Josh Duggar alleged sexual abuse - new developments

[December]

Noticed this topic trending on Facebook and pulled up FJ to see why. Hopefully it's not true, but if it is I wonder why it is coming to light again now? And if it's not true, same question! And right around the season finale... publicity? I'm cynical, but I'm not sure I'm cynical enough to think they'd dredge it up for that purpose.

[sunshine]

FWIW, I do not believe that Razing Ruth is concernedmom. That forum displays the IP address used to post, and I searched the one associated with concernedmom's post. It came up as Rogers, AR which is not far from Duggarville. That certainly doesn't mean it's TRUE, but it likely means it wasn't Razing Ruth, whose failure to hide her true IP address has been her undoing in several schemes.

How does one find an IP address and run a search?

[JenniferJuniper]

Josh was a juvenile when the alleged offense occurred (if, indeed, it did) and those records are generally sealed; in other words not public.

Edited for bad math.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

umbrellaella, you do raise some good points. It is hard not to think that Boob and Josh would have sued years ago the first time someone started passing rumors around if they knew there was no truth to it at all. ESPECIALLY if it was about minors. It seems that it'd be pretty easy to come out and say "that's a lie, and no investigation occurred because there was never a report of any wrongdoing." Simple, right?

And I agree that there's a big difference between petty gossip like Jana dating Tim Tebow. Nobody is going to sue a tabloid for suggesting they might be dating someone. But people WOULD and DO sue tabloids for reporting about criminal things that are not true.

I think there would have been a huge kickback if there was a reaction from the Duggars. I think the Duggars are better off not acknowledging it, to be honest. People jump on the "condemn that person for sexual abuse!" train a lot faster if there's an official response. Especially if it's "I didn't do it." Even if it's proven to be false accusations, people won't let go of it. Look at Kevin Clash, voice of Elmo: he was charged 3 times with pedophilia; and despite being cleared of each charge, he lost his job and the public still sees him as guilty.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

The records are only sealed if a minor is convicted of something and you request it to be sealed. The police reports from an investigation would not be "sealed" - sealed means the police dept physically mails in all hard and digital copies of the incident and it's as if it never happened. Since it doesn't appear this case went anywhere, the records would be there but because he was a minor it would not be public.

[DaysAgo]

The Duggars ought to come out with a statement before the weekend that honestly confirms or denies this serious allegation. Too much is at stake for them to be quiet, most importantly the safety of their children. Do the Duggars both in Arkansas and Washington DC want to be paid a visit by Child Protective Services? The more they stay silent, the more they will suffer.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

No where in any of the articles does it say who was inappropriately touched. What if it was Josh? What if he's the victim?

That would make things even worse.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

When Amy was being blackmailed and alleged to have done immoral things with that man in the motel room, the Duggars came out with a statement to deny and clarify the truth. Hope they do that again. They're all on social media seeing these things. Josh will never be able to post another pic without a ton of people bringing it up. He has to say something.

[VodouDoll]

That would make things even worse.

I saw an article that alleged it was Jana. I don't know how anyone would know that though.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

I saw an article that alleged it was Jana. I don't know how anyone would know that though.

One of the original "redefining rumors" was of Josh molesting at least two of his sisters while they slept. It probably wouldn't take too much to dig that up using Google.

[MisUndrstd]

When Amy was being blackmailed and alleged to have done immoral things with that man in the motel room, the Duggars came out with a statement to deny and clarify the truth. Hope they do that again. They're all on social media seeing these things. Josh will never be able to post another pic without a ton of people bringing it up. He has to say something.

Mark my words... JB and MIchelle are already plotting, they will combat this with an even bigger announcement (a happy? one) and a new courtship will be announced very soon. That is what they are going to do to bury this in the sand. Josh will basically be barred from the show. We will seldom see Josh and M x 4 anymore. There will be no show about Anna's home birth, it will be like they have fallen off the face of the Earth. JB and Michelle are livid that there are rumors of this sort threatening their brand and Duggardom... so they will basically banish him and wish it away with a announcement that one of the girls (Jana or Jinger) are courting.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

Mark my words... JB and MIchelle are already plotting, they will combat this with an even bigger announcement (a happy? one) and a new courtship will be announced very soon. That is what they are going to do to bury this in the sand. Josh will basically be barred from the show. We will seldom see Josh and M x 4 anymore. There will be no show about Anna's home birth, it will be like they have fallen off the face of the Earth. JB and Michelle are livid that there are rumors of this sort threatening their brand and Duggardom... so they will basically banish him and wish it away with a announcement that one of the girls (Jana or Jinger) are courting.

