The Duggar family is arguably one of the most compelling clans on reality television for
a laundry list of reasons.
But most of all, the TLC celebrities continue to hold viewers' attention because of their
jaw-dropping size.
Whether you like the family or not, there's no arguing that their 21-person family, 32,
if you include the grandkids, produces an endless cycle of exciting storylines that
keeps viewers coming back for more.
Of course, this phenomenon applies to juicy confessions too.
Think about it: In soccer team-sized families, it's basically guaranteed that there will
be no shortage of shocking admissions to go around.
And in the Duggar family's case, they've dropped quite a few truth bombs throughout the years.
Cheating ways
It's no secret that the Duggars love to wax poetic about the importance of faithfulness
and honesty in marriage.
And prior to a shocking moment in August 2015, Josh Duggar was one of the most outspoken
proponents of commitment.
If you don't believe us, consider the fact that Josh sang a tune about loyalty to his
now-wife Anna Duggar on their wedding day in September 2008, including the line:
"I'll be there, until the end with you.
I'll do my best to be faithful and true."
So, it only makes sense that people were downright flabbergasted when in August 2015, Josh admitted
to cheating on Anna via the notorious adultery website, Ashley Madison.
To add insult to injury, Josh carried out his dirty deeds while he was working at the
Family Research Council, an organization dedicated to advancing "faith, family, and freedom in
public policy," according to its website.
Hypocritical much?
Josh touched on this hypocrisy in his statement on the matter, writing, according to the Duggar
family's website:
"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 became a secret addiction and I became
unfaithful to my wife.
[…] I humbly ask for your forgiveness.
Please pray for my precious wife Anna and our family during this time."
This is just another reminder that nothing is ever what it seems.
And that wasn't the only shocking admission to come from Josh Duggar.
History of inappropriate behavior
One of the most shocking confessions in Duggar history is when Josh admitted to inappropriately
touching his sisters when he was a pre-teen.
Fans learned in May 2015 via police documents that Josh was investigated in 2006 for allegedly
molesting five underage girls, including at least two of his sisters, when he was just
14-years-old.
And shortly after the news broke, Josh gave a statement on the Duggar Family's Facebook
page.
"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.
I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation."
The incidents reportedly took place in 2002 and 2003, and Josh said that after speaking
to his parents, they went to the authorities together.
He further wrote in his statement:
"We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing and my parents arranged for
me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling.
[…] I would do anything to go back to those teen years and take different actions."
Needless to say, many fans were stunned by his admission.
Not only did it shatter the Duggars' squeaky clean image, but people also struggled to
accept that Josh would hurt his own sisters in such a way.
John-David's dismissal
Shortly after Josh admitted to cheating on his wife and the world learned about him inappropriately
touching his sisters, his brothers and sisters opened up about the betrayal in a December
2015 episode of Counting On.
John-David Duggar seemed to be the most disgusted by Josh's behavior.
Appearing very solemn in the clip, John-David said about his fractured relationship with
Josh:
"I always wanted to be like him.
But one of the toughest things I had to ever tell my older brother was I don't want to
be like you anymore."
Essentially, John-David felt compelled to diss Josh because he wants to set a good example
for his younger siblings.
Of course, there's a good chance John-David didn't make this confession lightly.
The Duggars never shade each other, and he probably knew his shocking declaration would
generate headlines.
Shots fired.
Joy-Anna struggled with her parents' faith
On the surface, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar seem to have a lot of influence over their
19 children.
From the Duggar brood's acceptance of Michelle and Jim Bob's strict dating policies to the
fact that each child subscribes to their conservative religious views, it might appear that there's
little dissent in the family.
But before you congratulate Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar getting their kids to drink the
Kool-Aid, let us fill you in Joy-Anna Duggar's shocking admission that she once grappled
with her parents' faith.
Yep, Joy-Anna went there.
While it isn't on the level of Josh's inappropriate behavior, it was nonetheless a shocking revelation.
Making matters even more jaw-dropping is that Joy-Anna revealed this info while toasting
Joseph Duggar at his rehearsal dinner.
According to Us Weekly, Joy-Anna said:
"First of all I want to say that Joe, I'm so thankful for you.
You really did change my life.
Just through my teen years, I think I was having a hard time taking my parents' faith
as my own and you really befriended me as an older brother."
Although Joy-Anna didn't elaborate on her "hard time," it's clear that whatever Joseph
said to her did the trick.
Not only is Joy-Anna now married to Austin Forsyth, a very religious and conservative
guy, but she also named her son, Gideon, after a Biblical figure.
Cousin Amy was born out of wedlock
If you followed 19 Kids & Counting from the jump, the name Amy Duggar King probably sounds
familiar to you.
King, as some fans already know, is the daughter of Jim Bob's sister, Deanna Duggar.
Although Deanna prefers to stay out of the spotlight, King is no stranger to dropping
headline-generating truth bombs about her family.
King stunned fans in January 2015 when she admitted that her mom gave birth to her out
of wedlock.
Following some rumors about the juicy scandal (remember: the Duggars don't believe in sex
before marriage), King took to Instagram to clear the air.
