'Heartbroken' Jana Duggar Breaks Silence on brother Joseph's Child Molestation Arrest as father Jim Bob Slams son's 'Terrible Decisions' in Jail Letter
Jana Duggar has broken her silence on brother Joseph's child molestation arrest after father Jim Bob slammed his son's 'terrible decisions.'
April 3 2026, Published 7:31 a.m. ET
Jana Duggar has broken her silence on brother Joseph's child molestation arrest.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the 36-year-old claims the scandal involving her sibling came as a "shock" to her own family, insisting she was unaware of any arrests until they were made public.
'We Are Deeply Saddened And Heartbroken'
Jana says the news of her brother's arrest came as a 'shock.'
In a statement posted on Facebook, she wrote: "We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the situation involving my brother, Joseph.
"This news came as a shock to us, as we had no prior knowledge before it became public.
"Our hearts are with the child who has been harmed–this is a grievous and unacceptable wrong."
She concluded: "We continued to pray for the victim and for justice to be carried out."
The former 19 Kids and Counting star, who shares one child with Stephen Wissmann, whom she married in 2024, is the older sister of Joseph, 31.
Joseph and wife Kendra were both arrested amid the scandal.
Joseph, was arrested in Arkansas on March 18 for allegedly molesting a nine-year-old girl during a 2020 family getaway to Panama City Beach, Florida.
The victim, who is now 14-years-old, told police that Joseph molested her during the vacation,
He was subsequently extradited to Florida, where he entered a plea of not guilty and was released on $600,000 bond. Meanwhile, he’s ordered to refrain from unsupervised contact with minors.
Along with wife Kendra, he was then charged in Arkansas with four second-degree counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, and four second-degree counts of false imprisonment on March 20.
Kendra, 27, turned herself in and was later bonded out, and the couple is set to return to court in their home state this month.
Jim Bob's Jail Letter Slammed Son
Jim Bob told his son he must deal with 'major consequences for several years to come.'
Jana’s statement comes after father Jim Bob slammed his son's "terrible decisions" in a jail letter after his arrest last month.
Jim Bob had sent a letter to his son via email while he was being held at an Arkansas detention facility before being extradited to the state of Florida.
"You have made some terrible decisions, but God has already forgiven you if you have amajor consequences for several years to come."sked him," the 60-year-old reality star wrote in the letter.
He told Joseph that he needs to "accept the situation" and will most likely deal with "major consequences for several years to come."
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Joseph and Jim Bob had a discussion while waiting for a flight home.
Jim Bob, who was pictured with Jospeh at an airport following his release from prison, told his son that both he and his mother Michelle "love" him — but emphasized to Joseph that he has "a long road ahead..."
If he is convicted, his father also wrote: "You can also point people to Christ even through the time you're in jail and prison."
Jim Bob also shared that "David in the Bible royally messed up, but he repented and became a man after God's own heart."
In conclusion, he told Duggar that "God is not finished with your life" before adding that "we'll keep praying for you."