Oh yea that makes sense.

Josh! How dare you be a public figure whose personal life is twisted by tabloids! We didn't get a reality tv show and parade you around like a prop to only have you subjected to this kind of emotional stress! As punishment for you being in the public eye like we wanted, we are cutting you off! Goodbye. We hate you.

[hapamama]

Mark my words... JB and MIchelle are already plotting, they will combat this with an even bigger announcement (a happy? one) and a new courtship will be announced very soon. That is what they are going to do to bury this in the sand. Josh will basically be barred from the show. We will seldom see Josh and M x 4 anymore. There will be no show about Anna's home birth, it will be like they have fallen off the face of the Earth. JB and Michelle are livid that there are rumors of this sort threatening their brand and Duggardom... so they will basically banish him and wish it away with a announcement that one of the girls (Jana or Jinger) are courting.

If anyone bans Josh from the show, it will be TLC and the production company, not JB and M.

They'll probably announce that JD is courting... doesn't he already have a special friend?

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

If anyone bans Josh from the show, it will be TLC and the production company, not JB and M.

They'll probably announce that JD is courting... doesn't he already have a special friend?

There are a lot of speculations, the current one being he's courting Tabitha Paine, but nothing beyond speculations.

[MisUndrstd]

Yeah you are right TLC will get rid of Josh and his family. It has only been speculated that JD 'might' be seeing someone but nothing substantiated. But yes, they will need a courtship announcement... quickly... to try and brush this all under the rug. I don't know if a courtship announcement about JD will be big enough to do the trick. But maybe a courtship announcement involving Jana would be big enough to put the Josh rumors 6 feet under... Also, if Jessa were to announce she was having twins that would help too. I'm sure all the possibilities are on the table right now at the Duggar compound and discussions with TLC are running late into the night. They are going to do some big time damage control.. it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

[sunshine]

Yeah you are right TLC will get rid of Josh and his family. It has only been speculated that JD 'might' be seeing someone but nothing substantiated. But yes, they will need a courtship announcement... quickly... to try and brush this all under the rug. I don't know if a courtship announcement about JD will be big enough to do the trick. But maybe a courtship announcement involving Jana would be big enough to put the Josh rumors 6 feet under... Also, if Jessa were to announce she was having twins that would help too. I'm sure all the possibilities are on the table right now at the Duggar compound and discussions with TLC are running late into the night. They are going to do some big time damage control.. it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

I really, really hope they don't use their kids to overshadow this problem. They could make a statement and hope for the best.

[doggie]

anything he could have done may have e been caused by extreme ignorance and how the duggers never teach control.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

Yeah you are right TLC will get rid of Josh and his family. It has only been speculated that JD 'might' be seeing someone but nothing substantiated. But yes, they will need a courtship announcement... quickly... to try and brush this all under the rug. I don't know if a courtship announcement about JD will be big enough to do the trick. But maybe a courtship announcement involving Jana would be big enough to put the Josh rumors 6 feet under... Also, if Jessa were to announce she was having twins that would help too. I'm sure all the possibilities are on the table right now at the Duggar compound and discussions with TLC are running late into the night. They are going to do some big time damage control.. it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

Unless this is true, which again I REALLY doubt, I don't see why he'd be off the show because of internet rumors. Especially since there isn't actually a case against him. By the time the show returns, the only people who are going to remember will be the people who spend their days speculating about them. The general public will lose interest without a real case. Plus, it's stuff like this that keeps the show "relevant," so I doubt anyone at TLC is complaining about the free publicity.

Jessa isn't doing a gender reveal. I doubt it's twins. And I doubt they're going to plot like evil masterminds to squash an Internet rumor.

If there's a courtship announcement, I wouldn't be surprised if it was already in the works. Especially with the pictures of Tabitha Paine doing a talking head. It's not every day a friend of the family gets one.

