The Duggar Interview - With Megyn Kelly

[chelleinchicago]

Actually - That's not why she does that. She has done that in a gazillion other interviews - because that is a very specific thing that Gothardism teaches and expects wives to do. The wife is to gaze directly (I know. Gag.) and intently at the husband's face whenever he speaks. (No, I didn't make this up).

Just....disgusting.

But why does she look at him when SHE'S speaking? Probably the same reason. Just...yuck.

[eri]

So I have to throw my two cents in:

I watched this to honestly give them a chance to explain, i tried not to be biased, i tried to look beyond how they phrase certain things, look beyond Michelles crazy eyes or baby voice, tried to not let it piss me off and honestly give them a chance to explain.

I do think Megyn Kelly asked somewhat good question, but apparently didn't bother to get a proper answer - like when she mentioned the robocalls and Michelle calling transgenders pedophiles. The answer she got was far away from what she actually asked.

Anyway, there are some things that I believe to be true and some things that made me furious. I honestly do not think this interview did them any good.

While I (don't jump on me for saying that) do believe that the girls who were touched during their sleep didn't even realized something happened, M&JD didn't get tired to emphasize on that they couldn't remember anything or didnt even knew that anything happened, but failed to properly point out that there were several incidents where the girls were awake and touched underneath their clothes. If you aren't familiar with the police reports, after watching the interview you are left with the impression that all that had happened was groping above the clothes on sleeping girls.

Mentioning the safeguards they put up to protect the girls was horrid. Not allowing them to play hide and seek together, not allowing little girls to sit on brothers laps isn't a safeguard, it is ridiculous and a punishment to all the girls and boys who never did anything wrong.

About the part of taking legal steps because the information was "leaked illegally", I honestly do feel bad for the girls. If I was one of them, I wouldn't want this information out or countless of people (like we do on here) thinking they know better than I do, I do agree with Michelle (hey I never thought I would say such a thing in my lifetime) that they were victimized again (let me point out I do not agree with the rest of what she said about the story being leaked) and I do not feel that any tabloid should have had the right to make this public. On the other hand I do believe that it being out in public is a good thing. I do not know of a way this story could have been published without involving the girls or getting the knowledge out the victims were his sisters.

Also: They didnt do themselves any favors calling it a "mistake" dozens of times or (probably accidentially) using sentences like "just for a few seconds". If they would have left stuff like this out, it didn't help having the viewers believe they are devastated about it, it just made it obvious that they are trying to make it look like it wasnt a big deal afterall and handled and done. Didnt they have a media advisor talk to them before the interview? Not saying we should feel bad that they didnt convience us it was just a mistake, but hell, if I would have been the one advising them, I would have pointed out that the more you make it sound how devasted and disappointed you were, the more you point out how much you feared for your daughters saftey, the more you point out there was professional help for your kids over severall years, the more sympathies you will recieve. Bad advising right there.

I'm glad that Fox exposed them in a not-so-handsome light. The Jill/Jessa interview was a curve ball, but OTHER than that, I'm grateful that the interview itself helped to taint the Duggar brand. The best part is that JB&M did it all by themselves.

I'm so happy that mainstream people, who would have otherwise thought "What a cute religious family," are now seeing the Duggars for the abusive cult they are.

[EmmieJ]

I just thought of a Duggar episode that I would watch, although it wouldn't happen for some years. It would be an episode when JimBob is elderly or infirm, like his father. He can't speak clearly. Michele has long since lost her damn mind and wanders around all day looking for her breast friend, and no longer even recognizes JimBob. The kids tie JimBob to a rolling office chair and move him around the house, when they think about it. When he finally kicks the bucket, they honor him by buying the display model of the cheapest, flimsiest casket, marked down because it's last year's model.

Yep, I'd watch that episode.

[ApologistsBeDamned]

I hate how JB and Megyn made out like the show is popular because so many ove the Duggars. I don't know anyone who watches their show who actually like them. We all watch to make fun of them. Or because it shows our old hometown, etc....

We certainly won't cry when it cancelled.

[HairToday]

Did anyone else choke when JB said Josh "wasn't an adult victimizing children; he was a child victimizing children" ??? Josh must have been thinking, "Geesh, Dad... quit trying to help me out."

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

I don't think they are being thrown under the bus bc they are being interviewed. These girls want, and in Jessa's case, really need to keep this show or have the spin-off (in better more money for them) If that means doing an interview that says Hey we are OK (so keeping watching us).

I didn't say the interview was throwing them under the bus. The media shit storm surrounding first discovering the truth through them under the bus. That's what they said wasn't fair, and I agree. It's not fair. It's not fair to them that this happened in the first place. It's definitely not fair that they're taking more of a fall than Josh is. And it's especially not fair that we now know exactly which 4 girls were molested.

[eviek]

My takeaway from the Duggar interview: "How did you feel knowing your little girls were violated repeatedly under your care when you knew your son was behaving this way over and over again?"

