Josh Duggar Opts Out Of Trip As Duggar Family Tries To Move On From Scandal

Josh Duggar made the decision to opt out of a family trip over the weekend, and that decision is now making headlines.

According to People Magazine, Josh Duggar, and his wife, Anna, were scheduled to join Jill, Jessa, and their husbands at the ALIVE Christian Music Festival on Saturday, but Josh and Anna did not travel with the family to Ohio for the event.

Their absence was made clear when TMZ caught the two couples at the airport on Friday as the headed out to the event. The news outlet reported that they were silent as they walked through the airport terminal.

It was a month ago that the stunning molestation scandal started to make headlines. Since then, the family has opened up about the accusations in the media. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar sat down with Megyn Kelly on her Fox News program to talk about the events surrounding the molestation scandal and their handling of it.

In another interview, Jessa and Jill also sat down with Megyn Kelly to talk about the scandal. They admitted that they were victims as well, but they were angry at the media’s handling of the story. Jessa spoke candidly with Megyn Kelly. E! News shared her comments.

“Well, I think in the case of what Josh did, it was very wrong. I’m not going to justify anything that he did or say it was ok, not permissible, but I do want to speak up in his defense against people who are calling him a child molester or a pedophile or a rapist, some people are saying. “I’m like that is so overboard and a lie really, I mean people get mad at me for saying that but I can say this because I was one of the victims,” she revealed. “So I can speak out and I can say this and set the record straight here. Like in Josh’s case, he was a boy, a young boy in puberty and a little too curious about girls.”

After the scandal, TLC pulled 19 Kids and Counting off the air. TMZ reports that sources have revealed to them that it is a “longshot” that it will ever air on TLC again. It is possible that a new series will focus on Jill and Jessa Duggar.

It is clear that the family is trying to return to normalcy though. This appearance, even without Josh, is an example of the family trying to return to their lives. This scandal made headlines, but it also rocked the Duggar family. They had to deal with the fact that the world knew about the one secret they thought no one would ever know about.

Jill and Jessa did speak on stage during the event on Saturday, and Jill Duggar came close to talking about the scandal.

“Hey we’re not a perfect family, we mess up. Imagine what life is like with a family with two or three kids and multiply that about 10 times over and that’s what you get.”

On Sunday, Jill shared a post on her Instagram paying tribute to her dad for Father’s Day. She shared a photo of Jim Bob holding her infant son, and she captioned the photo by saying, “Happy #FathersDay Daddy! I am so blessed to have you as my dad and such a great example of Godly, humble leadership! I love you SO much!”

She followed her words with a quote from the bible and a quote from Billy Graham that said, “A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.”

At the event on Saturday, supporters of the family did speak out and show their continued support. Beth HousiauxSteward, said the following, according to People Magazine, “I came to support Jill and Jessa. They had no business releasing sealed records … that was their private business. If juvenile records can be unsealed anytime somebody wants them, that’s not right.”

Josh Duggar has stayed out of the public eye since the scandal began a month ago, but he did resurface on Instagram a week ago to wish his son a happy birthday, according to USA Today. Michael turned four on June 16. Anna also posted birthday wishes to Michael on Instagram. Anna and Josh are expecting their fourth child within the next month.

As the family tries to move on, a new report released on Monday by Radar Online claims that Jim Bob and Josh lied under oath in a civil court case.

“In August 2013, the 19 Kids And Counting patriarch, 49, and his eldest son, 27, sued Acceptance Casualty Insurance Company and Joe Brown Insurance Agency for nearly $85,000 over an insurance deal gone wrong. The Duggar men, co-owners of second-hand car dealership Champion Motor Cars, argued that the insurance company did not dutifully honor a claim after 91 of their cars were damaged by a hailstorm.”

The news outlet reported that the pair lied when they were asked questions about any criminal past. The documents stated that no records of any criminal past existed. The tabloid media will continue to dig and find new things to blast the Duggar family for it seems.

What do you think? Will the Duggar family be able to move on from the molestation scandal involving Josh?

[Photo: Duggar Family Facebook]