Duggar family member begs Joseph’s wife, Kendra, to divorce him after molestation arrest: ‘She needs a new life’
“The way I feel about it is, I think Kendra should divorce him,” Deanna Duggar — who is family patriarch Jim Bob Duggar’s sister — told Page Six in an exclusive interview. “She needs a new life. The best thing to do would be to divorce him and go on with her life.”
Kendra — who married Joseph in 2017 and shares four children with him — was charged with four second-degree counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and four second-degree counts of false imprisonment on March 20. Joseph was hit with the same charges.
“I don’t know what the charges are going to be for Kendra. I don’t know, we’re all waiting to see. While my heart goes out to her, I know there has been some wrong decisions,” Deanna continued. “My prayers are for the victims. For Kendra, for Joseph, for the whole family, wake up and repent of their pride, their feeling of the world is against them, get things right in their family…”
Deanna and her daughter Amy King — who had frequent appearances on “19 Kids and Counting” — have been estranged from the Duggar family for years because of their extreme religious beliefs and controversies.
One controversy includes Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s oldest son, Josh, currently serving a 151-month prison sentence on child pornography charges. His arrest resulted in the cancellation of TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” and “Counting On.”
Josh has proclaimed his innocence despite the guilty verdict after a two-week jury trial.
Though Deanna hasn’t seen Joseph in “a few years,” she says of the arrest, “I went into shock. I couldn’t believe it was Joseph. This is so horrible to hear this again in the family.”
Deanna noted that she keeps wondering “what is really going on” behind closed doors.
“I am like everyone else watching the news and going, ‘How can this happen again?’ I want people to know I am so burdened in my heart for the victims,” she added.
“That sweet innocent girl who didn’t deserve this at all. It’s awful and horrendous. I am so baffled by everything that has happened. I have been walking around for days in shock. I pray justice is served. This travesty is beyond me.”
Deanna told Page Six that she remembers her nephew as “always so loving and kind.”
“He was a joy to be around. I loved Joseph so much,” she recalled, telling us a “piece of [her] heart is missing” amid all the news.
“I never dreamed in a million of years this would happen. I pray authorities get to the bottom of it.”
Deanna is also praying Joseph “gets help” through “rehabilitation.”
While it’s unclear whether Kendra will continue to stand by her husband’s side, Page Six obtained his daily jail calls to his wife.
Joseph, 31, called Kendra, 27, on March 19, but she did not respond to the call. Kendra answered on March 20, and the two spoke for eight minutes. He called her again on March 21 and 22 for 21 minutes each.
On March 23, Joseph called his wife twice — with the first conversation lasting around 20 minutes and the second call nine minutes.
Page Six reported earlier this month that Joseph was arrested on March 18 for allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl. He was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving a victim younger than the age of 12 and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 or older.
According to authorities, the alleged incident happened multiple times during a Panama City Beach, Fla., family vacation in 2020.
In the court affidavit obtained by Page Six, Joseph’s suspected victim, who is now 14, told authorities that the former TLC star began asking her to “sit on the couch beside [him],” and “covered the parties with a blanket.”
Bay County Deputy Sheriff Darrell Norris wrote in the affidavit, “Once the parties were covered, the defendant would pull the victim’s dress up and touch the victim’s thighs.”
The “Counting On” star’s alleged victim claimed Joseph’s hand “grazed [her] vagina” during the alleged incidents, per the affidavit.
Joseph was booked in the Washington County jail in Arkansas. He was hit with additional charges in Arkansas — four second-degree counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, and four second-degree counts of false imprisonment on March 20.
Page Six can confirm he is currently being extradited to Bay County in Florida to face the molestation charges. The Duggar family has not responded to Page Six’s repeated requests for comment.
However, Jim Bob and Michelle broke their silence on Joseph’s arrest in a statement obtained by Page Six on Monday, saying they are “heartbroken” over the entire situation.
“Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping Kendra and her children during this difficult time,” the statement read in part. “They ask for privacy and appreciate the kind words and prayers offered by so many.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
