The Duggar family is at the center of another scandal following the arrest of Joseph Garrett Duggar on Wednesday, March 18.
The 19 Kids and Counting star was accused of behaving inappropriately with a minor girl on a family vacation.
The arrest has made him the second sibling from the Duggar family to face disturbing allegations involving children.
Highlights
- Joseph Garrett Duggar was arrested in Arkansas following disturbing allegations.
- The 31-year-old reality TV star allegedly behaved inappropriately with a minor girl, aged 9 at the time, during a family vacation.
- His arrest made him the second sibling from the Duggar family to face disturbing allegations involving minors.
- “Always was something a bit ‘off’ with that family,” a social media user commented online.
Joseph Garrett Duggar was arrested in Arkansas following disturbing allegations involving a minor girl
Image credits: littleduggarfamily
Trigger warning: this article contains graphic details that may be distressing to some.
Joseph Garrett Duggar was accused of “lewd and lascivious behavior, involving unlawful s*xual activity with a minor,” the Bay County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
He was arrested in Arkansas, where he lives with his wife Kendra (née Caldwell), and their children, Garrett, 7, and daughters Addison, 6, and Brooklyn, 4.
The couple may reportedly have a fourth child but have not publicly confirmed the information.
Image credits: littleduggarfamily
Joseph was on a family vacation in Florida in 2020 when he allegedly behaved inappropriately with a minor girl, aged 9 at the time.
The group was staying at a residence on Danny Drive in Panama City Beach, and Joseph allegedly asked the child to sit on his lap on multiple occasions.
The 31-year-old reality TV star allegedly asked the girl, aged 9, to sit on his lap multiple times
Image credits: duggarfam
At one point during the vacation, he was sitting on the couch and allegedly asked the girl to sit next to him.
Joseph then covered them with a blanket and “manipulated the victim’s underwear.”
He touched her private parts and rubbed his hands on her thighs at the time, the sheriff’s office said.
Image credits: Bay County Sheriff's Office
As per the victim’s account, Joseph later apologized for his actions, and the ab*sive behavior stopped.
Years later, authorities got involved after the victim’s father confronted Joseph on March 17, 2026.
The reality TV star “admitted his actions” to the father and law enforcement officials as well.
The victim’s father confronted Joseph about behaving inappropriately with his daughter
Image credits: littleduggarfamily
The victim, now 14, participated in a forensic interview and “disclosed several incidents involving Duggar that occurred during a family vacation.”
Following the out-of-state arrest, Joseph was “charged with lewd and lascivious behavior – m*lestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older,” the sheriff’s office said.
He is expected to be extradited to Bay County, Florida.
Image credits: littleduggarfamily
The family vacation in question took place years after Joseph and Kendra tied the knot in 2017.
After first meeting in church, Joseph reportedly courted her for months and proposed to her at his sister Joy-Anna's wedding.
They were married within a few months of the proposal. Joseph was 23 and Kendra was 19.
Viewers of TLC's spin-off show, Counting On, watched the bride’s father, a pastor, marry them in one of the episodes.
The disturbing allegations against Joseph echoed previous scandals involving the Duggar family
Image credits: littleduggarfamily
Joseph was one of 19 siblings who gained fame through the long-running show 19 Kids and Counting.
The series followed their ultra-conservative parents, Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar, over 10 seasons from 2008 to 2015.
19 Kids and Counting was axed after revelations about the oldest Duggar child, Josh Duggar, having behaved inappropriately with five children. Four of the victims were his own sisters.
Josh was sentenced to 12 and a half years in federal prison in 2022 for receiving and possessing material depicting children engaging in s*xually explicit content.
“I wonder if these boys experienced something traumatic in their childhood,” one commenter said
Image credits: littleduggarfamily
The news of Joseph’s arrest led to massive speculation about the Duggar family online.
Another claimed there was “Always was something a bit 'off' with that family....”
“Run Kendra Run,” one said. Another wrote, “19 felonies and counting.”
“Seems to be a common theme and reoccurrence in their family,” one said. “Seems from what I remember they started with m*lesting their sisters. And the parents did nothing about it!”
“Yall didn't actually think that Josh was the ONLY one .. their Dad is creepy as f***,” another said.
“Is ‘19 Kids and Counting’ the name of the show or the sons’ rap sheet?” a social media user asked
