Josh Duggar's Parents Went on TV to Defend His "Improper Touching"

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar defended themselves and their son in an interview with Megyn Kelly from Fox News.

Image via

In an interview with Fox News' Megan Kelly, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, parental guardians of the Duggar family and stars of the TLC show 19 Kids and Counting, admitted that their son Josh Duggar had molested his younger sisters, and offered their best explanation for his behavior.

The parents confirmed that Josh had inappropriately touched four of his sisters and one babysitter when he was a teenager. Most of instances of abuse, they said, happened while the girls were sleeping (although Jim Bob later admitted that two were while the girls were awake).

The Duggars also explained how they found out about the abuse—the parents said that Josh came forth to them when he was 14. "We were shocked, we were just devastated," said Michelle. "I don't think any parent is prepared for a trauma like that."

The Duggars walked Kelly through their decision-making process after that—they wanted to handle their son "in-house" and enacted all kinds of "safeguards" to protect their daughters. But when they found out that one of their daughters under the age of 10 had been molested, they decided to look outside for help.

The parents sent Josh to a "Christian-based" counselor in Little Rock, Arkansas. When questioned by Kelly, Jim Bob defended his decision not to turn in Josh in, saying that parents have no legal duty to report their children to the authorities. 

You can watch the interview here

Latest in Pop Culture