Jana Duggar speaks out on brother Joseph Duggar's arrest
Jana Duggar speaks out on brother Joseph Duggar's arrest
Melina Khan, USA TODAYFri, April 3, 2026 at 12:29 PM UTC
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Jana Duggar Wissman said Joseph Duggar's arrest "came as a shock to us" in her first comments since her brother was accused of child molestation.
"We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the situation involving my brother, Joseph. This news came as a shock to us, as we had no prior knowledge before it became public," Wissman, the eldest Duggar daughter, wrote in an Instagram story on April 2.
"Our hearts are with the child who has been harmed—this is a grievous and unacceptable wrong. We continue to pray for the victim and for justice to be carried out," she added.
Last month, Duggar, 31, was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior after being accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl in 2020. He pleaded not guilty on March 29, Us Weekly and People reported.
Wissman and Duggar starred along with the rest of their ultra-conservative Christian family on TLC's "19 Kids and Counting." The show was canceled in 2015 after news broke that the oldest sibling, Josh Duggar, had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter when he was a teen.
1 / 0See the Duggars, the polarizing family of TLC's '19 Kids and Counting'
Reality fans know the Duggars from their TLC show, "19 Kids and Counting," but the large conservative family has been thrust into further public spotlight with news that the seventh oldest of 19 siblings, Joseph Garrett Duggar, has been arrested and accused of molesting a child, authorities said in March 2026. The news comes nearly a decade after the oldest Duggar son, Josh, admitted to having molested five girls when he was a teenager. See their family's journey in photos. Michelle Duggar of Springdale, Arkansas, holds the newest addition to their family, their 16th child, Johannah Faith, while husband Jim Bob and their children look on, Oct. 11, 2005, at St. Mary's Hospital in Rogers, Arkansas. Johannah, one of 16 children who all have names beginning with the letter "J," was born at around 2 a.m.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar break silence on son Joseph's arrest
What to know about Joseph, Kendra Duggar arrests
Joseph Duggar poses for a police booking photo after being charged alongside his wife, Kendra Duggar, with child endangerment claims on March 20, 2026, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
On March 17, Duggar was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior after being accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl in Panama City Beach, Florida, in 2020, the Bay County Sheriff's Office announced.
Duggar, an Arkansas resident, was extradited to Florida, where he was held at the Bay County Jail and his bond was set at $600,000. He was no longer listed as an inmate as of Tuesday afternoon, March 31, according to records viewed by USA TODAY.
On March 29, he reportedly pleaded not guilty to child molestation charges and requested a jury trial.
Kendra Duggar poses for a police booking photo after being charged alongside her husband, Joseph Duggar, with child endangerment claims on March 20, 2026, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Separately, police in Arkansas also arrested Duggar's wife Kendra Duggar, 27, on child endangerment charges. Both Joseph and Kendra Duggar have been charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts of false imprisonment in Arkansas, the Tontitown Police Department announced March 20.
The couple has been married since 2017 and have three children together.
Family members speak out on Joseph Duggar arrest
Some of the Duggar children of the TLC program "19 Kids and Counting" at their home in Tontitown, Arkansas, in 2015.
In a March 31 statement to USA TODAY, a spokesperson for Joseph Duggar's parents said "Jim Bob and Michelle are heartbroken over this entire situation."
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"Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping Kendra and her children during this difficult time. They are praying for the victim," the statement continued. "They ask for privacy and appreciate the kind words and prayers offered by so many."
Several Duggar siblings have also spoken out about Joseph's arrest.
Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband Derick Dillard issued a statement on their blog on March 19.
"We first learned of anything related to his charges yesterday via a text from a friend who messaged us about the recent media reports of Joseph's arrest and his alleged confession to molesting a juvenile female in 2020," the Dillard family wrote. "We are shocked and heartbroken."
Jinger Duggar Vuolo addressed her brother's arrest during a March 25 episode of her podcast "Jinger & Jeremy."
"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."
Another sister, Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth, called the allegations against her brother "heartbreaking and deeply disturbing" in a March 26 Instagram story, E News and Entertainment Weekly reported.
She added, "My heart is with the victim, and I am grieved by the pain and harm caused. I have been a wreck this week and am taking time to process."
Jason Duggar, one of Joseph's younger brothers, and his wife Maddie published a statement on Instagram on March 26, saying they are "shocked, confused, and grieved."
"Our hearts are burdened because a child's life has been turned upside down due to evil actions of someone who should have never hurt the vulnerable. This is something unthinkable," they wrote.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jana Duggar addresses Joseph Duggar's arrest. See what she said.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
