Josh Duggar Molestation Scandals Grow: Jessa Duggar Seewald & Anna Duggar Shift From Defending To Denouncing

Josh Duggar has changed the lives of the 19 Kids and Counting clan forever. The Duggar family once starred in the reality TV show before the bombshell dropped and revealed that Josh had molested several underage girls as a teen, including some of his sisters. Soon after 19 Kids was canceled, the Ashley Madison website hacking revealed that Duggar had been among those using the site designed to help spouses be unfaithful. Josh then admitted he had cheated on his wife, Anna Duggar, as well as an addiction to porn, and spent months in rehab.

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But now that Duggar has left the treatment center, another bombshell has dropped, with a new victim stepping forward to allege that Josh molested her as well, according to a source cited by the Ecumenical News.

The woman revealed that Duggar sexually abused her when she was a teenager, and the source also described Josh’s mother, Michelle, was “terrified” when she learned about the allegations.

“The Duggars knew the girl. Michelle was terrified when she heard that this girl was talking about what Josh had done,” said the source.

In addition to his mother, Josh’s father, Jim Bob, contacted the woman’s parents. Both allegedly were concerned that a lawsuit would follow, but the victim’s parents at this point denied any plans to file. The situation, however, left the victim emotionally scarred, according to the insider.

And while family members have not issued an official comment about these allegations, some Duggars have revealed how the scandals created by Josh impacted them on the 19 Kids and Counting spin-off, Jill & Jessa: Counting On.

Among those speaking out, Jessa Duggar Seewald has been particularly vocal about Josh, pointed out Us Weekly.

When the news broke that Josh had molested some of his sisters, Jessa was among the siblings who stepped forward and defended him. Consequently, when Duggar admitted cheating on his wife, Anna, Jessa felt betrayed, and she went from defending her brother to denouncing his behavior.

“I feel like it was especially difficult for me just because I had spoken out for Josh and stood up for him, and then there was another whole wave of things that came through, and some things were exposed about his personal life now, what he was currently involved in… There were some things that he was hiding and that he wasn’t being honest about.”

In addition to Jessa, Jinger Duggar talked about the pain that Josh caused the family, noted the Vine Report.

Jinger described the situation as difficult to comprehend, admitting she still feels challenged in recognizing the reality of what her brother did.

“It was so unreal, I still have trouble comprehending it today. But just the reality of this, this person we thought we knew, the person that we loved greatly – we still love – just the hard pain that has caused,” confessed Jinger.

For some fans, speculation around the family has focused on Josh’s wife, Anna Duggar. Would she stand by her man or divorce Josh? Anna finally is answering those questions and, like Jessa and Jinger, admits it remains challenging to accept what Duggar did, reported Redbook.

Anna attempted to offer a positive spin but still offered insights into her awareness that restoring her relationship with Josh will not be easy.

“I can definitely look back on the past few months and say it’s been a hard road,” confessed Anna.

And she’s using a one-day-at-a-time approach to surviving her decision to stand by her man.

“I think it’s daily, there’s going to be a lot of work and there kind of is a long process ahead, but we’ll just kind of take it one day at a time and keep trusting God and doing the right thing,” added Anna. “In some ways, there are a lot of steps before it’s where it needs to be.”

[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]