EXCLUSIVE: How Kendra Duggar Could File for Divorce From Twisted Husband Joseph to Win Back Custody of Her Kids
Kendra and Joseph Duggar were hit with child endangerment charges.
April 6 2026, Published 3:12 p.m. ET
Kendra Duggar could make a major move to ensure she gets custody of her four children back following her arrest as husband Joseph faces child molestation charges in Florida, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal.
On March 20, both Kendra, 27, and Joseph, 31, were charged with endangering the welfare of a child and false imprisonment after authorities allegedly found locks on the outside of bedroom doors in their Arkansas home.
Kendra Duggar Could 'Testify as a Witness' Against Joseph
Kendra and Joseph Duggar share four children together.
Their four children were removed from their custody and Kendra confirmed in a phone call to her husband in jail that she was no longer living with them.
While it's possible she could be convicted, Jordan Matthews, an entertainment attorney at Holtz Matthews LLP, exclusively told Radar that prosecutors might have brought the charges against her as a tactic to get her to "testify as a witness against her husband" amid his own legal woes.
Kendra Duggar May File for Divorce to 'Favor' Optics
Kendra Duggar no longer lives with her children.
Last month, the mother-of-four made it clear to Joseph in a phone call that she secured a lawyer that would only be representing her in the child endangerment case.
"Her main objective is to get [the kids] back," Matthews explained. "She almost certainly engaged separate counsel because she optically wants to be as far away from her husband as possible."
"In fact, I would not be surprised if she files for divorce to favor her optics," he continued. "Her counsel may then attempt to negotiate a plea agreement, where she accepts a more favorable deal and is allowed to get custody of her kids, at least sooner than later, if she agrees to act as a witness against her husband."
Kendra and Joseph's Interests May Be 'at Odds'
Kendra Duggar secured an attorney for her case.
Hiring her own attorney also indicated a shift in her mindset and evidence that she "perceives her own interests as being at odds with her husband," according to Jamie E. Wright, the founder of Wright Law Firm,
"She has changed her method of making decisions from a 'we' to a 'me' mentality in order to protect herself in a high-stress and high-risk legal situation," added Wright.
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Joseph Duggar was accused of molesting a child during a 2020 vacation.
As both cases move forward, Kendra's lawyer will have to create "clear distinctions" between her situation "and any other part of the storyline created by Joseph's charges" in Florida.
"One case could result in a much greater penalty than the other case," Wright pointed out. "Or one could enter into a plea agreement while the other contests the charges."
As Radar previously reported, the disgraced former reality star is accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl during a 2020 family vacation to Panama City Beach. The alleged victim, who is now 14 years old, claimed he pushed her to sit on his lap and allegedly inappropriately touched her at other points throughout the trip.
Joseph was extradited to Florida late last month and has since been released on $600,000 bail.
His next court date is scheduled for April 20.
