Amy Duggar King Wants Cousin Josh Duggar to Suffer ‘Torture’ In Prison: ‘I Hope He Gets a Longer Term’

Amy Duggar King hopes that cousin Josh Duggar is living without peace during his prison sentence for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse materials.

"I hope every day there is absolute torture for him," the mom of one, 37, told People in an interview published on Thursday, April 25. "I really hope that because what he watched and what he was viewing for his own fulfillment is those kids experiencing torture."

Amy added, "He deserves every second in there, and I hope he gets a longer term. I hope he messes up again."

Josh, 36, was arrested on April 29, 2021, In Touch confirmed at the time. The disgraced 19 Kids and Counting alum “allegedly used the internet to download child sexual abuse material,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas shared in a press release. “Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019.”

Josh was later found guilty of one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography on December 9, 2021. He attended a sentencing trial on May 25, 2022, where the latter charge was dropped and he was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison.

After Josh’s legal team filed an appeal and ultimately had it denied, his release date was extended by nearly two months. He is now slated to remain behind bars at the Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Seagoville in Texas until October 10, 2032, according to online records viewed by In Touch.

Amy told People that she doesn’t "know if he's doing any work" on himself during his prison sentence, especially given Josh’s history before his arrest. The reality TV personality made headlines in 2015 when news broke that he had molested multiple young girls, including sisters Jill Dillard (née Duggar) and Jessa Seewald (née Duggar). He also had subscriptions to the website Ashley Madison and used it to have an extramarital affair. Josh went to rehab to treat his pornography addiction.

Amy said that she hadn’t spoken to Josh and “will not” in the future. "When you just cross those evil lines like that, there is no coming back. I just think there's no coming back,” she added.

The Arkansas native also hasn’t spoken to Josh’s wife, Anna Duggar, although she ran into the mom of seven at a mutual friend’s funeral in August 2023. She told her followers about the experience in a TikTok video at the time, claiming that Anna, 35, looked “ticked at the world.”

“She’s obviously right there in front of me. I was like, completely startled that I’m seeing her face after years. And I said, ‘Anna,’ and I kind of patted her back and she said, ‘Just give me space,’” she said. “I gave her space, I didn’t hug her. So you guys, she knows that I have been talking about her. And how I’ve been trying to reach her. She obviously knows that I am putting this out there that ‘Anna, you don’t have to be alone in this. We’re here for you. We’re here to protect your children.’”

Amy continued, “She made it clear tonight that she does not want our help. She does not care for our help. She’s gonna do what Anna does.”

Looking back on the encounter, Amy told People, "I understand, I can't speak for Anna and I'm not going to try, but I can't imagine what she has to deal with internally, let alone out for the world to see.”