Jill & Jessa Duggar didn’t ask Josh Duggar to be a part of their wedding parties

jill2

You’ll have to excuse me from not seeing this conspiracy theory sooner, but I have literally never watched any of 19 Kids and Counting. Over the past few years, I’ve only paid attention to the Duggar family through media coverage of their antics, weddings and babies, which meant that I really only paid attention to Jessa and Jill before the Josh Duggar situation blew up last week. But thanks to some eagle-eyed viewers and the Daily Mail conspiracy theorists, we now have a terrible new story about how Josh’s molestation of at least four of his younger sisters affected the whole family, especially as the sisters reached adulthood. Apparently, Jill pointedly didn’t want Josh to be part of her wedding party and Jessa didn’t invite Josh or his family to be a part of her wedding party.

Fans of the hit show may have missed the biggest sign of discord when Jill Duggar married Derick Dillard on June 21, 2014 at the Cross Church in Springdale Arkansas in front of almost 1,000 guests. Jill, 24, handpicked her eight bridesmaids, which included her sister-in-law Anna, 25, and even her only niece Mackynzie, 5, as a flower girl. Derick, 26, used three Duggar boys as groomsmen, John-David, 25, Joseph, 20, and Jackson, 11. Derick even had little Michael, 3, (Josh and Anna’s eldest son) serve as ring bearer. But Josh was not front and center at the nuptials.

A source close to the family who attended the wedding tells Daily Mail Online: ‘We all thought it was odd that basically everyone of Josh’s family served in some position but he was left out. But no one made a big deal about it. Now it’s making more sense why they wouldn’t want him up there, standing at the altar next to them.’

Things got even more curious when Jessa Duggar married Ben Seewald on November 1, at the First Baptist Church in Bentonville, Ar. Jessa, 22, and Ben, 20, had ten bridesmaids and ten groomsmen in their wedding party, and not a single member of Josh’s immediate family was included. Jessa had sisters Jinger, 21, (as maid of honor) Jana, 25, Jill, and Joy, 17, in her party, with little Jordyn, 6, as flower girl, while Ben invited Joseph, and Josiah, 18, to stand up for him.

There were other signs that something was amiss between the siblings. When the ‘All About Jill’ episode aired (Season 14, episode 13) in October 2014, it featured older brother Josh reminding viewers that ‘perfect’ Jill was basically the family snitch or ‘tattle tale,’ running to their parents Jim Bob, 49, and Michelle 47, with everything they did. On the surface it may have seemed an off the cuff ‘there’s one in every family’ type jibe, but now insiders are wondering if this too was a sign of friction in the Duggar household.

‘The fans feel like they were duped I’m sure,’ says our source, ‘It wasn’t just them, it was friends, all of us. The super-strict courtship and restrictions on the girls always seemed over the top – now it all makes sense.’

[From The Daily Mail]

From what I understand, Josh was invited to these weddings, like he attended as a guest but he had no formal position, like a groomsman or whatever. Could it be that Jill and Jessa – and perhaps all of the older sisters – still kind of hate Josh? And that comment from Josh about Jill being the “tattle tale” made me sick. It also makes me sick to think that Jim-Bob and Michelle ARE stricter with the daughters who were Josh’s victims. Ugh.

jill jessa

Photos courtesy of Duggar social media.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

147 Responses to “Jill & Jessa Duggar didn’t ask Josh Duggar to be a part of their wedding parties”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. LucaBella says:

    I hate these people, except for the girls. Run!!!!

  2. Sarah says:

    Jessa is so pretty….

    • Talie says:

      I was gonna say she looks like she could be Kate Middleton’s younger sister.

    • Size Does Matter says:

      She is very pretty, I agree. I feel awful for her, too, knowing that her father-in-law issued a statement defending Josh. She has no one on her side and she’s trapped in that mess of a marriage to a bigoted child with a baby on the way. At least Derrick seems like an independent grown up (cat harasser that he may be).

    • Lara Morgana says:

      Jessa is pretty but she is a biotch. She is arrogant, self-centered and fully buys into the far right-wing agenda. She spews hate just like her mamma. Jana is the one I feel for. She seems so sad…almost dead inside. I guess if my only purpose in life was to take care of my young siblings while ma and pa were either trotting around the country or cozied up in their room getting it on….well, I’d feel dead inside too. She’s 25 years old – never been to college, never held a job, still shares a room with her six younger sisters. Sad thing is – she will never leave. This life is all she knows. And until Pa Duggar finds her a man this is where she will be. But if that happens Ma Duggar will have to actually care for her own children. So yeah…. Jana is stuck for life.

      • Maria says:

        That’s exactly right.

      • mayamae says:

        Her personality definitely detracts from her looks. I happen to believe she’s all chin – shades of Jay Leno.

        Jana breaks my heart, too. She seems like a young woman whose spirit is truly broken. People who’ve watched the show from the beginning think Michelle hates Jana, and always has. She tells stories about being pregnant with Jana and John David, and how JD was an angel in utero, while Jana kicked and made her life miserable. She simply assumed the evil twin was the girl. She’s a loon.

      • Sarah says:

        Ehhh.. it’s very easy to name call but she’s been raised in a cult and this is all she knows. Humans didn’t independently each develop the exact same moral compass – if she is only surrounded by one idea of the world and cant ever be alone to use the internet or read non cult books, how would she know she’s so out of line? All she knows is she has to please daddy and God by doing what she’s told. As far as we know she’s never done anything bad – she’s expressed anti-abortion opinions but so has a huge percentage of Americans… so ..

  3. aims says:

    The same rules don’t apply for the males in this family. Girls are second class citizens. They’re supposed to get married and have babies. They aren’t allowed to have ambitions or dreams. Also, if I knew the crap that they knew about their brother,I would be singing it from the rooftops.

    • Sarah says:

      If you look up their beliefs, it actually explicitly says infertility is solely the woman’s fault and her punishment for being sinful. Yep.

      • whipmyhair says:

        Which biblically makes no sense.

        The main principle of Christianity is that no one is perfect, and therefore we need Jesus to take our sin away.

        But here I am using logic with these people. My mistake.

      • puffinlunde says:

        I think that the family’s adherence to Christianity is very selective – lying to the police about the crimes seems to be bearing false witness and Jim Bob’s definition of capital crimes excludes his own family.

      • Deedee says:

        They are part of the Quiverfull cult. I don’t consider them Christian, but many people do.

      • boppity says:

        @Deedee – anyone who accepts that Jesus Christ died for their salvation is a Christian. I also feel that Quiverfull are a cult, but they are most assuredly Christian, no matter how bad they make the rest of us look.

      • Jessiebes says:

        @ Boppity. I disagree. It is not that black and white. Being a Christian does mean believing that Jesus died for your sins – but it also means adhering to His teachings.

        Which the latter, the Quiverfull church obviously does not.

      • FLORC says:

        Jessiebes
        Came to post the same. So many claim to be Christians. They claim to practice and believe. How they practice and what they believe though can vary greatly and that’s puzzling to me.

    • Rhiley says:

      I have been paying a little more attention to blogs written by women who were raised in “home schooled, fundamentally Christian” families, similar to the Duggars, but who have managed to escape, since all of this has come to light about Joshua Duggar. These posts really help to put context around how these young women are brought up and what they are expected to endure, all for the sake of their families. Unfortunately, very few of them are taught to think for themselves and have no understanding prior to marriage about sex and sexuality. They are taught that men have needs and desires, and women are expected to be open to those needs and desires. It is a twisted and abusive culture, and the only way for these women to end it in most cases, is to make a grand escape, which usually entails cutting all of their family members, even the ones they love and trust, completely out of their lives. So very few of them have the confidence to take such dramatic steps.

    • buzz says:

      And that is precisely the danger with their entire ideology.

      It’s not just this family. They are not content to leave it at that. They and their fellow travelers feel that everyone should be forced to live that way because it’s the Only way that is Right. This is dangerous dangerous extremist ideology.

  4. Lucy2 says:

    The tattletale comment is really creepy, now that we know what he was keeping secret.

    • SnarkySnarkers says:

      The parents in this situation make me sick to my stomach. Do we know for a fact that Jessa and Jill were his victims, or is it just kind of speculation? Just curious.

      • Lucy2 says:

        As far as I know, no one has identified which sisters- and for their sakes I hope they don’t. Those girls were already victims of a horrible thing, so unless they want to speak up about it (they won’t) I don’t think they should be publicly identified.
        It could be that one of the victims told Jill, who in turn told their parents.

      • Hawkeye says:

        I don’t believe any victims have been identified by name but you can make pretty good guesses based on the reported ages of the victims in regard to how old he was at the time.

      • iheartjacksparrow says:

        It has been stated many times that at the time of the molestation there were only five Duggar daughters alive, and that the oldest was not involved. So it would be the next four daughters (I don’t keep track of their names).

      • veronica says:

        At the time this happened, there were only 5 girls, Jana, Jill, Jessa, Jinger and Joy-Anna. He molested 4 of them so Jessa and/or Jill were one of his victims.

      • Lara Morgana says:

        According to the woman who first reported this on blogs (Alice, 60 something years old – she’s been raising the flag for years) Jana is the sister who somehow escaped from Josh’s nimble fingers. That means the victims were Jill, Jessa, Jinger and Joy Anna (who was around five at the time).

      • cubfan34 says:

        Jana is beautiful and always looks sad. She probably has guilt feelings.

      • FLORC says:

        Jana has not had it easy. She’s possibly been treated the worst by all the family being the old maid of sorts that isn’t to know, but only to do.

      • mayamae says:

        I am disgusted by the person who redacted the police reports. The names and even pronouns were blacked out, yet their parent’s names were included. It was possible to out Josh without bringing his victims into the limelight.

  5. kri says:

    I hope I never see this man in person. But in a way, I almost wish I could. “Tattle tale snitch, huh? Poor molester! How could his disloyal sister have run and told their parents what he was doing? It is all her fault. I can just hear him now. Disgusting. TLC must pull this show.

    • joy says:

      I wish someone would take Josh hunting and mistake him for a deer.

      • belle de jour says:

        And paint Bambi on his crotch.

        If it’s any consolation, I imagine he may now be finally feeling the effects of having unwittingly landed in someone else’s crosshairs – even if he will only play out his ‘media victimhood’ as predictably as everything else.

      • Lucky Charm says:

        That would be one time Dick Cheney could be useful.

      • Liberty says:

        Lucky Charm, I bow to you. 🙂

      • bluhare says:

        Who’d have thought a laugh could be gained from this shitshow? So thank you Lucky Charm!!

  6. Decorative Item says:

    Gee, I can’t imagine why! It’s just not a wedding without old Chester the molester running around.

  7. Seapharris7 says:

    I don’t watch the show, but someone has pointed out that the eldest daughter (Jana?) always watches Josh’s kids… Possibly to protect them. I feel terrible for the females in that family, even more so that now everyone knows what happened to them. I’m really concerned that we just never heard about other victims (like his own kids).

