Family drama! Nearly one year after 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar, 34, was convicted and sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography, his sister, Jinger Duggar, 29, spoke out about him during a new interview on Tuesday (watch below). “I think that part of this story that I’m telling is you can’t put up all of these outward standards and rules and say that’s going to do anything. It’s not,” she said during the Tamron Hall Show. “Your heart has to be changed from the inside out and only Jesus can truly change that.” Jinger followed up that statement with her current thoughts on Josh’s behavior. “That’s not something I saw in my brother,” the TV personality added. “He’s not truly changed. So until God does that, it’s only what God can do.”
While speaking on the show, the 29-year-old also clarified that she has not spoken to Josh “in years.” When Tamron Hall, 52, asked Jinger to comment further on Josh’s “change” she claimed that she wasn’t aware of his “journey” today. “I would leave that to whatever journey he’s on right now I don’t know,” Jinger continued. “I haven’t spoken to him in years.” In addition, Josh’s younger sister revealed what her prayers were for her brother. “I just would pray that he would be truly broken over what he’s done, but I just pray for the victims and their families,” she said.
As previously mentioned, Jinger’s interview comes eight months after Josh was sentenced to over 12 years in prison for receiving and possessing child pornography. The 34-year-old was sentenced in the Western District of Arkansas Federal Court in Fayetteville, AR on May 25, 2022. In documents obtained by HollywoodLife at the time, it was revealed that Josh received 151 months of imprisonment, 20 years supervised release, and a $10,000.00 fine. The father-of-seven was found guilty on Dec. 9, 2021, after a jury deliberated for over seven hours.
Josh was charged in April 2021 after a federal Homeland Security agent testified that Josh’s work computer contained “pornographic images showing the sexual abuse of children, including toddlers.” At the time, the former TV star pleaded not guilty. Josh was previously on TLC’s Counting On and 19 Kids and Counting. He is married to Anna Duggar, 34, with whom he shares seven kids with. Their children include: Mackynzie Renée, 13, Michael James, 11, Marcus Anthony, 9, Meredith Grace, 7, Mason Garrett, 5, Maryella Hope, 3, and Madyson Lily, 1.
After Josh’s release from prison, he will be required to have the supervision of a parole officer for 20 years, according to PEOPLE. In addition, the convicted sex offender is “prohibited from any unsupervised contact with minors,” including his own seven kids. On Jan. 21, a source close to the inmate claimed to The US Sun that his wife visits him often. “We’ve seen Anna at visitation fairly regularly. I’ve spoken to Anna a couple of times. Normally the only thing I’ve seen is Anna and then their kids, I don’t really know anybody else,” they said earlier this month.