Josh Duggar’s Return To Public Life: Jinger’s Wedding Marks One Step Closer

Josh Duggar’s younger sister, Jinger, married former soccer player Jeremy Vuolo, this weekend. For the couple, it’s surely a time of celebration, though viewers might differ on just what Jinger is celebrating. Some will chalk it up to an appreciation of escape from her father’s home rather than love of her new husband! For the rest of the family, though, the implications of the wedding are more complex.

Like most families, we can assume the Duggar household has a mix of emotions about the marriage — sadness at a sibling moving out, joy at Jinger’s happiness, and for the Duggar family, maybe satisfaction at an acceptable match, and probably anticipation of more babies in the near future. The wedding also means a special episode of the reality show, Counting On.

But for the family who was rocked when the news of eldest son Josh Duggar’s crimes and indiscretions was made public, there is another factor. When the public learned that Josh had molested several young girls, and had multiple accounts on a dating site devoted to extramarital affairs, their old reality show, 19 Kids And Counting, was yanked from the air.

TLC released the new show — Jill & Jessa: Counting On, devoted to following the older kids’ lives after the scandal. They promised the public that Josh Duggar wouldn’t be a part of this show

However, the show is no longer the same one. Jill & Jessa: Counting On is now just, and even the most recent promise from TLC, shared via People in July, is a limited one. The network said that rumors of a planned tell-all special, with Josh and his sisters, in ‘the next season,’ which would be the current, almost-over season, are not true.

There has been no blanket assurance that Josh won’t return to any future reality programming, especially if the audience seems open to the idea, and the family could be working toward that goal.

Here’s what I see following the public revelation of Josh Duggar’s crimes — a series of actions and words designed to prove that what he did didn’t really cause any lasting harm.

Jill and Jessa, two of Josh’s sisters, and the two daughters of Jim Bob Duggar who are already married, came forward for an interview with Fox News‘s Megyn Kelly, in which they explained that they had forgiven their brother. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were also featured, describing measures they took to prevent further abuse, and generally minimizing the events.

Next, we see Josh sent off to rehab for sex addiction — and when he is released, he starts showing up on social media, in small capacities, testing the audience’s reaction.

Now, another of his sisters has been married off. To understand the significance of this, it’s important to realize that in Bill Gothard’s religious leadership, which Jim Bob Duggar has followed since Josh was small, the primary value of a woman is to wed and produce offspring. It must be understood that ‘purity’ cults tend to follow the idea that a woman who is not a virgin, who has engaged in sexual contact before marriage, is unclean.

The Duggar family, following Gothard, takes this to an extreme — before marriage, the Duggar offspring aren’t permitted to hug or kiss, are chaperoned on dates, and don’t even hold hands until they are engaged.

In such a belief system, one grave concern about rape and molestation would be marriagability afterward. If the Duggar family believes that marriage and reproduction are the primary value of women, then marrying off those who might have been victims would be a way to prove that value hadn’t been affected.

They may believe that this, in turn, will prove Josh did no lasting damage, and that he can safely return to the hearts and screens of fans.

Two of Josh Duggar’s sisters have revealed themselves as victims. None of the other victims have chosen to reveal themselves. However, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar may feel that if they can marry off the five daughters who had already been born at the time of the molestation, they can prove to their public that no real harm was done.

Three of the oldest five daughters are now married — and there have been hints that another is courting.

So, what’s next?

Here’s conjecture based on an understanding of purity culture and an observation of the Duggar family’s actions so far: Josh will continue to show up on fringes. Photos appear to confirm he was at Jinger’s wedding, for instance.

1. There will be either two more weddings, completing the goal of marrying off all possible (female) victims, or there will be one more and a statement of some kind revealing that the married women are all of Josh’s victims — that is, asserting that none of his victims remain unwed.

2. All of these women will have children — something they probably would have done anyway. Another statement, probably not something too direct, will bring it to public attention. Perhaps something like ‘this closes that chapter in our lives’ or similar, suggesting that all repercussions of Josh’s actions are now at an end.

3. In this same time period, there will be closure in Josh and Anna Duggar’s marriage — either a divorce or another child.

4. Meanwhile, other children in the Duggar family will continue to reach adulthood, begin courtships and engagements, marry, and have children — life will go on as normal. Increasingly, Josh will be brought into the public view of these activities — perhaps John David Duggar, who said he no longer looks up to Josh, will have a touching scene of forgiveness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcx_Qmg61QU

Josh will show up at weddings. if he has another child, the new grandbaby will be featured on Counting On and the Duggar family’s official social media pages.

By the time all of Josh Duggar’s acknowledged victims are married and having children, it will be natural enough to scoot him back on-screen fully, too.

[Featured Image by TLC]