    • zimmer says:

      His own kids worry me too, now he’ll have two daughters and if Anna doesn’t leave (due to the pressure), they’ll probably have a lot more. Plus, due to their dad’s downfall, their lifestyle will probably get a lot worse. Maybe Josh will even become physically abusive toward Anna and the kids. The whole thing makes me sad, but I’m glad Josh’s history has come out. He certainly shouldn’t be allowed to profit after what he did.

      • Sabrine says:

        I think I would be very nervous if I was married to Josh. He gets up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. He’s gone for more than a couple of minutes….I’d be freaking out wondering where he is…..

      • Lena says:

        It would not surprise me tat within the church community he managed to parlay all his victim-hood into some sort of lucrative speaking tour or book etc

  8. This guy reminds me of Johnny Knoxville

    • Betsy says:

      I honestly don’t remember enough about Johnny Knoxville to know; is he a sex criminal too? I think I remember him being gross in the early 2000s, but that was the era when gross out became a popular thing.

      • Seapharris7 says:

        Knoxville is gross, his rumored affair with Jessica Simpson during the filming of Dukes is supposedly what started the issues with Nick & Jess. But I don’t think two consenting adults falls in the same line as what the Duggars did.

    • Valois says:

      why?

    • Rhiley says:

      More like creepy ass Stephen Collins…

    • Moneypenny says:

      I think she’s referring to the guy in the header pic, which isn’t Josh Duggar. That’s Jill’s husband.

  9. grabbyhands says:

    Imma need reciepts on this one.

    The parents had zero problem making their daughters culpable for their own molestation and seems to have controlled every aspect of their lives up until they married, so it seems unlikely that they would have allowed the crown prince to be excluded in any major way.

    Possible, but unlikely.

    • jwoolman says:

      This just means that the standard spin isn’t quite right. Josh was shoved to the side and the parentals did NOT object. That suggests they knew the girls have good reason to do so. And maybe that the girls aren’t quite the obedient little mindless slaves that people assume. In any case, I don’t think we can honestly say that the Dugger parentals don’t care about their daughters and only care about their oldest son. We also don’t know that they ever thought their daughters did anything to provoke it. Just because they don’t say the words the way people want doesn’t meant they don’t care. They’re boxed in by their peculiar religious framework, but even if not I could understand why they would have wanted to protect Josh and keep him from the uncertainties of the juvenile court system. He was their child, too. I think they were in way over their heads with him, though, and the ridiculous advice they were getting didn’t help. I do think they tried as best they knew how, they did isolate him from the girls and kept a much closer watch on everybody (rather too close, but I think they were honestly trying to protect their daughters). It’s all a nightmare situation for any parents.

      The more I hear from Josh himself, though, the more I doubt that he’s been “cured”. He comes across as quite the arrogant twit… Not at all humbled by his sin and forgiveness. The parentals may not be totally unaware of this, although Jim Bob isn’t known for his humility either. I wonder if they or their older daughters have been taking some steps to make sure someone is around who is aware of the situation in his home. Maybe his wife knows more than we’ve assumed, maybe the Duggar girls have told her what really happened. Or maybe they will now. Mom Duggar seems so out of it, she might be unlikely to talk straight about it. Some of the girls might actually not have direct memory of it, if they were molested as they slept. The older ones, though, might know a lot more- in particular, they may know how extensive his behavior actually was and that may not match his confession.

      • Jag says:

        The parents have said nothing about wanting prayers for their girls. They have only said they want prayers for themselves and Josh. That tells me that they are narcissistic and care nothing for the girls’ well being.

      • jwoolman says:

        Jag- the girls are not in trouble. Josh is. I can see why their statements would focus on him. The girls might have already dealt with this and moved on, we really don’t know. But Josh is in deep deep trouble and his career and relationship with his wife and children are all uncertain at the moment, and that’s why the focus has been on him. I can’t make the leap to assuming the Dugger parentals don’t care about their daughters based on such statements. Yes, they’re weird. But we just don’t know how they feel about everything. People are assuming that stuff written by someone else in those silly books is definitely how the Duggars think. It’s never that simple, especially when it’s no longer an abstract example but rather involves a real person you know and love.

      • jaye says:

        @jwoolman As someone who was a victim of child molestation and received NO counseling as a child, please know that you may move on with daily living but it haunts you forever. I, along with my cousins, were molested by their father for YEARS. When I finally got the courage to tell my mother what he was doing, my aunt moved out of their home. I had extreme guilt about ‘telling on him’ afterwards. (I still harbor some guilt about it.) After a few years, he was allowed contact with his girls. Even though it was supervised it was still terrifying for me to be in his presence. Whenever he would come over to my grandmother’s house (the only place he was allowed visitation…not court ordered, by the way) I would hide in a closet, sometimes for hours after he’d left. At almost 45 years old, those years still haunt me. He died of AIDS about 13 years ago and I remember thinking that it was a fitting punishment for him. Even in death I can’t forgive him and I will NEVER forget his torment.

    • Lucky Charm says:

      Jessa and Ben didn’t kiss during their wedding, which caught Jim Bob and Michelle completely off guard. I think they had more say in their wedding, mainly because Ben works for JB. Jill’s husband has a bachelors degree and works as an accountant, so he’s able to support his wife and family himself, whereas 20 year old Ben just graduated with a two-year Associates degree and works for Jim Bob as a handyman, so he is more dependent on them financially. Of course, this is all entirely speculation on my part.

