Jinger Duggar Admits It Took ‘Years’ to Accept Brother Josh’s ‘Reality’: ‘It’s Really Tough’

A long road. Counting On alum Jinger Duggar reflected on how difficult it was for her to come to terms with her brother Josh Duggar’s scandals. 

"In a sense, it's difficult, but at the same time, I can only just share what I've seen and share my opinion on it,” Jinger, 29, told People on Tuesday, June 6. “And at the end of the day, I think it's such a painful thing to walk through when you have a family member who is in that place. It's really tough. I think it can take years to just even come to that place of realizing, 'Wait, this is the reality.'"

The Becoming Free Indeed author elaborated, however, that “as hard and painful as it is to see your own brother make these choices,” she is still “grateful that he is having this justice served.” 

Josh, 35, is currently serving his 12.5-year prison sentence at the Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Seagoville in Texas after he was found guilty on one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography during his December 2021 trial. The latter count, however, was eventually dropped during his May 2022 sentencing hearing. 

Previously, In Touch broke the news in 2015 that Josh had inappropriately touched five underage girls when he was a teenager in 2006. He was never charged with a crime, though. Shortly after the news broke of his molestation scandal, it was revealed that among his victims were his sisters Jinger, Jill Dillard (née Duggar), Jessa Seewald (née Duggar), and Joy-Anna Forsyth (née Duggar). 

Later that year, Josh became involved in a second scandal after he was exposed of having an Ashley Madison account during its data hack. The website is geared for people who are searching for extramarital affairs. In August of that year, Josh admitted to having a paid subscription with the site and apologized to his wife, Anna Duggar. He then checked himself into a rehabilitation facility. 

During her recent interview, Jinger concluded that she “can’t speak for the rest of the family” when it comes to how the rest of the Duggars feel about Josh’s imprisonment. 

Jinger has been one of the most outspoken Duggar family members in recent years about growing up under her parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s following of IBLP’s (Institute in Basic Life Principles) strict teachings. The non-denominational Christian organization — which was founded by Bill Gothard in 1961 — has been criticized for its mistreatment toward women and patriarchal practices. 

In her memoir, Becoming Free Indeed, which was released on January 31, the former TLC personality “recounts how [she] began to question the harmful ideology of her youth and learned to embrace true freedom in Christ,” per the book’s description on its publisher’s website.

The Duggar family has been making headlines in recent months for being the main subject in Prime Video’s docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. While her sister Jill, 32, and cousin Amy King (née Duggar) appear in the documentary, Jinger didn’t participate, and she explained why in a statement to People. 

“I thought that from my perspective, I really wanted to make sure that I was able to share my story in my own words and in my own timing,” she told the outlet on June 5. “So, that’s why I wrote Becoming Free Indeed, was to share more of my journey out of IBLP’s teachings. I wanted to be able to share it in a way that was, like, God-honoring and hopefully sharing my story in a balanced way.”