Joseph Duggar's aunt, Deanna Duggar, urges wife Kendra to divorce him
Joseph Duggar's aunt, Deanna Duggar, urges wife Kendra to divorce him
Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY Thu, April 2, 2026 at 12:46 AM UTC
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Joseph Duggar's aunt, Deanna Duggar, is encouraging his wife, Kendra Duggar, to divorce the "19 Kids and Counting" star after he was accused of molesting a child in Florida.
In a recent interview with Page Six, the sister of family patriarch Jim Bob Duggar spoke out about her nephew's March 18 arrest in Arkansas. Joseph Duggar, 31, was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving sexual activity with a 14-year-old female victim who was 9 at the time of the alleged incident, according to the Bay County Sheriff's Office in Florida.
"The way I feel about it is, I think Kendra should divorce him," Deanna told the outlet on Monday. "She needs a new life. The best thing to do would be to divorce him and go on with her life."
She also commented on Kendra Duggar's arrest in Arkansas. Both Kendra and Joseph were charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts of false imprisonment, the Tontitown Police Department announced March 20.
Kendra Duggar poses for a police booking photo after being charged alongside her husband, Joseph Duggar, with child endangerment claims on March 20, 2026, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
"I don’t know what the charges are going to be for Kendra. I don’t know, we’re all waiting to see. While my heart goes out to her, I know there has been some wrong decisions," Deanna continued. "My prayers are for ... Kendra, for Joseph, for the whole family, wake up and repent of their pride, their feeling of the world is against them, get things right in their family."
The couple has been married since 2017 and share three children.
Joseph Duggar was held at the Bay County Jail in Florida, with his bond set at $600,000, according to records viewed by USA TODAY, but he was no longer listed as an inmate as of March 31. Jail records show Kendra Duggar was bailed from the Washington County Detention Center in Arkansas on March 20 on a $1,470 bond.
1 / 0See the Duggars, the polarizing family of TLC's '19 Kids and Counting'
Reality fans know the Duggars from their TLC show, "19 Kids and Counting," but the large conservative family has been thrust into further public spotlight with news that the seventh oldest of 19 siblings, Joseph Garrett Duggar, has been arrested and accused of molesting a child, authorities said in March 2026. The news comes nearly a decade after the oldest Duggar son, Josh, admitted to having molested five girls when he was a teenager. See their family's journey in photos. Michelle Duggar of Springdale, Arkansas, holds the newest addition to their family, their 16th child, Johannah Faith, while husband Jim Bob and their children look on, Oct. 11, 2005, at St. Mary's Hospital in Rogers, Arkansas. Johannah, one of 16 children who all have names beginning with the letter "J," was born at around 2 a.m.
Parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar 'heartbroken' by son's arrest
A spokesperson for Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, the leading parents in TLC's "19 Kids and Counting," told USA TODAY on March 31 that they were "heartbroken" by the arrest of their son Joseph and the allegations against him.
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"Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping Kendra and her children during this difficult time. They are praying for the victim," the statement continued. "They ask for privacy and appreciate the kind words and prayers offered by so many."
Joseph Duggar poses for a police booking photo after being charged alongside his wife, Kendra Duggar, with child endangerment claims on March 20, 2026, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
In a March 19 blog post, Jill Duggar Dillard, the fourth eldest in the family, and her husband Derick Dillard said they were "shocked and heartbroken."
"We first learned of anything related to his charges yesterday via a text from a friend who messaged us about the recent media reports of Joseph's arrest and his alleged confession to molesting a juvenile female in 2020," the Dillard family wrote.
What is '19 Kids and Counting'?
'19 Kids and Counting' is a former TLC reality series following parents Jim Bob and Michelle, their 19 children and their ultra-conservative Christian lifestyle in rural Arkansas.
TLC canceled the show in 2015 after news broke that the oldest sibling, Josh Duggar, had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter when he was a teen. Josh Duggar is currently serving a more than 12-year prison sentence for downloading and possessing child pornography in a separate case.
That case stemmed from a 2021 arrest and later conviction that he received for possessing child pornography after images were discovered on a computer at his workspace.
Contributing: Melina Khan and Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY; George "Clay" Mitchell, Fort Smith Southwest Times Record
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joseph Duggar's aunt suggests wife Kendra divorce him after their arrest
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