  10. zimmer says:

    Part of me wants the daughters only to get a show, because they would be laughing at creepy Jim Bob, Michelle and Josh all the way to the bank. Plus with out JB making all the decisions, the girls and their husbands might modernize their way of life. I could especially see that possibility with Jessa b/c she seems to have Ben wrapped around her finger.

    • Hazel says:

      I’m willing to bet that if the girls got their own show, JB & Michelle would be executive producers, thus still in control & making money off their kids. Both girls are still in & out of the family home a lot, still raising their younger sibs.

    • Gabrielle says:

      I agree. As sick of the Duggars as a lot of commentors here are, it would be terrible for an opportunity to be taken away from these young women because of the actions of their brother. If they could gain some financial independance from their father, it could only be a good thing. Right now they’re on his payroll essentially.

    • Amy says:

      Yeah a reality show isn’t going to erase decades of brain washing and family control.

      These girls would probably just have to fake it harder to show everyone how forgiving Josh all those years ago did their spirits good.

      I sympathize with the girls but I’m ready for the lot of this family to go back from whence they came and get off my TV screens.

      • zimmer says:

        Hi Amy,
        I grew up in a very religious/evangelical family (that hates to be called religious weirdly). I was brainwashed too and still have feelings of guilt, but over time have learned to think for myself. It is possible, though it would be even harder for them than me (I admit).
        There is hope for them, however. They both seem pretty strong willed, as was I. At 18, I was very right wing, at 40+, I’m the opposite.

    • cr says:

      Not sure why they should get a reality show. They were molested, it’s horrible, but getting their own spinoffs would really only reward TLC, their parents, and their supporters. This family doesn’t need anymore airtime.

    • dubya says:

      GENIUS idea. The girls should have their own show. Maybe they would get a modicum of independence this way. DO IT, TLC!

  11. Betti says:

    Not surprised. They will have gotten their own back in their own way. He should be castrated for a start.

    They 2 eldest daughters could do well with a a show on their own, free of their parents. They need to break free from that control as both husbands seem rather wet meaning they could call the shots.

  12. Shambles says:

    I feel so incredibly sad for them.

  13. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I don’t say this lightly, and it will never happen, but it think the children remaining in this family (still living at home) should be removed from the care of these ignorant, irresponsible, even criminally neglectful so called parents. They knew their daughters were being molested and they failed to punish the molester and even blamed the girls for what happened. They don’t deserve to be parents, and those younger children need to be protected and saved from this sick, perverted cult.

    • Betsy says:

      +1
      Salon had an article yesterday by a woman who escaped her Quiverfull family and stripped of the TLC money it sounds even worse than I could have imagined, especially for the girls. I do believe in religious liberty, but I also believe in feminism and human rights and these poor kids’ worlds are just limited, dank, and sad.

    • Sixer says:

      I don’t usually comment on Duggar stories because a), like Kaiser, I’ve never seen any of the shows or videos or anything and all I know is what I’ve read on this site; and b) because I’m in the UK, where fundie/evangelical Christianity plays no part in public life, so I’m not really qualified to comment on what should be done/changed or how to go about it.

      But I do read on here. And as this scandal goes on, I’m reminded more and more of the Jimmy Savile scandal in the UK – in the sense that it seems to be becoming obvious that wickedness has been hiding in plain sight for a long time.

      So I wanted to congratulate you, GNAT, for being unafraid to call it for a very long time. You’re a steadfast woman.

      • LAK says:

        Sixer: this issue hits home with me because despite being an atheist, I was raised by deeply religious people. There is a joke about how one can’t be black and atheist somewhere, but also one has to be closer to the evangelical/fundies of this world to be considered a good christian.

        There are many evangelical/fundie rallies In London. Usually because they’ve bussed in evangelical/fundie preachers from the USA. And people eat this stuff up.

        It breeds the worst sort of ‘christian’ even though they don’t have a voice per se in the UK.

        The other way i’ve experienced these people is via my other identity ie in Africa. These evangelicals/fundies take their missionary zeal to Africa old school style and affect public policy. Eg google youtube John Oliver’s Last week tonight and uganda. A direct link between american evangelical/fundies and the anti-gay law that calls for death penalty….

        And that’s only the tip of the iceberg on how these people are a menace.

        Ps: a fan historical fact that has nothing to do with fundies and everything to do with European moral influence in Africa…..My African traditional dress is about 9mtres worth of cloth wrapped around the body, sari style. Covering all pertinent body parts, including breasts and back, however, when the victorian and edwardian missionaries rocked up in that part of the world, they were horrified at the bare shoulders. Shoulders!!! Quelle horrore!!! So they convinced the King to dictate a change in clothing where some how those enormous edwardian mutton sleeves were added to the dress to cover the offending shoulders. So now you have this african sari style dress with enormous mutton sleeves!!!! (google busuti)

      • Sixer says:

        LAK – our history tidbits tradition revived! Thanks! Am Googling as soon as I stop typing. I have been reading a lot about neocolonialism and the Global South justice movement lately so this particular tidbit is very timely for me!

        Not caught John Oliver this week but was it about Scott Lively et al? If so, do watch the doco God Loves Uganda. It’s bloody terrifying. Lively’s also out and about in Russia, egging on the anti-gay rights legislation there. US evangelical missionaries have a LOT to answer for, and not just domestically.

        It’s an aspect of religious life in the UK that gets ignored, what you’re talking about, isn’t it? We panic the sh!t about fundamental Islam, but the only section of Christianity growing in the UK is the evangelical/Pentecostal movement in London. And, as you say, it has some very unholy alliances.