"...but our dear son JOSH." :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf:

They need to be fixed and their children taken away and lots and lots of therapy.

Oh and "what that officer was going through" :evil: :evil: :evil:

[JenniferJuniper]

The reactions of Jessa and Jill don't surprise me. Their parents and the show have been their world for so long, I'm sure they are indignant that this leak is causing so much grief, including the loss of the show.

But I'm interested in what their husbands think of all this. Derick for one must be able to see things clearly (Bin is just a boy under the spell of the Duggars, so I'm not sure about him.)

Not being a member of their religious circle of friends, it's very likely they didn't mention much - if anything - about what Josh did to Jill and her sisters. What's really going through his mind now?

I have a co-worker whose wife recently tearfully admitted to him that her brother molested her throughout childhood. These people have been married for over 20 years and this was the first he heard of it.

She asked him to keep it quiet, but apparently it festered with him and he confronted his brother-in-law at family gathering. I don't know the full details, but it was apparently an ugly scene. Long story short, the wife, furious with her husband for confronting her brother has filed for divorce and kicked him out of the house.

This is another reason why child molestation must be addressed and immediately dealt with professionally. Otherwise it will continue to reverberate down through the generations. Josh's youngest child hasn't even been born yet, but her entire life will be impacted by her grandparents' poor decisions back in the early 2000's. And we can't even guess what impact this will have on Jessa and Jill's children. Will their boys always be treated as potential child molesters? Will their girls be locked down at night? On and on it will go.

[Ilovebrownies]

that's not funny

umm, sarcasm directed at these idiot parents who are obviously lying about their "other ones" that had o idea what he did to them.

[Pandie5]

I believe the interview brought up enough "ok, we'll let you leave it open and unanswered..." for Fox to go do a more indepth report. If they choose to bw honest and go down THAT rabbit hole.

Sorry Michi, if you wanted to make your life so very controlled and insular, you shouldn't have projected it for the whole secular world to see! You aren't a martyr!

"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."

[lostfemme]

Entertainment reporter says Duggars earn $40/k per episode....and it's TLC's most popular show earning $25 million in revenue.

So Jim Bob ain't the stellar negotiator he thinks he is. I'm sure they make more through residuals on reruns. Still, that's basically a criminal salary from what TLC makes off them.

Alert to all who have claimed TLC has no role in this debacle!

[rosastrohhut]

I have not watched it yet, but read the transcript and the weirdest part was not JimBob mentioning it happened over clothes or that the girls did not know what was going on (despite the fact that I've read the police report and this clearly states they did), but the very fact that they focused so much on Josh reporting himself to them. Like he did something bad in order to report himself to get his parents' attention. :? They shifted the focus that much that at the end of the interview I indeed believed the main point was this complicated distraction - attention problem between the parents and Josh, not the sexual misbehaviour.

As others previousley stated the main topic was Josh and not the victims.

Plus point: leghumpers and mainstream viewers at least got a hint on Michelle's hypocrisy (robocalls).

Jessa and Jill: please don't do it. Please do not let them stream your interview. :penguin-no:

Hopefully no one will think of them as rolemodels any longer... A long long time ago before I found free jinger I had respect for them as they seemed to highly value the female body and tried not to sexualize little children by dressing them up. Yeah. A long long time ago. :shrug:

[apple1]

Just....disgusting.

But why does she look at him when SHE'S speaking? Probably the same reason. Just...yuck.

When SHE is speaking - she's probably looking for cues from him that she is saying what he wants her to say and that she is not gonna be in trouble later when they are alone. Just a guess. I'm not one of those who believes that she is the real behind the scenes power in the marriage. Don't let JB's aww-shucks public demeanor fool you.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

Honestly, I don't think he is.

I agree. As far as we know, things stopped. If they didn't, we don't know if his actions were specifically towards children of if they were just opportunistic.

Also, I want to believe Josh got real help like JB claimed. Sure it was many years too late, and he had to pay for it himself. But, if he did, he may not pose a threat to anyone anymore.

Unless there's undeniable proof that he's targeting children and that it's an ongoing problem, I don't think there's any reason to believe he's done anything to Kynzie.

[silverspoons]

I saw Mario Lopez was tweeting that he wasn't buying the "duggar act" after he watched the interview. I think if more of Hollywood besides Montel and Mario would be vocal it would really make a difference.

[Mandysue]

I want Anderson Cooper to interview Josh.

Just Josh. No Daddy. No Mama. No wifey.

I am ready for him to man up and tell his side.

What happened to leave and cleave?

[chelleinchicago]

When SHE is speaking - she's probably looking for cues from him that she is saying what he wants her to say and that she is not gonna be in trouble later when they are alone. Just a guess. I'm not one of those who believes that she is the real behind the scenes power in the marriage. Don't let JB's aww-shucks public demeanor fool you.

