How Josh Duggar's Molestation Scandal Affected His Sisters

Source: Duggar family

It’s been four years since Counting On fans found out that Josh Duggar molested four of his sisters in the early 2000s, and details about the scandal are still coming out. An Arkansas resident who used to attend church with the Duggar family is speaking up for the first time, and they say Josh had a bad reputation when he was a teenager, and the family lived in “fear” while trying to hide his actions.

The church member recently talked with Radar Online and claimed that Josh’s siblings had different reactions to the scandal. The source says that they witnessed Jill Duggar – one of Josh’s victims – crying and having a “rough day” because “Josh did something really bad.”

New Disturbing Details Emerge From Josh Duggar's Multiple Scandals https://t.co/QASVtei6W4

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“All the girls were just struggling on how to deal with it,” said the source, adding that Jinger wrote about the situation in her journal because “she didn’t have anyone to talk to.”

Jinger – who is now 25 and married with a daughter – has never come forward as one of Josh’s victims. Jill and Jessa Duggar did reveal that they were two of Josh’s victims during a 2015 interview with Megyn Kelly.

The source says that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar wouldn’t allow their oldest child to play with other children in the church, and the family patriarch “would look really sad and burdened” whenever someone brought up Josh’s actions.

The insider claims “there was a lot of fear going on,” and the family forced Josh to shave his head as punishment.

Despite Josh’s horrible actions, the source says they don’t think the family hated Josh because of the church’s brainwashing. Instead, Jim Bob and Michelle raised their daughters to “forgive and forget.”

According to the source, Jim Bob and Michelle did everything they could to cover up the fact that their son had molested five minor girls, including hiring lawyers who would help keep it a secret.

“Older men within the church immediately jumped in to help Jim Bob hide everything as much as possible. They all tried to hire lawyers to keep Josh’s touching of younger girls under wraps,” said the former church member.

How about this for a gender reveal: Anna & Josh Duggar found out what the sex is "gonna bee" with a golden beehive. https://t.co/TLIiwY6nl9

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The source added that Josh’s courtship with Anna Keller – who he later married –  was “pretty controlled and arranged,” because Jim Bob and Michelle believed the relationship would be the answer to their son’s problems.

Josh Duggar and Anna have been married for ten years, and they are expecting their sixth child this fall.

New episodes of Counting On will return to TLC later this year.