      • Kath says:

        Gah! Don’t get me started on missionaries in Africa! It makes me sick to my stomach.

        Quite apart from the role of fundies in fuelling anti-gay laws and anti-gay sentiment, there is also the delightful role of the Catholic Church and their anti-contraception stance… yeah, because telling people condoms are bad in a continent struggling with a HIV/AIDS crisis… what could possibly go wrong?

        AND then there’s the lovely role of ‘Christian’ US aid organisations under George W Bush’s ‘reign’, who made aid contingent upon the restriction of contraception and family planning. Because in a family where a woman is struggling to keep 10 kids alive, what’s a few more? It’s not like Africa has a growing population/food/sustainability challenge, hey? And let’s not consider the toll on individual women….

        Atheists unite! Yes, religious freedom is one thing, but not if it actively hurts other people.

    • Shambles says:

      + 1,000. I hurt for his own young children. I only recently learned that you’ve been calling this family for what they are long before this information came to light. Props to you for sticking to your guns, GNAT.

    • Esmom says:

      I agree with you GoodNames, 100%. I’ve never watched the show either but it’s hard not to know who they are given their visibility…and the more I read the more infuriated and disgusted I am at these, as you said, so-called parents.

    • tifzlan says:

      People called CPS on Will and Jada Smith but are defending JB and Michelle, eventhough they knew Josh was off molesting his sisters. It disgusts me.

      • holly hobby says:

        Of course they are. Will and Jada are the wrong color for these nutjobs. They’d put them on the table in a hot minute over Jim Boob and Me Shelle

    • WinterLady says:

      +1 million. I’ve also never watched the Dugger’s shows but I was already disgusted to learn that the push every new child off on an older one to raise, which is the height of selfishness and irresponsibility in my mind. Add to that their subjugation of women and girls, their prejudice attitudes towards the gay/trans community, and their utter hypocrisy-UGH is all I can come up with. Why is this damn Quiverfull movement not been classified as a cult, is what I want to know. Seems like it meets most of the ear marks. I wish those kids would be removed from that home.

    • NUTBALLS says:

      I had a related question on a previous thread. Does CPS have the authority to investigate Josh’s family as well as Jim-Bob’s with these revelations coming out? I’m not familiar with what triggers an investigation, but with what’s come out in the past week, seems they’d have grounds.

      The culture of molestation that exists in this family needs to be stopped. Hiding behind one’s religion to deal internally with such a horrific and far-reaching sickness never works.

    • Liberty says:

      GNAT — totally agree with you.

      That said, I think I read here on some thread that that it took Oprah to push for attention to be given to this horrible situation, and that the “law” in AK is apparently either sitting on its hands, having burgers with Jim Bob or taking the word of the perp, or even in prison for its own sick crimes against children. So who is going to step up in AK to help these girls and the remaining kids? Is Oprah going to have a compose her own child service squad and do that too?

      I am just amazed that TLC exists by continually choosing to make money off these sad dysfunctional familiars with kids in harm’s way (Gosselins, Honey Boo, this). Hide the truth, grub up the cash. feign ignorance, run. Sick.

    • mayamae says:

      @GNAT, I understand your point, but I think it would be devastating for the children. Those living at home have been raised by Jana and Jill. They’ve already lost Jill to marriage, but Jana is actually a very loving and nurturing “sister-mom”. Removing the children from the home would be removing them from the one true mother they now have. Jana would be devastated, too.

    • Danskins says:

      +1…Great post, GNAT.

  14. NewWester says:

    On another post, someone had commented that Anna, Josh’s wife knew about Josh molesting his sisters before they got married. If that is true what family member or friend was there? Unmarried couples always have a “chaperone ” According to what I have seen on the show.When would they have been alone? I find it just unbelievable that one of the older sisters would be able to handle Josh explain to Anna how he molested them. So much is coming out about this family it is sickening

    • Seapharris7 says:

      Anna came out with a joint PR statement saying she knew. However, Josh is the one who told her & I’m almost certain he didn’t go into details of forcibly foundling a sleeping 4 year-old sister. I’m sure his version of events included “temptation” & “teenage mistakes”, and a lot of poor Josh.

    • Liberty says:

      Okay. You seriously think that in a cult that suppresses women and keeps them like dependent scolded children, that Anna went skipping out and hired a PR person and is telling her true story of “I knew, and it was fine by me?”

      To me, Joint statement = what Josh and Jim Bob told me to say.

      Otherwise, if somehow this is true and he told her this stuff while avoiding front hugging, I agree with Seapharris7 that somehow she was told a faint version of what happened and then — told that it was ok.

      • LAK says:

        Also, people are quoting from a segment where Josh and Anna were ‘courting’ in which he told her he had struggled with ‘temptations many times’ and had ‘prayed to keep his heart pure’. IF that is all he told her, in as much as he is characterising his mistake in his recent statement as, ‘teen mistake’ that would have ‘ruined HIS life’…..what are the chances that he told her the real truth about what he did? If he can’t call what he did by it’s correct name, not to mention the fact that she was both sexually naive and sheltered and would therefore not realise what he actually meant, how is Anna to know the truth?

        She was brought up to always believe her husband. That doctrine where husband is always right whilst woman is always a temptress which means he could have downplayed or even lied about the ‘temptresses’ and she wouldn’t have thought differently. Especially when everything is qualified with ‘god this and god the other’.

        Finally, if the victims were forced to bury this as part of their act of forgiveness, and they didn’t bring it up with Anna, how would she know the true extent of Josh’s crimes?

