The star of TLC’s ‘19 Kids and Counting’ sees a second son charged with sexual crimes related to children.

Jim Bob Duggar scolds son Joseph for ‘terrible decisions’ in jailhouse email: ‘Pray that God would have mercy on you’

The star of TLC's '19 Kids and Counting' sees a second son charged with sexual crimes related to children.

By Kathleen Perricone

April 3, 2026 12:48 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Jim Bob Duggar in 2012; Joseph Duggar in a March 31 mugshot. Credit:

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

Jim Bob Duggar, star of TLC's *19 Kids and Counting*, tried to impart some fatherly love to his second incarcerated son.

Joseph Duggar was released from jail this week, after pleading not guilty to child molestation charges and posting a $600,000 bond. But during the two weeks he spent at the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville, Ark., his father reportedly reached out to offer him support and a scolding.

“Mom & I love you very much,” Jim Bob wrote in an email to Joseph, according to PEOPLE.

He then takes on a much more stern tone with his son, the seventh of his 19 children with wife Michelle Duggar.

“You have made some terrible decisions, but God has already forgiven you if you have asked him,” Jim Bob continued. “You are just going to have to accept the situation at this point, and it’s also fine to pray that God would have mercy on you, but you’re probably gonna face a major consequences [sic] for several years to come.”

Jim Bob advises Joseph to “make lemonade out of lemons” during his time behind bars. The conservative Duggar Family are Independent Baptist Christians, and the patriarch suggested his son “point people to Christ even through the time you’re in jail and prison.”

Citing the biblical story of David — who had an affair with Bathsheba and then conspired to have her husband killed to cover it up — Jim Bob notes he “royally messed up, but he repented and became a man after God’s own heart.”

In closing, Jim Bob tells his son via email, “We’ll keep praying for you.”

A representative for the Duggar family did not immediately respond to **'s request for comment. Washington County Detention Center also declined to speak on the reported email from Jim Bob to Joseph.

Earlier in the week, the family spokesperson told ** that Jim Bob and Michelle are "heartbroken over this entire situation," referring to not only Joseph’s arrest for alleged child molestation, but also his wife Kendra’s unrelated arrest.

"Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping Kendra and her children during this difficult time," the spokesperson continued, referring to Joseph and his wife's four children. "They are praying for the victim. They ask for privacy and appreciate the kind words and prayers offered by so many.”

Until his release from prison on March 31, Joseph had been held in solitary confinement.

“I’ve been able to read a lot actually, and resting some,” he told Kendra over the phone, “but I’m not sleeping great through the night.”

Joseph was first arrested on 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. He is accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl while on vacation in Panama City, Fla., in 2020.

Joseph, who entered a plea of not guilty, is scheduled to be arraigned on May 18, reports PEOPLE.

As he prepares to defend himself in court, Joseph’s lawyer Albert Sauline tells EW: “Our number-one concern is making sure that he is treated fairly, notwithstanding his celebrity status from being on television.”

Joseph's brother, Josh, is currently serving a 12-year sentence for possession of child pornography. Josh said through his lawyer that he was "deeply saddened by the allegation against his brother.

"Josh understands the stigma of being accused," his 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."

- Celebrities & Creators

- Celebrity Lawsuits & Legal Troubles

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Celebrity”