[Kira]

1. This is becoming more than an internet rumor. It's been picked up by legitimate news sites.

2 "Plus, it's stuff like this that keeps the show "relevant," so I doubt anyone at TLC is complaining about the free publicity". Really? Remember Honey Boo Boo?

[zadie]

The only way I can see this being true is like other people have said,

JB turned him in for something dumb to scare him, but then got stuck actually having to follow through with a report. The only "fact" we have is the quote, and we are only counting that as fact because it would be SO dumb to lie about something like that.

So, JB took him to the station for SOMETHING, probably something blown out of proportion, and people keep digging it up.

The Duggars have been talked about a lot on gossip sites and the like lately, so it isn't totally surprising someone would try and get the next big Duggar "scandal."

[MisUndrstd]

Unless this is true, which again I REALLY doubt, I don't see why he'd be off the show because of internet rumors. Especially since there isn't actually a case against him. By the time the show returns, the only people who are going to remember will be the people who spend their days speculating about them. The general public will lose interest without a real case. Plus, it's stuff like this that keeps the show "relevant," so I doubt anyone at TLC is complaining about the free publicity.

Jessa isn't doing a gender reveal. I doubt it's twins. And I doubt they're going to plot like evil masterminds to squash an Internet rumor.

If there's a courtship announcement, I wouldn't be surprised if it was already in the works. Especially with the pictures of Tabitha Paine doing a talking head. It's not every day a friend of the family gets one.

You make some valid points, I just now finished searching news stories about the "scandal" and no really credible news sources have touched this story.. I still believe that an announcement will be coming soon...they have to extinguish this flame quickly because they don't need this negative scandal hurting their image as a wholesome family, that is what their empire is based on. I also believe at least in the next season Josh will play a much more minor role and appear less often, they have to nip this in the bud and that is how they will do it.

[zadie]

1. This is becoming more than an internet rumor. It's been picked up by legitimate news sites.

2 "Plus, it's stuff like this that keeps the show "relevant," so I doubt anyone at TLC is complaining about the free publicity". Really? Remember Honey Boo Boo?

I think the reason it's being picked up so easily is because those sites can't take the blame. If it turns out heinously wrong, that's in touch's fault. All those news sites are doing essentially is saying "hey, there's a rumor about this"

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

You make some valid points, I just now finished searching news stories about the "scandal" and no really credible news sources have touched this story.. I still believe that an announcement will be coming soon...they have to extinguish this flame quickly because they don't need this negative scandal hurting their image as a wholesome family, that is what their empire is based on. I also believe at least in the next season Josh will play a much more minor role and appear less often, they have to nip this in the bud and that is how they will do it.

He's going to play a smaller role no matter what. Before, his wife was he only Duggar still popping out babies. Now she's not. And, since there's not particularly special about having 4 kids, they were always going to take a seat behind Jill and Jessa who are new parents. I doubt Josh will come close to taking center stage before Anna pops out #7. And, that's assuming 19KAC hasn't been replaced by a spin off by then.

But, at 2 years between a kid, that's 6 years from now. 6 years from now, 14 of the 19 kids will be 18 or older. Assuming they're still on the air, there will be a large number of courtships/marriages and grandkids to be following, and individual families will likely be lost in the mess.

From this point on, short of a spin off, the kids with the most "new" are going to be the ones in focus. New relationships, new marriages, new parents, new homes. Those are what will dominate the show. Josh's family doesn't have many "new"s going for them. In a year, neither will Jessa and Jill, who will see Josiah and maybe another courting Duggar take center stage.

[Kira]

I think the reason it's being picked up so easily is because those sites can't take the blame. If it turns out heinously wrong, that's in touch's fault. All those news sites are doing essentially is saying "hey, there's a rumor about this"

My point is that this isn't just an "Internet rumor". It's a trending news topic. They're claiming that there is an actual police report. Most celebrities, publicist, or networks would have said it was not true 2 days ago.

[lookinggoodforjesus]

You know, maybe there is truth that the local PD has a file on Josh Duggar. It's totally possible that he went out one night, family noticed he wasn't in his bed, reported him missing, and that's all that happened. There would be a file for something like that.