For the very first time, Josh Duggar's siblings finally broke their silence about the sexual abuse they had experienced from their porn addict brother. Josh's sisters Jessa Duggar-Seewald and Jill Duggar-Dillard, who were both molested by their brother as teens, admitted that they may never recover from the pain their brother had caused. While their brother John David revealed he no longer respects Josh.
In May, the Duggars, who are known to be a huge, close-knit and wholesome family, faced a tough challenge after reports circulated that eldest son, Josh, was accused of sexually assaulting five minor girls in 2002. And just recently, his sisters addressed the issue in the latest installment of TLC's "Jill & Jessa: Counting On" and revealed they have all gotten help over the years after their brother assaulted them.
"It is shocking, you do not expect something like that to happen," 23-year-old Jessa Duggar-Seewald admitted, as per Red Book. "It is your older brother, someone you love and trust and so definitely there was period of time in our family when Josh was not to be trusted."
While 24-year-old Jill Duggar-Dillard said, "We had to go through lots of different steps, complete with counseling. After that time, it was a really, really hard time on our family. It doesn't mean it doesn't leave a scar but you move on, you have boundaries then you start to rebuild and you go on with life. We have chosen to forgive Josh and that is an important part of our own healing. If we do not forgive then we cannot move on."
Dillard, however, said that despite her efforts towards recovery, the abuse scandal earlier this year opened "old wounds" for Josh Duggar's sister. She also added that her brother's confession about his porn addiction and infidelity made it more difficult for her to forget her resentment. And aside from Jill and Jessa, the controversy also affected their younger sisters Jinger, Jana and Joy, who were all distraught over the situation and crying through their interviews, Us Weekly noted.
Josh Duggar's brother John David, on the other hand, could no longer think the best of his older brother. And since Josh cheated on his wife Anna, he no longer respects him. Their other brother Joseph is also adamantly distanced himself from Josh.
"I always wanted to be like him," John David said. "But, one of the toughest things I ever had to tell my older brother was, 'I don't want to be like you anymore.'" While Joseph said, "I don't think there's any way any of us would have known that my brother's living such a secret life. Just, whenever somebody is — somebody you respect the most — is willing to get up and proclaim what we believe as Christians, about being true to your wife, you never would expect that person to be the one that's involved in it, and it broke my heart."
Meanwhile, Josh Duggar's wife Anna admitted that she was initially in denial after her husband's infidelity and porn addiction broke out, Yahoo! Parenting revealed. She also revealed that Josh's betrayal was "heartbreaking."
"I was just like, 'I'm gonna wake up and this is going to be OK,'" the 27-year-old mother of four revealed. "'And this really... this can't be true.'"
