AMY Duggar has bashed Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar for concealing Josh Duggar’s behavior as a teen after he molested his siblings.
The incidents happened in the Duggar family home, a 33-page police report revealed, and the Duggar patriarch became aware of them in 2002.
SparkShopAmy Duggar slammed Jim Bob and Michelle for their response to Josh Duggar’s early molestation scandal[/caption]
Instagram/duggarfamShe accused the TLC stars of covering for Josh after he touched several of his siblings[/caption]
Amy, 36, opened up to Vanity Fair about her appearance in the Amazon Prime Documentary Shiny Happy People, growing up alongside the Duggar kids, and Jim Bob, 57, and Michelle, 56, covering for Josh.
The Duggar cousin told the magazine that she found out about the early molestation scandal “like the rest of the world,” meaning on the news in 2015 – more than a decade after it actually happened.
Josh molested four of his sisters at home in 2002, a police report revealed.
In 2003, Jim Bob and Michelle were made aware of two more incidents of Josh touching an underaged victim and the eldest Duggar boy was sent to a Christian counseling program for four months.
Amy said she was “pissed,” adding that Jim Bob and Michelle “didn’t want anyone to know” what happened.
She told Vanity Fair that their decision to cover up Josh’s behavior at the expense of their daughters was “cringe-worthy” and “evil.”
She added: “To think that someone holds a higher value than someone else is just so disgusting.”
Amy and the Duggar kids grew up extremely close, spending almost every day together but their relationship changed after the scandal.
She revealed to the magazine: “My last straw was the last scandal with Josh. I can’t imagine protecting a predator. I think that is the lowest of low, [and] there’s no going back.”
Josh was arrested for downloading child pornography in April 2021.
Later that same year he was convicted of “receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.”
He’s currently serving a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
STRAINED RELATIONSHIPS
Amy currently has a relationship with Jill and Jinger Duggar, both of whom have broken away from their family’s strict belief system.
In an interview with Variety magazine, Amy revealed that she believes her cousin Jana is “under the control” of Jim Bob and Michelle and isn’t “allowed” contact with her since she still lives at home.
“I truly hope to the good Lord above that [Jana] is happy and thriving and working through whatever she’s experienced, but I have no contact with her,” Amy told the outlet.
“Anyone that lives at home with anyone in the IBLP, you’re under their control, so I don’t know if she’s necessarily allowed to.”
ANNA’S THOUGHTS
Following the release of Shiny Happy People, Josh Duggar’s wife Anna Duggar shared her reaction.
Sources told In Touch that Anna has no plans to watch the docuseries and disapproves of her sister-in-law Jill and cousin Amy’s decision to participate in it.
“Josh’s wife Anna isn’t a fan of Jill. While she isn’t saying much, I hear that she doesn’t want to watch the documentary and thinks the people who participated are toxic,” the source revealed.
They added: “Anna’s faith has been tested enough, but apparently she’s still a strong believer.
“She has shifted away from the core beliefs of IBLP, but her faith is all she has.
“Some say Anna needs to watch it, to get another wake-up call, but she’s not ready. She’s still trying to cope with what Josh did,” the source concluded.
GettyJosh was arrested in April 2021 on child pornography-related charges[/caption]
Instagram/amyrachellekingAmy distanced herself from the Duggar family but is close with Jill and Jinger Duggar[/caption]
InstagramShe and Jill were slammed as ‘toxic’ by Josh’s wife Anna Duggar for appearing in Shiny Happy People[/caption]