        I am downplaying her wilful ignorance, but it is also possible that she found out the extent of it as we found out the extent of it. Unfortunately she is in thrall to Josh and her quiverful background, so she probably doesn’t process the full horror of it.

    • Lucky Charm says:

      I don’t think they were alone when he told her. Her parents were there, and probably his, too. To me, that makes it even worse because after her parents were told, they not only let them continue courtship but then allowed their daughter to get married to him.

  15. Murphy says:

    I thought this was stretching it a little bit–Jill had Anna/Mackenzie/Michael in the wedding because 1) she knew them very well and 2) she wanted a HUGE wedding party and lets face it-doesn’t have tons of friends outside the cult (Derrick doesn’t have any sisters). Derrick didn’t know Josh at all-Josh lived in DC for their entire courtship, so why would he pick a stranger when he had his own brother and friends to fill those spaces?

    Jessa had all of Ben’s sisters to fill in the gaps.

    Now I’m not a Josh apologist at all. I just feel all the “OMG THEY DID THAT BECAUSE OF THIS” theories are being blown out of proportion.

    • Christin says:

      Could be a planted theory to help the girls with their own show(s). TLC may want to salvage one part of the sinking ship, and if the public thinks the girls have been distant with Josh, it makes an easier sell.

      • Murphy says:

        Yes, good point.

      • cs says:

        Yeah that was my first reaction to this story as well. Who knows if not including Josh was intentional or not, but the story feels like it’s meant as a stepping stone so that the girls can get their own spin-off show. Honestly I hope this whole franchise crashes and burns like the dumb John and Kate Plus Eight one, so that we won’t need to see the whole Quiverfull nonsense any more.

      • LaLa says:

        GREAT point. TLC really is grasping, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they were trying to do some sort of damage control for these shows.

        This cult life is so ingrained into the family, I have a really hard time believing that these girls think all that much for themselves.

      • mayamae says:

        @Murphy, I agree with you. As much as I love the idea that Jessa and Jill spurned Josh, I don’t believe it. Derrick and Ben knew all of the brothers much better than Josh. And Josh acted as an usher and MC at Jill’s wedding. Not sure about Jessa’s.

  16. snarky mcsnark says:

    This is all so sick and twisted. But I am glad that both Jill and Jessa married college educated guys. Maybe this can help them form a different view of life and be free to live how they want?

    • Esmom says:

      I’d like to think there’s hope for those girls (not to mention all the other siblings) but I assume the husbands are also part of the cult? Otherwise wouldn’t the girls have been forbidden to marry them?

    • Mamunia says:

      Jessa’s husband is 19 and going to college now. If you watched the show (pat yourself on the back if you never have) is dumber than a box of rocks. No hope there, sorry.

      • Lara Morgana says:

        Yeah, Ben is going to college. An on-line degree or something. And he is as dumb as a rock.

      • Liberty says:

        Mamunia — Yup. I have only seen one 2 minute snip of this show, and that appalled me. Here goes:

        Apparently there was going to be some little party (for a wedding? A shower?) and Michelle was telling Jim Bob her big fun cost-saving decorating ideas.

        What was creepy was she acted nervous that she’d had an idea and was daring to speak of it outside her own hairdo. What was even creepier was that she was looking up at him, sort of pressed close, as she nervously babbled this stuff in a little girl voice (unless she always talks that way in which case I invite you to look up studies about women who use child voices). Her look was a mix of little-girl-pleading and I’m-scared-of-Daddy and coquettish-I’ll-letcha-later-if-I can-have-balloon-money.

        Her eyes and facial expression looked almost nuts. Eye-rolly desperate. Maybe it was the camera angle? Then the camera shot to him, he is all above her, smug and smirky and car-salesman-y oily, yeah maybe he’ll grant her wish and give her the big balloon later. I was so totally creeped out and flipped the channel.

      • cubfan34 says:

        Many people think Michelle had a break down a long time ago.

      • mayamae says:

        @Liberty, I hate that I know this, but here goes: Michelle uses that voice 24/7. She has stated that it’s a conscious choice made years ago to resist yelling at the children all the time, and she claims the children react better to it. Of course she still blanket trained babies. Guess a wooden spoon is less harsh than a raised voice. And of course her daughters raise the children.

        And BTW, I’m one who believes that Michelle calls the shots in that family. She plays her role well, but Jim Bob is head over heels in love with her. He thinks she’s perfect and remembers the first moment they met. She says she doesn’t remember him, his breath smells, he’s whimpy with pain, etc. Jim Bob is a believer in Quiverfull, but Michelle is a true zealot. She’s not scared of him – she has the emotional control in that marriage. She’s also much harsher and stricter with the children than him – especially the girls.

        She wrote in her book about having a break down when she only had seven children. She was doing laundry in the middle of the night (her girls were too young yet to be her slaves), and she just lost her mind. She comes off as heavily medicated (to me), and I don’t know if I’ve seen her in a genuine emotion. The children put on some stupid sappy play, and Jim Bob cried several times. Michelle attempted to cry, but remained dry eyed.

      • Betti says:

        @mayamae – i agree. I’ve only seen a few episodes on YT but Michelle def comes across as the one in charge, JIm Bob just thinks he does. And I also agree that she looks medicated, there is a wide eye/fake chirpyness to her. I’m not going to shade someone who’s had a breakdown, props to her for getting her life back on track and at least she talked about it, instead of hiding it – it takes guts to talk openly about mental health issues.

