The Duggar Family Has Had More Arrests Than You Might Think, Considering Their Branding
Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell’s separate, unrelated arrests have reignited interest in the largely forgotten Duggar family. While most of the family stepped out of the spotlight after a completely different arrest several years ago, they were TLC royalty for more than a decade. While the family was branded as completely wholesome, they were anything but. In fact, the Duggar family has an inordinate number of arrests.
Before Josh Duggar disgraced the family, Jimmy Lee Duggar spent time in jail
Long before anyone knew who the Duggar family was, Jim Bob Duggar’s father was causing havoc in the lives of his family members. Amy Duggar King, Jim Bob’s niece, revealed just how terrifying her grandfather was in her book, Holy Disruptor. The book, released in October 2025, recounted incidents of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Jimmy Lee Duggar. King also implied that her grandfather was likely a sexual predator like her cousin.
While King didn’t speak about it in her book, rumors have long swirled that Jimmy Lee Duggar spent time in prison for fraud when his children were still young. The details of that arrest are largely lost to time. The length of time he spent in prison is unknown.
Josh Duggar was arrested and convicted on child pornography charges
Josh Duggar, the eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, is probably the most infamous member of the Duggar family. He’s been involved in multiple scandals over the years. While Josh admitted to molesting his sisters and cheating on his wife way back in 2015, he completely disgraced the Duggar family in 2021. In April 2021, the used car salesman was arrested for possessing and receiving child pornography. The arrest was the result of an 18-month-long investigation by the Department of Homeland Security that started with a late 2019 raid.
Josh was convicted and sentenced to more than 12 years behind bars in December 2021. While he has appealed his conviction multiple times, those appeals have been denied. Now jailed at FCI Seagoville, Josh Duggar claims to be destitute. He won’t be released until 2032.
Jana Duggar was taken down to the Tontitown police station, too
In the midst of Josh Duggar’s child pornography trial, news broke that Jana Duggar had had a run-in with the Tontitown Police Department, too. Jana, the second-oldest Duggar child, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child in September 2021.
While Jana stayed quiet about the charge, her sister, Jessa Seewald, took to Instagram to defend her. According to E! News, Jessa revealed that Jana was babysitting when one of the children slipped out unnoticed. Police found the child wandering. Jessa insisted that it was an “innocent mistake” that could have happened to anyone. She did not reveal who Jana was babysitting for at the time, though critics suspect she may have been watching Josh Duggar and Anna Duggar’s children. Jana paid a fine and has since moved on.
Jeremy Vuolo was arrested years before meeting the Duggars
The Duggar family’s troubles with the law seem to extend to their in-laws, too. While the more serious crimes have been committed by Duggar sons, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s son-in-law has seen the inside of a jail cell, too. Years before meeting and marrying Jinger Vuolo, Jeremy Vuolo had a serious run-in with police in upstate New York.
Jeremy, while drunk as a college student, harassed a police officer. Radar Online obtained the 2008 police report, which outlined Jeremy’s drunken behavior, including grabbing at an officer and screaming obscenities. The soccer player turned pastor has discussed the incident in the past, calling it a “wakeup call.” He married Jinger Vuolo in 2016. The couple, who now reside in California, have three children. He’s had no additional legal trouble.
Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell’s arrests are the most recent
The Duggar family is never short on scandals, but the last couple of years, following the release of Jill Dillard’s book in 2023, have been largely quiet. That is, until now. Earlier this week, Joseph Duggar was arrested on charges stemming from a 2020 incident with a minor child. He has been charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior. The victim, now 14, was 9 when the incident occured during a family vacation to Florida. He could spend years behind bars.
While Joseph Duggar’s arrest was shocking, the fact that his wife, Kendra Caldwell, was arrested on unrelated charges days later was even more surprising. Kendra, 27, was arrested on four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts of false imprisonment, according to TMZ. The same charges have been added to Joseph Duggar’s growing list of legal troubles.
Joseph and Kendra’s legal troubles are a developing story.
