Former actuality TV star Joseph Duggar accused of molesting 9-year-old lady in Florida
Joseph Duggar, who starred in the reality show “19 Kids and Counting,” has been arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior for alleged sexual activity with a 9-year-old girl in Florida.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday that Duggar, 31, had been arrested after a police detective in Tonitown, Arkansas, contacted them about a report of sexual abuse.
“The 14-year-old victim participated in a forensic interview, where she disclosed several incidents involving Duggar that occurred during a family vacation in Panama City Beach when she was 9-years-old,” the sheriff’s office said.
The victim reported that, in 2020, Duggar “repeatedly” requested that she sit on his lap and next to him on a couch, according to police.
“During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals,” officials said. “Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs.”
The girl’s father confronted the former television star on Tuesday, after which Duggar confessed his actions to detectives in Tontitown, the sheriff’s office said. He was subsequently arrested out of state on a molestation charge and is now awaiting extradition to Bay County.
The arrest comes five years after Duggar’s older brother, Josh Duggar, was convicted in federal court of receiving and possessing child sex abuse materials, resulting in a 12-year prison sentence.
His conviction was upheld by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2023. The Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal in May 2025.
The younger brother’s case has brought fresh scrutiny to the Duggar family — Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their 19 children — who were the focus of a TLC television show.
The show, 19 Kids and Counting, which attracted millions of viewers, documented the Arkansas family’s close-knit Christian lifestyle. It was canceled in 2015, after a police report showed that Josh Duggar had been investigated for molesting underage girls, including his sisters.
After the allegations surfaced in 2015, Duggar’s parents said he had privately apologized for his behavior. The elder brother then publicly apologized for unspecified actions and resigned from his position at the Family Research Council, an Evangelical non-profit.
A representative for the Duggar family did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
Source: independent.co.uk
