened, heartbroken and deeply angry.”
However, brother Josh Duggar, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2021 for possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material, claimed through his lawyer that the allegations were “false.”
“He lives with the painful reality of how a wrongful conviction can destroy a life. He understands how targeting people for publicity twists the truth into sensational fiction,” a lawyer told the Daily Mail on Friday about Josh, who spoke out from behind bars in Florida.
Joseph was arrested earlier this month after the victim told authorities he sexually assaulted her during a family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, in 2020 when she was 9 years old.
The victim claimed Joseph, 31, touched her genitals and rubbed her thighs before apologizing and stopping.
According to the Tontitown Sheriff’s Office in Arkansas, where the famous real-life family lives, the victim’s father admitted to Joseph in a phone call before his arrest that his intentions were “not pure.”
The “19 Kids and Counting” alum is currently being held in the Washington County Jail, charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a victim under 12 years of age and lewd and lascivious acts with a person over 18 years of age.
On Friday, his wife, Kendra Duggar, 27, was also arrested and new charges were filed against the couple, with a source telling Us Weekly, “Kendra’s arrest and Joseph’s arrest are unrelated, although one incident led to another.”
“As a result of the continuing investigation, additional charges have been filed against Joseph Duggar, 31, and Kendra Duggar, 27, in this case,” the Tontitown Police Department announced Friday.
The statement said arrest warrants had been issued for Joseph and Kendra on four counts each of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts each of second-degree false imprisonment.