She captioned the photo:
"The tabloids are telling the truth, my mom and dad did have me out of wedlock.
I'm sure [my mom] was scared, young, ridiculed, and felt ashamed."
But wait, that's not the most surprising part of this story.
Deanna waited 18 years to get hitched to Amy's dad Terry Jordan.
And according to Radar Online, Deanna confessed as much in an early episode of what was then
called 18 Kids and Counting, saying:
"Terry and I knew each other a long time ago, and I got pregnant with Amy.
And so, we dated each other on and off for quite some time.
Then we finally decided you know what, we need to get married!
So we got married, we've been together 3 years."
Better late than never, right?
But the two split in 2015, so maybe not.
Laundry room breakdown
On the surface, Michelle Duggar appears to have her bustling household and parenting
duties on lock.
From Michelle's calm mannerisms no matter the situation, to her organizational skills,
one would assume she has it all together.
Of course, not everything is at is seems, especially where it concerns Michelle's mental
state.
In a rare moment of candor, Michelle confessed that she lost it a bit during a particularly
hard day at chateau Duggar.
According to a blog post she wrote:
"It was 1:00 AM in the morning as I stood folding laundry with tears streaming down
my cheeks.
Feelings of being overwhelmed flooded my mind.
I cried aloud, 'LORD I NEED YOUR HELP, I can't do it all!
I feel so inadequate!
Diapers, dishes, laundry, meals, cleanup, school lessons, baths, hugs, kisses, correction…'
My list seemed to go on and on."
Oof.
It sounds like Michelle had a lot on her plate.
So, how did she manage to pull it together?
Look no further than her belief in God.
Michelle continued in her blog post:
"Then it was as if a still small voice said, 'Michelle, it's easy to praise ME when things
are going good, but are you willing to praise ME now.'
[…] I said, "OK Lord, I will praise you even now!
[…] In my heart there was a release as if a burden had been lifted.
I finished the laundry at 2 AM and went to bed."
Well, there ya go.
Clash of the sisters
Any Counting On diehard can tell how much the Duggar sisters enjoy one another's company.
In fact, the ladies' support for each other is often a focal point of the show, one episode
covered how Jana literally assisted in Jessa's delivery of her second son, Henry.
That's true love right there, guys.
But as kind as Jana and Jessa are to each other now, things weren't always so hunky
dory between them.
Jessa said about her surprising sibling rivalry with Jana on an episode of Counting On:
"I think as I started to get a little bit older.
I also had a very strong personality, and I'd sometimes protest some of the ideas that
we had.
She'd be like, 'we're gonna do this.'
And I'd be like, 'no, we're not.'"
Luckily, that rivalry didn't last forever.
" We work together well.
Sometimes she'll take charge of the project.
Sometimes she'll let me lead."
But Jessa might be downplaying how bad things got between them at one point.
The Duggar family book Growing Up Duggar has the story.
Following an intense period of fighting, Michelle forced the feuding girls to share a bunk bed,
bottom for Jessa and top for Jana.
Although Michelle intended for her parenting hack to go off without a hitch, Jessa ended
up kicking Jana's bed in an effort to terrorize her sister during the night.
Harsh.
Secret spying
These days, it's not uncommon for people to stalk their love interests via social media
prior to dating.
But what happens if you aren't allowed on the internet unchaperoned?
It's a little hard to "creep" on your potential significant other when you're not on Instagram.
Well, it turns out Jill figured out a way to dig up info on her then-crush, Derick Dillard,
without being on social media.
In a bizarre twist that some people might consider to be jaw-dropping, Jill admitted
to listening in on Dillard's phone calls to Jim Bob before they started dating.
As it happens, Dillard and Jim Bob were prayer partners before the whole dating Jill thing
started, and it required Dillard and Jim Bob to talk on the phone every so often.
Jill recalled her spying on the family's website:
"As my dad got to know Derick he was really impressed with his Godly character.
He started telling me about Derick and also told Derick about me!
I listened in on a few phone conversations with my dad without Derick knowing I was doing
so."
Hmm…
Jinger's "bad deeds"
Out of all the kids in the Duggar family, Jinger Duggar often comes across as the most
kindhearted and upbeat one of the bunch.
From kindly counseling her sisters on their fashion concerns to spending a lot of quality
time with her younger siblings, there's a lot that fans admire about the reality star.
So, it might come as a bit of a shock to Counting On viewers that Jinger committed "bad deeds"
as a pre-teen.
"I grew up in a Christian home, of course, but I realized at a young age that I was sinner."
Although it's not exactly clear what these bad deeds are, Jinger felt the need to confess
her "sinner ways" to Jim Bob and Michelle when she was just 14-years-old.
"I came to my parents, and I was like.
I really really need Jesus because I know that in my own self I'm not gonna be able
to get to heaven."
Despite being so young, Jinger said she was like anyone else who had sinned.
"I've done so many bad deeds.
I've sinned against god and I cannot save myself from my sins.
And so at that point I was totally broken before God."
Sounds intense.
Who would have ever suspected that Jinger had a bad side?
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