Jinger Duggar breaks silence on brother Joseph's arrest

Jinger Duggar is speaking out after her brother Joseph and sister-in-law Kendra Duggar were arrested.

The Duggars, the famous Arkansas family who lay at the center of the TLC show "19 Kids and Counting," are once again mired in scandal after news broke last week that Joseph, 31, was accused of molesting a minor.

Joseph was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving sexual activity with a 14-year-old female victim who was nine at the time of the alleged incident, the Bay County Sheriff's Office in Florida announced on Wednesday, March 18. Kendra, 27, was charged alongside her husband with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts of false imprisonment in Arkansas, the Tontitown Police Department announced on Friday, March 20.

Jinger, 32, addressed her brother's arrest during a Wednesday, March 25 episode of her podcast "Jinger & Jeremy," saying it had "been such a long week" and "one of those weeks that feels like years."

USA TODAY could not determine an attorney representing Joseph or Kendra Duggar and reached out to the Duggar family and the Washington County Sheriff's Office for comment on March 20.

Jinger Duggar wasn't 'prepared for news like this' after brother Joseph Duggar's arrest

"I did not think my heart could break like it has this week," she said. "The pain and heartbreak that we've had over this and just thinking of how it's affected so many — yeah, it's just unthinkable. It's so hard and painful on many levels."

"You can't be prepared for news like this, even though we've experienced something very similar before, with one of my other siblings, who made unthinkable choices, decisions that have affected all of us," Jinger continued. "And yet the pain and hurt that's caused to us, but then to so many others, is just so hard. It's hard to know what to do sometimes, moving forward. You just feel the weight of it."

In 2015, "19 Kids and Counting" was canceled following revelations that Josh Duggar, who is the oldest sibling, had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter when he was a teen.

He also admitted that he cheated on his wife and shared a public apology in 2015. He was later arrested and convicted for possession of child pornography in 2021 and, in 2022, was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.

"Thinking about the victim who was brave enough to share her story has been heartbreaking," Jinger's husband, Jeremy, 38, said on the podcast. "Just the effect on that young person's life is unimaginable. And then to see the ripple effect of that horrific crime, just across the board, it just has so many damaging, rippling effects. I think that's been, for me, the forefront of my mind, is just thinking — the horror of a crime like that affecting so many for so many years. It's devastating to think about."

During a forensic interview, Duggar's accuser disclosed several moments during a 2020 family vacation in Panama City Beach, the sheriff's office said. In one of these instances, Duggar purportedly asked the child repeatedly to sit on his lap. In another, he manipulated the child's underwear and grazed her genitals on a couch and under a blanket.

The child said Duggar, who was the seventh-oldest of 19 siblings on the TLC show, later apologized to the child for his actions, and no other incidents occurred, according to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff said the child's father later confronted Duggar about the incidents on March 17 and the reality TV alum admitted to his actions to law enforcement in the city of Tontitown in northern Washington County, Arkansas. The Tontitown Police Department arrested Duggar, who is set to be extradited to Bay County, where he'll face his charge.

Days later, on March 20, both Kendra and Joseph Duggar were charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts of false imprisonment.

Police issued a warrant for Kendra's arrest and Joseph remains held without bail at the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but is expected to be extradited to Florida to face charges there.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and Spanish via chat and at 800-656-4673.

Contributing: Joy Ashford, Anthony Robledo, Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY