Jana Duggar Breaks Her Silence on Brother Joseph’s Arrest: ‘We Had No Prior Knowledge’

Jana Duggar is speaking publicly for the first time about her brother Joseph Duggar’s arrest on child molestation charges, saying the news came as a devastating shock to her family.

 

On April 2, the 36-year-old Counting On alum addressed the situation in a statement shared to her Instagram Stories. Jana said her family was deeply saddened by what had happened and emphasized that they had not known about the allegations before they became public.

“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the situation involving my brother, Joseph,” Jana wrote. She added that the news of his arrest “came as a shock” because her family “had no prior knowledge before it became public.”

Jana also directed her attention toward the alleged victim.

“Our hearts are with the child who has been harmed — this is a grievous and unacceptable wrong,” she wrote. “We continue to pray for the victim and for justice to be carried out.”

Joseph, 31, is accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl in 2020 while the family was on vacation in Panama City Beach, Fla. Prosecutors have charged him with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior, including an allegation involving a victim under the age of 12.

Joseph was arrested in Arkansas on March 18 before being extradited to Florida. He appeared in court there on March 31 after previously entering a not-guilty plea and requesting a jury trial.

A judge set his bond at $600,000. Following his release, Joseph returned to Arkansas and was ordered not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18, including his four children with wife Kendra Duggar.

His attorney, Albert J. Sauline III, later confirmed that Joseph’s scheduled April arraignment had been postponed until May 18.

Several members of the Duggar family have also addressed the case.

Jana’s younger brother Jason Duggar and his wife Maddie said they were “angered” by the situation and expressed support for the alleged victim. They also asked people to pray for Joseph’s children as they deal with the consequences of the case involving their father.

Jana’s sister Jinger Duggar previously discussed the arrest alongside her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, on their podcast. Jinger acknowledged how painful the situation was for the family, particularly because they had already experienced another major legal scandal involving their brother Josh Duggar.

 

Josh was convicted in 2021 of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material and is currently serving a federal prison sentence. Before that conviction, he had also faced allegations of sexually abusing five girls, including his sisters Jill and Jessa Duggar.

Joseph and Kendra are separately facing misdemeanor charges in Arkansas, including four counts each of endangering the welfare of a minor and false imprisonment. Authorities have said those Arkansas allegations are unrelated to the Florida case involving Joseph.

Kendra was released on bail following a court hearing, and her next scheduled court date is April 29.

As the legal proceedings continue, Jana’s statement makes clear that she and her family are publicly expressing sympathy for the alleged victim while distancing themselves from any suggestion that they knew about the accusations before Joseph’s arrest became public.