JILL Duggar and her husband, Derick Dillard, admitted they’re “very sad” as they spoke out for first time since Josh Duggar’s child porn arrest.
Josh and Jill, unfortunately, have a dark past as she – along with sister Jessa – revealed in a 2015 interview with Megyn Kelly that they had been two of five female minors he had molested in the early 2000s.
- Read our Josh Duggar live blog for the latest updates
Jill, 29, and her husband Derick, 32, have said they “hope justice is done” after her brother Josh was arrested on two counts of child pornography.
The couple exclusively told The Celeb Report that they were “very sad” following the news that the soon-to-be father of seven had been indicted.
The former Counting On star is currently estranged from her conservative Christian family as her husband and her father, Jim Bob, feud.
Speaking for the first time since Josh’s arrest, Jill said: “We’re very sad about the whole thing, it’s horrible. It’s all very sad.
“Josh’s wife Anna is pregnant with their seventh child, I cannot imagine how she is feeling.”
Law student Derick added: “Obviously if there is anything there related to child pornography, we hope that justice is done.
“I don’t think anybody supports child pornography.
“We’re sad for Anna, put yourself in her situation and imagine how you would feel if that happened with your family member.
“I imagine it would be really hard.”
Jill and Derick – who left Counting On in 2017 – were spotted earlier on Saturday exercising near their home in Lowell, Arkansas, with their six-year-old son Israel and three-year-old son Samuel.
Derick jogged while Jill rode a bike with Samuel on a seat behind her and Israel rode his own.
Josh, 33, was arrested on Thursday and arraigned on Friday over allegations that he downloaded material that depicted the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, the US Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas said.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s oldest son pleaded not guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one of possession of child pornography.
He faces 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 if convicted.
Josh is currently being held in the Fayetteville detention center pending a detention hearing on Wednesday.
His attorney Justin Gelfand has said he intends to defend the case “aggressively and thoroughly.”
19 Kids and Counting was canceled in 2015 after it was revealed that Josh had abused five young girls – four of his sisters and a family friend – while he was a teen.
He was never charged over those allegations.
On Saturday, Derick appeared to like a tweet calling for the cancellation of Counting On.
Counting On – which began in 2016 after 19 Kids and Counting had been terminated and was meant to focus on the older Duggar kids – never featured Josh.
When asked by The Celeb Report about the tweet, Derick said he was not backing the call to can the show but wanted to see more honesty about it.
“People assume that Counting On is a different show from 19 Kids and Counting but it’s not, it’s the same show,” he told The Celeb Report.
“I’m just frustrated that it’s deceptive to the public to say ‘we’re going to change this or change that’ and it’s the exact same.”
Derick also said that he and his wife are planning on writing a book about their experiences, adding: “I’m in law school right now so my time is limited but I’ve said for a long time that we are planning on writing a book.
“We’re making notes as we think of things and we want to write something that is tasteful but honest.”
Derick and Jill speaking out comes a few days after Josh was charged with two counts of child pornography on Friday.
According to the indictment, Josh “knowingly received child pornography” between or about May 14, 2019 and on or about May 16, 2019.
For the second count, Josh “knowingly possessed material that contained images of child pornography,” including “images of minors under the age of 12.”
Josh has been ordered to forfeit all visual images and property, including video equipment, related to the case.
The Celeb Report previously broke Josh was arrested for the federal charges in Washington County at 1:15 pm on Thursday afternoon.
An insider claimed Josh “turned himself in” without incident.
The head-turning revelation is related to the 2019 Homeland Security raid on Josh’s now-shuttered used car dealership in Springdale, Arkansas, another source told The Celeb Report.
In November 2019, Homeland Security conducted an “ongoing federal investigation” at the lot, but no charges were filed against Josh – until now.
A source exclusively told The Celeb Report of the Duggar family: “The family has known that this has been coming for weeks, and Josh has been preparing himself.
“They are praying together for Josh and Anna, who is standing by her husband as she always has.
“Family members are extremely concerned by what is happening and they just want to find out the truth.
“They know that this will put them in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, and are stunned they are having to go through this again.”
The insider added: “The family will be speaking out shortly and hope this in many ways will bring them closer together and even closer to God.”
The arrest comes six years after In Touch Weekly uncovered a 33-page Arkansas police report claiming Jim Bob confessed to local authorities that his eldest son fondled the breasts and genitals of young girls while they were asleep in the Duggar family home back in 2002.
Following the allegations against him, Josh addressed the claim: “Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret.
“I hurt others, including my family and close friends.”
More allegations followed for Josh, as another report just three months later claimed the former TLC star was using adultery dating service Ashley Madison.
He said: “I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the Internet and this has become a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife.”
Soon after, porn star Danica Dillon, whose real name is Ashley Johnston, claimed he assaulted her during a sexual encounter.
In a 2020 interview with The Celeb Report, Ashley, 33, described the alleged incident as being so intense “it felt like this guy tried to kill me.”
