After Josh Duggar was found guilty on two counts of receiving and possessing child pornography, Jim Bob Duggar, Derick Dillard and more family members reacted to the news.
“This entire ordeal has been very grievous,” Jim Bob, 56, and his wife, Michelle Duggar, told Us Weekly in a statement on Thursday, December 9. “Today, God’s grace, through the love and prayers of so many, have sustained us. Our hearts and prayers are with anyone who has ever been harmed through [child sexual abuse material].”
The couple, who are the parents of Josh and his 18 siblings, noted that they are now focused on showing their daughter-in-law Ann Duggar, providing her and Josh’s children with “love and support.”
They added, “As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children,” pointing out that they continue to “place our trust in God” following their son’s scandal.
Earlier on Thursday, Dillard, who is married to Jill Duggar, explained his reasoning for attending the trial, telling People after the verdict, “We just wanted to, among other things, see the facts for ourselves. America is the best country to get justice.”
One week after his trial started, the former reality star, 33, was convicted on Thursday according to court documents obtained by Us. Josh is set to be sentenced at a later date, but he faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for each charge.
His parents previously issued a statement to Us after their son’s April arrest without bail.
“We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious,” their statement read. “It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.”
That same month, his sister Jinger Duggar reflected on how Josh’s previous scandals helped them strengthen their family over the years.
“Our family was way closer because of that, and in spite of that, I guess you’d say,” the Hope We Hold author, 27, told Us in April. “I will never forget how I felt in that moment. And I think even everything that happens in our lives — because we’re in the public eye — it makes it more challenging because then it’s not just dealing with these things inwardly, but you have to give an answer to the world. That makes it a much tougher thing to walk through.”
The political activist previously made headlines in 2015 when his molestation scandal came to light. Josh was accused of molesting five girls between 2002 and 2003 when he was 14 and 15 years old, including some of his sisters.
Amid the Arkansas native’s recent legal issues, TLC confirmed that the Duggar family would no longer be featured on their network.
“TLC will not be producing additional seasons of Counting On,” the network said in a statement to Us in June, referring to the series that first debuted in 2015. “TLC feels it is important to give the Duggar family the opportunity to address their situation privately.”
Six months after Josh was arrested and released on bond, his wife, 33, welcomed their daughter Madyson in October. The duo also share Mackynzie, 11, Michael, 10, Marcus, 8, Meredith, 6, Mason, 4, and Maryella, 24 months.
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Scroll down to see which Duggar family members have spoken out after Josh’s hearing:
