entertainment

The Duggar girls didn't include brother Josh in their weddings.

None of the girls have spoken publicly about their brother’s admission.

Now that all our suspicions about the creepiness of the Duggar family have been confirmed, we’re wondering if there were signs that all was not well within the 19 Kids and Counting clan that no one picked up on earlier.

Josh Duggar, 27, has been in the headlines for the past week since In Touch magazine published a 2006 police report documenting his abuse of underage girls.

He admitted to molesting five underage girls, including four of his younger sisters, in incidents that began when he was 14 years old.

Josh Duggar and his wife Anna. Image via Instagram.

There have been various indications that Josh was not a favoured family member.

In 2014, he was not a groomsman at his sister Jill’s wedding to Derick Dillard, even though Jill, 24, asked Josh’s wife Anna and two of his children to be part of the ceremony.

Watch Jessa’s wedding here…

“We all thought it was odd that basically everyone of Josh’s family served in some position but he was left out. But no one made a big deal about it. Now it’s making more sense why they wouldn’t want him up there, standing at the altar next to them,” a wedding guest told Mail Online.

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Jill Duggar’s wedding did not feature her brother Josh. Image via TLC.
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Another Duggar sister, Jessa, 22, didn’t ask Josh or anyone in his immediate family to be a part of her wedding party when she married Ben Seewald months later, either.

Jessa had many of her sisters as bridesmaids, and her husband asked several of her brothers to be groomsmen.

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Jessa Duggar included many of her siblings but not her eldest brother Josh, nor any of his children or his wife. Image via TLC.
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Dillard has previously written social media posts that could now be read as condemnation of the Duggar matriarch and patriach, Jim Bob and Michelle.

On Mother’s Day, he praised his parents for the way in which he was raised, and criticised parents “abusing their children, earning the condemnation of God.”

“My parents have always been protective of us and by God’s grace have made our home a safe haven. They loved us enough to have standards, rooted in Scripture, and stick by them even when it would’ve been easier for them just to let us do whatever we wanted to,” he wrote.

A little late in posting, but I had a wonderful Mother’s day with my Mom and wife! I want to give a shout out to my Mom and Dad. They’ve always sought to please God in raising me and my siblings. They’ve been loving, caring, and provided us with a good home and many happy memories. While many parents are abusing their children, earning the condemnation of God, my parents have always been protective of us and by God’s grace have made our home a safe haven. They loved us enough to have standards, rooted in Scripture, and stick by them even when it would’ve been easier for them just to let us do whatever we wanted to. They loved us too much for that. That’s a lot to say in this culture where parents who care enough to set standards for their kids are mocked and dishonored and where the ones who yield to their rebellious children in compromise are praised as “loving”. I realize they’re not perfect. No parents are. Yet over the years, as their oldest, I’ve seen them grow and mature, humble themselves before God and us children and ask forgiveness when they’ve ever been in the wrong. Atop all of this, they’ve endeavored to pass on the greatest gift to us, the love of Jesus Christ. They’ve faithfully read His Word to us and told us of His grace. They’ve always brought us to church, to grow in the faith and have given me a vision for eternity, by the grace of God, so that my life wouldn’t be wasted, or my eternity damned. Their prayers, guidance, and companionship I cherish to this day.

A photo posted by Ben Seewald (@ben_seewald) on

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Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were made aware of Josh’s actions by their daughters but failed to alert authorities or seek help for their son.

They claimed to have sent him to a “Christian program” but later admitted to police that Josh had received no counselling. Instead, the Duggars sent him to a family friend with a home remodelling business.

Finally, a year later, Jim Bob took Josh to a state trooper to confess his crimes. That man, Corporal Hutchens, did not charge him with any crimes. In Touch reports that Hutchens was a family friend of Jim Bob Duggar.

Hutchens was himself later arrested on child pornography charges and is serving 56 years in prison.

Covered up: Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.

Before their show debuted, the Duggars were set to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006 and had even travelled to Chicago and filmed the segment.

According to In Touch, before it aired, a “61-year-old woman” emailed Harpo Studios warning then about Josh’s sexual abuse of his sisters. The show was cancelled and Winfrey and her company forwarded the email to the Department of Human Services.

That resulted in an investigation by the Springdale, Arkansas Police Department.

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Josh (front) and other Duggars. Image via Instagram.

In Touch reports that according to police documents, Jim Bob would not produce Josh for questioning, and at least two lawyers refused to take Josh’s case.

Ultimately, police could not bring charges against Josh because the three-year statute of limitations – dating from when Jim Bob brought his son to Hutchens – had run out.

Since the documents were publicised, Josh Duggar has admitted that he molested several young girls, including his sisters, under the Duggar roof.

“Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends,” he said.

Two years after the 2006 investigation, Josh Duggar married his wife, Anna. She is now pregnant with their fourth child.

Josh Duggar’s wife Anna is pregnant with their fourth child. Image via Instagram.

The Duggar’s show has been withdrawn from the air but not yet cancelled.

Mama June, aka June Shannon, the matriarch from Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, has questioned why.

 

Cancelled: Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was cancelled after Mama June (right) was pictured with a convicted child molester.

Boo Boo was canceled in October after a photograph of her with a convicted child molester surfaced online.

“I believe it’s a double standard that if they’re gonna cancel our show because of rumors and stuff, that if they don’t cancel their show – and he did a whole lot more horrendous stuff than I would’ve ever thought about with my children – that’s just crazy,” she told People.

Want to know more about this story?

This is the true face of the Duggar family. And it is ugly.

The eldest Duggar son admits to sexually abusing young girls as a teen.

That time Josh Duggar made an awkward joke about incest on TV.