Relatives of disgraced “19 Kids and Counting” star Josh Duggar are coming forward, saying that the family is “furious” with Duggar over the sex scandal he’s become embroiled in and saying that he should be “broken” in rehab.
Speaking to ET Online, one member of the Duggar family said, “We are all shocked and broken and furious.”
The relative continued, “Who did we spend Christmases with? Who have we grown up with? Who is this person? This is supposed to be a happy time, and there is a dark cloud over our family.”
The family member went on to declare that Duggar’s integrity is “gone,” and that the revelations of Duggar’s sordid activities are “scary.”
“Josh’s integrity is gone,” the relative said. “It’s scary. You never know who can have a double life. You really think you know someone. Josh was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and I hope he gets broken in rehab and gets the help he needs. I hope Anna finds the strength to make some changes.”
A second relative added, “My heart is broken over this,” adding, “I hope and pray Josh gets the help he needs. I believe he is getting that help. We had no idea about any of this.”
Duggar entered a facility this week after it was revealed that he had an account with the cheating website Ashley Madison. Duggar also reportedly slept with a porn star/stripper while his wife Anna was pregnant with their fourth child. According to the woman, identified as Danica Dillon, Duggar “gifted” her with $1,500 to spend the night with him and engaged in “terrifying” rough sex, “basically tossing me around like I was a rag doll.”
After news of his Ashley Madison account broke, Duggar issued a statement admitting infidelity and saying, “I have been the biggest hypocrite ever.”
Duggar had already faced scandal earlier in the year, when news broke that he had inappropriately touched numerous underage girls, two of his sisters among them, when he was a teenager. That revelation prompted his resignation from FRC Action, the legislative affiliate of the Family Research Council, where he served as executive director. TLC later canceled “19 Kids and Counting.”