A Complete List of the Duggar Family Scandals
It’s another sex abuse scandal for the Duggar family. While the Duggars presented a squeaky-clean, wholesome image for most of their tenure on TLC, they have dealt with more than one scandal. In fact, they have had far more scandals than most reality TV families. Some have been sexual in nature and others financial. Let’s take a look at everything that has come out about the ultra-conservative Christian family.
Josh Duggar admitted to molesting his sisters and, later, cheating on his wife
In May 2015, In Touch Weekly published an article detailing sexual abuse that went on inside the Duggar family home. The publication obtained police records that revealed that Josh Duggar had molested several of his sisters before the family landed thier first reality TV show. Josh and his siblings were all minors at the time.
Not long after, he was implicated in the Ashley Madison cheating scandal. Duggar admitted to both molesting his sisters when he was a teen and cheating on his wife. An exotic dancer stepped forward to claim that Duggar had paid her for sex while he was living briefly in Washington, D.C., for work.
The first scandal led to the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting. TLC later rebranded the show as Counting On and never spoke of Joshua again.
The biggest scandal to rock the Duggars was Josh Duggar’s arrest on child pornography charges
The largest scandal to rock the Duggar family came in 2021 when Josh Duggar was arrested for possessing and receiving child pornography. The arrests came more than a year after agents from the Department of Homeland Security raided a car lot owned by the family. It was the lot where the eldest Duggar son worked. The Duggars initially denied that a raid had occurred.
Josh pled not guilty to the charges. His defense team argued that anyone who had access to the car lot’s office could have downloaded the illegal content. He was found guilty in December 2021 and sentenced to 12 years behind bars in May 2022. Josh has had several appeals denied. He is currently serving his sentence at FCI Seagoville in Seagoville, Texas.
Josh’s arrest led to the cancellation of the family’s spinoff, Counting On. At the time, TLC claimed they were giving the family space and privacy to address the serious charges. They never returned to the air. Several Duggars, including Joseph Duggar, decided to leave the spotlight behind completely, shuttering their social media accounts and working traditional jobs.
Jill Dillard revealed she was financially abused by her father
While most of the scandals involving the Duggar family are sexual or physical abuse-based, there was also financial abuse in the home. Jill Dillard caused a stir when her book, Counting the Cost, was released in 2023. In the memoir, Jill spoke openly about her rift with her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, and what started it all.
Inside the pages of her book, Jill outlined financial abuse at the hands of her father. She revealed how she and her siblings were used for tax purposes, admitting they were never paid for their time on 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On. She further detailed her father’s manipulation tactics. He once sent his other siblings to talk to her day and night before largely excommunicating her from the family.
Amy Duggar King recalled the “darker” side of her grandfather, Jimmy Lee Duggar
Amy Duggar King, who appeared on 19 Kids and Counting as the family’s rebellious cousin, hasn’t had contact with most of the Duggar family in years, but she did unearth yet another Duggar family scandal in her book. King published her memoir, Holy Disruptor, in October 2025.
In it, King revealed that there was a history of abuse inside the home where Jim Bob and his sister, Deanna Duggar, grew up. She revealed that things grew so tense that Jimmy Lee Duggar nearly killed her mother, Deanna. King said she was advised to steer clear of her grandfather. She was also told to avoid being alone in a room with him from an early age. Jimmy Lee Duggar died in 2009 from brain cancer.
Joseph Duggar has added to the family scandals with his molestation arrest
Joseph Duggar is the latest Duggar family member to find himself at the center of a scandal. The 31-year-old was arrested this week in Arkansas after a 14-year-old came forward to reveal Joseph had molested her during a family vacation in 2020. She was 9 at the time of the incident.
According to USA Today, police in Panama City, Florida, will take over the case, as the incident occurred in their jurisdiction. He has been charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior. The charges carry a hefty prison sentence. Joseph, who is the father of four children, is being extradited to Florida as we speak. His older brother is currently incarcerated in Texas. There is no word on when he is expected in court.