        I do find her way of speaking irritating – its always sounds like she’s patronising you.

      • Angie says:

        That’s really interesting @mayamae about Michelle’s breakdown. If that was when they had 7 kids it may have been around the time Josh was molesting the girls? That home had alot of darkness in it.

  17. Sam says:

    It’s weird, but this whole thing has really made me feel for Jessa, Jill and the other Duggar girls. As hard as it is for any abuse victim to come forward, could you imagine how hard it was for them? They had to know that they were going to catch hell for “enabling” their brother to sin by admitting the incidents to the police. Honestly, I just wish the girls the best. I hope the two who are married are in decent relationships and that they’ve gotten some measure of peace now. I just really feel for them.

  18. taxi says:

    I believe child molestation & sexual abuse are evil & violators deserve prosecution, punishment, & all the shame these actions deserve.

    What I don’t understand is why this overly-procreative family warrants all the attention they get. Any intellectual accomplishments? Does anyone contribute to human society in a meaningful or productive way? Is it just blogs which publicize them, like Octo-mom? Do they get paid for their antics, like the K folks? Do they support themselves or collect government money to feed the brood, like food stamps or ADC?

    • Seapharris7 says:

      Eh, the Duggars a different. They had money before TLC came along. Obviously they have a lot more now, but they own property, claim their home is a church (tax exempt), and Jim Bob was a senator (I believe that means the family has healthcare for life). Even if TLC pulls the show, the Duggars have enough supporters, including their cult/church, that will protect them.

      • Lara Morgana says:

        Jim Bob was never a senator. They did own property but not enough to afford them the means to travel all over the world or to finish that ginormous house they live in. Plus they probably own well over a million dollars worth of equipment (backhoes, bulldozers, etc.)and cars/trucks. Gonna be hard to continue that lifestyle without that big check from TLC.

      • Zavi says:

        Jim Bob was a Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 6th district. It was before the show started, and I understand the whole family has fully funded healthcare because of that.

      • mayamae says:

        @Zavi, I’ve read that only the children alive when he served are covered. I haven’t confirmed it, but I’ve been reading that for years.

  19. Kiddo says:

    This is like pulling off a Band-Aid slowly, feeling every last scab being ripped up. When will TLC decide enough is enough and pull the plug altogether?

  20. qtpi says:

    I’m amazed that mama and papa let them have the weddings and exclude him. Maybe they don’t have as much control as everyone thinks.

  21. Elly says:

    I´ve only seen one of the episodes and it was the one where Jessa travels to Josh and his family. She wanted to introduce her fiance to her oldest brother. They were all like “hopefully my big brother likes my future husband” and Josh was all “i hope this guy is good to my sister. I take my brother duty serious” ??? WTF
    Oh and the couple took the younger sister Jinger with them. Girl should avoid the young couples front hugs.

    • Jayna says:

      Yeah. I think people are reading into this (not in the wedding party) more than there probably was. They were in Josh’s wedding. Josh chaperoned them during dating, or at least one of them. And if Jessa was traveling to see Josh and his family and wanted her brother’s approval of her boyfriend, it doesn’t sound like they were on the outs.

    • wonderwoman21 says:

      It made me feel sick when I realized they used Josh as a chaperone for the girls; this bastard is put in a position to “protect” his sister’s chastity when he already violated it. Beyond gross.

  22. Jen says:

    TLC truly disgusts me in all of this. The advertising money is worth letting these girls being forced to relive and I’m sure discuss this over and over again? I went through something pretty much exactly like this and it’s an incredibly painful thing to discuss with your parents because ultimately it’s their two children. I won’t speak for how anyone else who has gone through that feels, but it’s something I can’t even go near with my parents. We always discuss the news together and we have actively avoided this story.

    As for taking away from the financial opportunities of the girls, while my heart breaks that they had to go through something so traumatic, these are the same girls who have preached harmful ideologies about women’s reproductive rights and homosexuality to a huge audience TLC serves up to them. The fact that TLC execs have let this family snowball into a bigger and bigger mess says a lot…in 2015, how is this family still on TV?

  23. Betti says:

    I watched an episode just to see what it’s all about and its just a weird effed up show.

    1) What’s with the awkward side hugging? It just looks fake
    2) With their issues with female modesty – those girls sure don’t have wear a lot of make up, esp the mother – she needs to tone down the blusher
    3) No one, except the parents, seem comfortable in front of the camera
    4) The younger children seem very confident for their ages – which is a good thing to see
    5) The daughters are all rather pretty girls
    6) The father gives me the creeps – he’s very touchy feely with his wife

    • moomoo says:

      Have never seen the show. Your recap is enough for me!

      Also, I just realized all the kids have names that start with J. Is that really 19 J-names + JimBob?

  24. hollyp says:

    Ok–not a huge duggar fan but i do love weddings so I did watch the wedding specials. Josh was not in either wedding BUT (and i cant remember which sister)…he design Jessa’s invitations and sang to the other sister (Jill?) or Jessa at her wedding. He was indirectly involved in both of them.

    • Lucky Charm says:

      He sang to his wife at their wedding. He designed both Jill’s and Jessa’s invitations. Well, he designed Jill’s, then basically just changed the names, date and picture for Jessa’s. He also barely made Jessa’s wedding, because he had an important meeting at work and missed or almost missed his flight, that’s why Anna and the kids were there without him.

  25. BeckyR says:

    I hope TLC will cancel ALL further episodes of anything Duggar. The whole situation is ugly. As far as spinning off a series about the two married daughters, my opinion is NO. The only benefit to them would be money. Let these two couples manage on their own, like millions of others do. Maybe in doing so they will be forced to grow up and deal with reality.

