This Duggs is getting real. Amy Duggar shared in a new blog post on Monday, January 4, that her cousin Josh Duggar‘s cheating scandal wasn’t only a shock; it entirely shifted her perspective about him.
“It is crazy to think 2015 has already come and gone! Last year was an emotional rollercoaster,” the 19 Kids and Counting alum, 29, wrote in a post entitled “Changes” on her blog. “There’s been so many highs and so, so many lows. I thought I’d write of how 2015 has been from my point of view and what it has taught me.”
One of the highlights included the Nashville-based aspiring musician getting engaged to her love Dillon King in July. “I had always wanted a September wedding, which meant we could either get married in 2 months, or wait another year!” she wrote. “So as you can imagine August was a complete blur!”
While the Duggar family excitedly prepared for Amy’s nuptials, a storm was brewing — and it was related to her cousin Josh. In August, hackers released the confidential information of millions of users on infidelity website Ashley Madison. Among those exposed for accessing the notorious cheating website were the eldest Duggar son and Real Housewives of New York City husband Josh Taekman. Both Joshes subsequently released public apologies, but Duggar incited major backlash after confessing to cheating on his wife.
“Life was just wonderful … drum roll please…. until one of my family members made some terrible confessions,” Amy recalled on Monday. “I knew nothing of the molestation charges,” she added of Josh’s first 2015 scandal, which broke in May. (It was revealed at the time that Josh had molested five girls, including his sisters Jessa and Jill, back when he was a teen.)
According to Amy, the news about Josh cheating on Anna shattered the family. “I was completely shocked just like the rest of the world,” she wrote in her blog update. “The only difference was I was being fitted for my wedding dress with tears running down my face and a glass of wine in my hand as the news broke. I wondered what the heck was going on? A million questions flooded my mind.”
Then, anger. “Rage came over me, sadness crept in, and reality sat in that the person I had known my entire life turned out to be a fraud, and a complete stranger,” she shared. “I’ve always heard that there were people in this world that lived a double life, but I never thought that someone so close to home would be living a lie.”
Josh, 27, subsequently checked into a faith-based rehab center in Illinois while his entire family tried to recover from the scandal. His wife, Anna Duggar, with whom he has four kids, remained silent about her husband’s betrayal until the family’s TLC special, Jill and Jessa: Counting On, aired last month. While Anna chose to remain with Josh, Amy’s parents were grappling with their own marital troubles.
“December was one for the books, it was just 2 weeks ago that I found out my parents were on the rocks,” the reality star wrote. “Even though I am an adult and I have my own marriage to care about. I do love them both so much, I hope they can work out their differences and learn how to forgive the past. I love, love.”
After an eventful year, the singer concluded that she had one overarching takeaway for 2016. “For my New Year’s resolution, I’m trying to just let go of what I can’t control,” she concluded. “I’ve recently been trying to stay positive and embrace the changes that are happening all around me. Sometimes though, it’s nearly impossible to just find the silver lining. Change can be scary.”
