Jinger Duggar Says She Hasn't Seen 'True Change' in Brother Josh Duggar: 'I Just Pray for the Victims'
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Jinger Vuolo/Instagram; Washington County Detention Center/AP/Shutterstock
Jinger Duggar Vuolo has yet to see a change in her brother, Josh Duggar.
The 29-year-old reality star revealed where she stands with her imprisoned sibling on Tuesday's episode of Tamron Hall, the same day her new book, Becoming Free Indeed, hits shelves.
"I haven't spoken to him in years," Jinger said of Josh, 34 — who is currently serving more than 12 years in jail for possession of child pornography. "I just would pray that he would be truly broken over what he has done. So I just pray for the victims and their families."
Jinger spoke on the idea of change — and how it could serve as redemption in a case like Josh's.
"I think that part of this story that I'm telling is you can't put up all of these outward standards and rules and say that's going to do anything. It's not," she said. "Your heart has to be changed from the inside out and only Jesus can truly change that."
For Josh, the change has yet to come, according to Jinger. "That's not something I saw in my brother," she said. "He's not truly changed. So until God does that, it's only what God can do."
Josh was found guilty of two charges of knowingly receiving and possessing child pornography in Dec. 2021. One count was later dropped. In May 2022, he was sentenced to 151 months in prison. After his release from prison, he will require the supervision of a parole office for 20 years and is prohibited from any unsupervised contact with minors, including his own six children — who he fathered with wife Anna Duggar.
When asked if Jinger still views Josh as her brother, she added that it's "really tough."
"I think that walking through such difficulties time and time again, I think for me, whenever I walked through that, it's something I would look at and say — first off, my heart just breaks for the victims and their families. And that's who I pray for first," she said.
Danny Johnston/AP/Shutterstock Josh Duggar
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Jinger's latest book speaks of her adult relationship with religion, and some of the life adjustments she's made since growing away from the strict rules of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, an organization established by disgraced minister Bill Gothard in 1961.
Gothard, 88, led the church until 2014, when more than 30 women accused him of harassment and molestation. The 2016 sexual abuse lawsuit against Gothard was eventually dismissed due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Jinger's journey in growing away from the controversial organization has led her closer to her faith — one she now practices on her own terms.
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Becoming Free Indeed hits bookshelves Tuesday.