Oh believe me, I don't. I think he's a narcissistic, controlling profiteer who doesn't give two fucks about the welfare of his kids if it stands in the way of him making money off their well-crafted image.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

I hate how JB and Megyn made out like the show is popular because so many ove the Duggars. I don't know anyone who watches their show who actually like them. We all watch to make fun of them. Or because it shows our old hometown, etc....

We certainly won't cry when it cancelled.

I've met a few. And, back many years ago before I joined this site, I used to be one of them. (Not super leghumper status or anything; the second I found out about ATI, I was turned off)

[goldfishgoddess]

So where's Josh? Freaking little coward!

All of this answers that little cocky know-it-all personality of his. He really should on the hot seat along with his parents.

[Imrlgoddess]

I missed the show last night, but I caught the highlights on Fox.com and then read Buzzards recap (thanks so much for that!!)

Anyone ever meet someone or know someone in your own circle who is so accustomed to lying or omissions that they truly believe the drivel that comes out of their own mouths? Be it for constant CYA reasons, or even a child or young person who is in the process of learning manipulation...JB and Michelle are so ingrained with the BS that the BELIEVE the crap they say. He's excellent (IMHO) at the politician double talk. Avoidance tactics. Make light of a serious situation. They are both more embarrassed about the reputation than anything else. JB smiled a bit at the end when she asked what happens now. He knows full well, all press is good press. As long as there is something floating around about them, they will pull some sort of compensation. The girls truly believe that the have been victimized more by the reports. They know their places well. They play their roles well. It's sad and pathetic but it's true. We can hope and wish all day that one parent or both wises up and that Josh truly, regretfully apologizes to his sisters and everyone goes to family counselling ...but lets be honest, it will never happen. This has actually only solidified Michelle's argument about the trans men and the restrooms. M-Logic: If a good Christian boy can't control himself in his own home...how can we trust men who dress as women to control themselves? They are more savvy in their lack of control...to dress as a woman is simply a tactic to get what they want.

This will die down, the girls will get their own spinoff...it'll last for a little while, the boy will open a business somewhere safe among their own or perhaps-as many have mentioned-go work at ATI. The parents will raise the rest of the brood in the same fashion they raised these...except that door will be firmly shut, they will use this experience as a tool to tell those children, "the outside world is evil and it will come for you simply because you are Christian". "Trust no one outside your circle, and never, EVAH, trust: law enforcement/judges/counselors/anyone remotely secular".

[Jilltoo]

In the clip where they meet Dolly Parton.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QijgWFb0j7k

Older boy is holding younger, sleeping, girl, the whole time.

I think when the cameras are on they can hold the girls. I don't think they will inappropriately touch them during televised events or photos in the large family group. But JB should have clarified that. I think the cameras did provide some monitoring of the children and might have been a bonus in the safeguard department.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

I want Anderson Cooper to interview Josh.

Just Josh. No Daddy. No Mama. No wifey.

I am ready for him to man up and tell his side.

What happened to leave and cleave?

We aren't going to hear from Josh unless TLC both cancels the show and decides not to move forward with a spin off. They're trying to do damage control (poorly, of course, but they're trying) and Josh would ruin that. They're orchestrating this as much as they can, the two girls are likely going to be heavily coached, they're going to move forward with a lawsuit (at least for show), etc. And they've shown they have no qualms with throwing him under the bus ("don't punish our whole family just cause our son is a pervert!"); so I doubt they care at all about how the world views him, so long as they can control how the world views mommy and daddy.

[doggie]

I would say ma and pa are going to hell with all the lying but I am sure god will forgive them over and over. he is really good at that.

[Escapefromfundiedom]

Did anyone else choke when JB said Josh "wasn't an adult victimizing children; he was a child victimizing children" ??? Josh must have been thinking, "Geesh, Dad... quit trying to help me out."

What I thought when I read the recap and heard he'd said that was...if a non-Christian boy (especially one who's skin was not white) had done the exact same thing to your daughters, YOU DAMN SKIPPY would be hootin' and hollerin' to have him tried as an adult.

The idea that these monsters are going to try and play themselves off as advocates for juvenile justice now... :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

I refused/refuse to watch the interview and when DH came in to our room last night to tell me he'd been watching clips of Michelle (her baby voice makes his skin crawl), I just said "nope. not talking about it." Seriously...and I *still* had bad dreams about this crap.

[Imrlgoddess]

We aren't going to hear from Josh unless TLC both cancels the show and decides not to move forward with a spin off. They're trying to do damage control (poorly, of course, but they're trying) and Josh would ruin that. They're orchestrating this as much as they can, the two girls are likely going to be heavily coached, they're going to move forward with a lawsuit (at least for show), etc. And they've shown they have no qualms with throwing him under the bus ("don't punish our whole family just cause our son is a pervert!"); so I doubt they care at all about how the world views him, so long as they can control how the world views mommy and daddy.

That was one of the first things JB said! "our whole family shouldn't be punished for the actions of one person". reputation reputation reputation.