The two siblings are known for their appearances on the TLC reality show “19 Kids and Counting.”

Joy-Anna Duggar reacts to brother Joseph’s ‘deeply disturbing’ arrest on child molestation charges

The two siblings are known for their appearances on the TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting."

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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March 27, 2026 2:41 p.m. ET

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Joy-Anna Duggar; Joseph Duggar's mugshot. Credit:

Joy Forsyth/Instagram; Washington County Sheriffs Department

Joy-Anna Duggar is the latest *19 Kids and Counting* sibling to react to what she calls Joseph Duggar's "deeply disturbing" arrest.

Joy-Anna's older brother was arrested March 18 on charges of lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old, and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older.

"What has come out about my brother is heartbreaking and deeply disturbing," Joy-Anna (also known as Joy Forsyth) posted on her Instagram Story Thursday. "My heart is with the victim, and I am grieved by the pain and harm caused. I have been a wreck this week and am taking time to process. I have a few pre-filmed commitments that I have to post, but I will be taking some much-needed time with my family. Thank you for your prayers."

Joy-Anna's comments came just hours after her younger brother Jason shared his own reaction. "We, like many, have spent the week completely shocked, confused, and grieved to list a few emotions," Jason and his wife, Maddie, said in a statement. "We are disgusted to hear the news about my brother, however, this isn't about how it's impacted our lives. Our hearts are burdened because a child's life has been turned upside down due to evil actions of someone who should have never hurt the vulnerable. This is something unthinkable."

Joseph Duggar and wife Kendra.

Little Duggar Family/Instagram

The Bay County Sheriff's Office in Florida has said that the alleged victim, now 14, recently came forward with allegations that Joseph, now 31, molested her when she was 9 while on a 2020 family vacation in the Sunshine State. According to a statement from authorities, the child claimed that Joseph "repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap" throughout the vacation, and allegedly covered the two of them with a blanket and "manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals."

Arkansas police subsequently announced that Joseph and his wife, Kendra, had been charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, second degree, as well as four counts of false imprisonment, second degree. A spokesperson for the Duggar family has said that the Arkansas charges are not related in any way to Joseph's child molestation charges in Florida.

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Another of Joy-Anna and Joseph's siblings, Josh Duggar, is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence after being convicted of possessing child pornography in 2021. Josh responded to Joseph's arrest via a statement from his lawyer.

"Josh understands the stigma of being accused," Josh's attorney told* *the *Daily Mail*. "He lives with the painful reality of how false accusations can destroy a life. He understands how the targeting of a person for publicity can twist the truth into sensationalized fiction."

The Duggar family.

Tlc/Kobal/Shutterstock

Cousin Amy Duggar King declared in her own statement that she was "not surprised that another alleged predator has emerged from this toxic system."

"For years, I have spoken out about the importance of truth, accountability and protecting children, even when it meant going against my own family," she said. "Family ties should never equal automatic trust or access, especially when it comes to the safety of children. When an image is protected over truth, and silence is chosen over accountability, it creates an environment where abuse can thrive."

The Duggars rose to fame with their TLC show *19 Kids and Counting* (originally *17 Kids and Counting*), but the program was canceled in 2015 after it was revealed that Josh was investigated in 2006 in connection with claims that he molested five underage girls as a teenager, including four of his sisters. He was never charged in relation to those claims.

The Duggars returned to TLC with *Counting On* in 2015. That show was canceled in 2021 after Josh's child pornography conviction.

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