What to Know
Josh Duggar has accused his parents of putting their public image ahead of family relationships in text messages sent from prison, according to PEOPLE. The former “19 Kids and Counting” star, who is serving more than 12 years for child pornography offenses, told his mother, Michelle Duggar, in a series of messages that she and his father, Jim Bob, need to acknowledge their role in his situation.
“[I] am very disappointed. I feel like you just don’t receive criticism or take admission for your own actions THAT HAVE DIRECTLY AFFECTED MY LIFE, including in this situation,” the 38-year-old wrote to his mother in texts obtained by PEOPLE.
In the texts, Josh criticized what he described as his parents’ focus on maintaining their public standing.
“[T]he public statements and pr work to save shows and public images I feel were placed above family relationships … and still are to this day,” he wrote. He added that Michelle appeared to “worry about pr more than anything else sometimes.”
Josh maintains his innocence, claiming in the messages that a coworker at his now-closed used car dealership downloaded the illegal material to his computer.
“I AM NOT BLAMING YOU FOR THE SITUATION, BUT YOU ARE BLAMING ME – AND YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW THE TRUTH – YOU SAID THAT YOURSELF TODAY,” he told his mother.
The messages also revealed Josh’s frustration with prison life while his family continued their activities outside. He urged Michelle, 59, to “consider your role and change so that other children are not in the same situations later.”
Michelle did not directly address her son’s accusations, but told him she loves him and shared supportive messages from others, according to PEOPLE.
Josh was found guilty in December 2021 of receiving and possessing child pornography. Prosecutors said he downloaded the files onto a computer at his used car dealership over three days in May 2019, Page Six noted. He was sentenced to 151 months in May 2022 and is serving his time at FCI Seagoville in Dallas.
His attempts to overturn the conviction through appeals have been unsuccessful. His prison release date has been extended from Dec. 23, 2032, to Feb. 2, 2033, according to Page Six.
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Megan Sims; cleveland.com; (TNS) || ©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
