19 Kids and Counting star Jinger Duggar Vuolo has released her new book, Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear, today, Tuesday, January 31, which shares some of her thoughts about her older brother Josh Duggar.
The memoir focuses on Vuolo’s upbringing in an ultra-conservative Christian family, as well as her experiences on reality TV and her battles with anxiety. And while she generally stays clear of mentioning Josh outright, she does touch on his “sin” directly in one part of the book.
“In the case of my brother Josh, the fall has been even more devastating because he claimed to be a man of Christian conviction,” Vuolo wrote in one excerpt (via Us Weekly). “The backlash against his actions has been, correctly, severe. Even if he wasn’t a public figure, he would still be in prison for his actions. But because millions know who Josh is, his sin gives Christ a bad name.”
On May 21, 2015, a police report from 2006 was revealed to the public by In Touch Weekly magazine, stating sexual molestation allegations against Josh. Then, on April 29, 2021, six years after the reality show was canceled, Josh was arrested and later convicted of possession of child pornography.
In another chapter, Vuolo compared her brother to Bill Gothard, the conservative minister whose teachings the Duggar siblings were raised on.
“He used his platform, and even his job at the Family Research Council, to promote some of the same ideas Gothard taught. But while he looked the part in so many ways, the true Josh appears to be much different. He was living a lie,” she stated. She also revealed that he “hasn’t spoken to Josh in two years,” but she continues to “pray for him.”
