The Duggars — once the subject of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting and the subsequent spinoff Counting On— has been at the center of several legal scandals and disturbing criminal allegations since the shows’ cancellations.
Four members of the famous Arkansas-based family have been tied to various criminal cases, ranging from misdemeanor child endangerment to federal child pornography charges and alleged child sexual assault.
Keep scrolling to see which Duggars have been arrested or charged with a crime through the years:
Former TLC star Joseph Duggar was arrested on March 18 after being accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl in 2020. His arrest marks the second child sex abuse case to hit the famous family following Joseph’s older brother Josh Duggar‘s child pornography conviction. Josh was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison in December 2021. […]
Josh Duggar
Josh Duggar, the eldest of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar‘s 19 children, is currently serving a 12-year federal prison sentence in Dallas, Texas. He was convicted in December 2021 on two counts of receiving and possessing child pornography after his April 2021 arrest, and was sentenced in May 2022. At the time of publication, his scheduled release date is set for December 23, 2032.
Josh has made multiple unsuccessful appeal attempts, most recently in April 2026. He has consistently claimed that he is innocent of all charges and allegations.
Joseph Duggar
Joseph Duggar was arrested in Arkansas in March 2026 and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior after he was accused of allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl during a 2020 family vacation in Florida.
According to a police report, the alleged victim claimed that Joseph “eventually apologized for his actions” at the time before “the incidents stopped.”
Two days later, Joseph was charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the second degree and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Joseph was extradited to Florida nearly two weeks later, where he entered a not guilty plea and requested a jury trial. He was released March 31, 2026, on a $600,000 bond.
Kendra Duggar
Joseph’s wife, Kendra Duggar, was arrested days after her husband in March 2026 on four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the second degree and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. She was booked by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and released within hours after paying a $1,470 bond.
A source close to the family told Us Weekly that Kendra’s arrest was unrelated to the sexual misconduct allegations against Joseph and was, instead, triggered by an investigation of the couple’s shared home.
Kendra pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges.
While Kendra Duggar was arrested two days after her husband, the charges are allegedly unrelated to her spouse Joseph Duggar’s alleged crimes. “Kendra’s arrest has nothing to do with Joseph’s — although one precipitated another,” a source with knowledge of the case exclusively tells Us Weekly on Saturday, March 21. “After his charge, they automatically […]
Jana Duggar
Jana Duggar was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor in September 2021. She initially pleaded not guilty before changing her plea to guilty. The case was settled after she paid $880 in fees.
“I’m only sharing this because the media has been having a field day with it all,” Jana later wrote via her Instagram Stories in December 2021, addressing the charges. “I was babysitting a few months ago when one of the children wandered outside alone. A passerby who saw the child called the police.”
She continued, “This resulted in a written citation, as well as a follow-up with child welfare who concluded that it was an accident and the child was unharmed.”
Jana was never arrested.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