  26. Miss Jupitero says:

    No. Duggars. Period.

    Do not be fooled: If the girls get their spin off show, it will not be the “Breaking Duggar” freedom fest that everyone wants. JB and M will be executive producers, the men in the family will control all the money, and the corruption and greed will just continue.

    • Christin says:

      Without doubt. As others have said, years of immersion in their pick and choose type beliefs are not going to be erased. They might act like it’s happening, though, to keep the cash and freebies flowing.

      Let them ALL go back to life off TV. After all, they supposedly didn’t have cable and entertained themselves.

      • Lucky Charm says:

        “Let them ALL go back to life off TV. After all, they supposedly didn’t have cable and entertained themselves.” – Isn’t that how they got 19 kids in the first place?

      • Christin says:

        I knew there was a joke in there. Actually, there is an article floating around about their supposed frugal ways that includes no cable TV (children were taught music, etc.). Yet they gained money and fame via a cable TV show!

    • Jayna says:

      Truth.

  27. Rachel says:

    I’m so glad to read this… maybe there is hope that these young ladies are in the process of breaking away from their families. I imagine that it is so hard for them, as they have been so brainwashed, but hopefully all of this coming to light will give them the courage they need to live the lives THEY want to live.
    But my question remains: where is child protective services and the police??? More investigation of this family needs to be done.

  28. rianic says:

    I grew up fundamental Baptist in the South, and it’s almost unheard of not to include your siblings. Many times, you often see girls including all their female cousins (my cousin’s wife had twelve bride’s maids and twelve groom’s men!)

    So it actually does surprise me to learn Josh wasn’t included – especially since the sisters were in his wedding. That’s another big thing – if you ask someone to be in your wedding, then you expect to be in theirs. I actually had two friends who just wanted to let me know they weren’t angry I didn’t pick them to be my maid of honor (the only attendant I had)

    • K says:

      Josh almost missed Jessa’s wedding completely. He made it with minutes to spare as he allegedly couldn’t reschedule an important work meeting – his wife and kids flew out days earlier, to ensure attendance at all the pre-wedding festivities (rehearsal dinner etc) while he barely made it to see them say I Do. And his mother serenely says that, “well, some of the siblings, with schedules and children, some of the weddings they may not be able to make it in the future…”, while Josh rather nervously bullshits an explanation – body language completely off. He is actually shaking his head “no” as he tells the viewer he had a “very important business meeting” and just couldn’t be there earlier.

      It’s at 43.10 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn5R4i4Zcao

      My family isn’t religious, isn’t making a living out of faking family perfection, and isn’t even that close, but I found that downright bizarre at the time. Now, it makes perfect sense.

  29. Joh says:

    People will want to stare and point at these two girls to see how they deal with the molestation.
    The family has been exposed as hateful, secretive faux Christians.
    There have been religious charlatans since religion was invented.
    Wait, that’s why religion were invented.

  30. Jayna says:

    All of the girls are pretty in that family, but Jessa is the beauty.

    Free the girls, especially Jana.

  31. Jayna says:

    I am waiting for the big announcement. You just know Jim Bob is working a deal for a huge exclusive interview to the top bidder and for damage control by the family to save their fame and fortune. They are probably laying low to see what TLC does first before accepting a deal for an interview and deciding how far to go with the damage control.

    • Alex says:

      You know it. Probably a 3-part Today show interview, or something similar. Jim Bob’s spin on the story,don’t ya think?

  32. Vampi says:

    No more Duggars at ALL on TV. Not even those poor girls. As sad as I am for them, they also espouse hate and intolerance…and that has NO place on TV. Nope. No more Duggar ANYTHING!

  33. K says:

    “When the ‘All About Jill’ episode aired (Season 14, episode 13) in October 2014, it featured older brother Josh reminding viewers that ‘perfect’ Jill was basically the family snitch or ‘tattle tale,’ running to their parents Jim Bob, 49, and Michelle 47, with everything they did. ”

    The police report seemed to make it pretty clear that Jill was the first to blow the whistle on what he was doing to them.

    So much for his “repentance”.

    • jwoolman says:

      I suspect your interpretation is correct. I wonder if she wrote the letter stuck in the book that was loaned out? Message in a bottle…

  34. Mario Valdez says:

    Crazy eyes. The girls have a Charles Manson glare.

  35. MEG says:

    maybe it was jill/jessa who outed josh, so they could get their own show

  36. Tarsha_ says:

    Can anyone confirm that one of the victims was 5 years old? In a discussion with someone elsewhere, they said they read the police reports and there is no indication whatsoever that someone as young as 5 was a victim, and that they did the math and there was no 5 year old victim. Can anyone point me to a smoking gun?

  37. Miss Jupitero says:

    Recently it was said ny someone that the records were still sealed because one of the victims was still a minor.

    Since the events took place twelve years ago, the victim would have to have been 5 or younger in order to still be a minor today.

    That’s all I have.

  38. Michelle says:

    The grooms probably picked their groomsmen and they didn’t know Josh as he had already moved out of state. I don’t think this is a big deal at all.

  39. Betti says:

    Who ever up thread said that Jim-Bob was planning an interview – you were right. TMZ just broke the story that they (the parents) are doing an interview on Fox News.

  40. Iheartgossip says:

    Why would any body invite their rapist / molester to any gathering? Good on you, ladies!

  41. Goodnight says:

    I don’t understand why people are speculating on who the victims are, honestly.