In her upcoming memoir, Holy Disruptor, Amy Duggar King opens up about the moment she learned a dark secret about her grandfather Jimmy Lee Duggar– the father of Jim Bob Duggar of 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On fame.
In a new interview with People, Amy– whose mom, Deanna Duggar, is the sister of Jim Bob– spoke about her late grandfather, telling the outlet that while growing up in Arkansas, she was never allowed to be alone with him and for years, no one in her family would reveal why.
“I wondered all the time,” Amy said. “I asked. I asked my mom, I asked my grandma, and they obviously were going to protect the answer. They didn’t want me to know that information growing up.”
It wasn’t until after her grandfather’s death that Amy finally learned the truth from her mom; in her memoir, she describes her grandfather as a “predator.”
While Amy says she didn’t know the truth about her grandfather until after he passed away, she claims she had “obviously assumed” why she wasn’t allowed to be alone with him.
“ … I always had assumptions as to why, but it was never spoken about,” she said. “It was a little difficult, but I’m one of those people that when I was little, I asked questions, sure. But if something was told to me, I just believed it. I was very naive, and I’m a kid, so I was like, ‘Okay.’ I knew grandpa couldn’t go to the trampoline with me. I knew grandpa couldn’t sit and watch a movie with me. I knew grandpa couldn’t be in a car with me. I knew grandpa couldn’t take me to school. There were so many things, and I just knew that that’s how it was.”
Amy went on to claim that, as a child, her now-deceased grandmother Mary Duggar– who was married to Jimmy until his death in 2009– would make sure Amy’s childhood bedroom door was locked “every single night,” adding that her mom would also “check on” her.
“It was like this protective tent over me, if you will, that was not going to let a bug in,” Amy added.
When she finally learned the truth from her mom, Amy said she and Deanna shared an overdue (and emotional) moment of bonding.
“My mom and I sat there and cried, and I just held her, and she held me,” Amy recalled. “It was like this insane bonding moment that we’ve been needing for our entire life, that we finally were allowed to just be really vulnerable with each other and share. And thank God.”
When looking back at the situation with her grandfather, Amy said she realizes that she “could have been a victim, too.”
“It’s crazy to think it was so close to me in so many ways,” she said.
The secret about her grandfather isn’t the only Duggar family scandal Amy writes about in her memoir. As The Ashley recently told you, Amy also reveals in her memoir that she once found thousands of x-rated images on her cousin Josh Duggar’s computer as a teen, which were “quickly dismissed” by her uncle Jim Bob.
As you know, Amy’s cousin Josh– the eldest child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar– is currently in prison after being convicted in December 2021 of receiving child sex abuse materials (CSAM). The father of seven is set to be released in 2032.
Years before he landed behind bars, Josh admitted to molesting four of his underage sisters, as well as another minor female, when he was a teen. Though the scandal was kept hidden for years, it was eventually exposed by In Touch Weekly in 2015. TLC went on to cancel the Duggar family’s “19 Kids & Counting” in the wake of the scandal and months later, Josh was exposed for cheating on his wife, Anna Duggar. At that point, he also admitted to having an addiction to p0rn.
Amy’s memoir, Holy Disruptor: Shattering the Shiny Facade While Getting Louder with the Truth, hit bookshelves October 14.
RELATED STORY: Amy Duggar Insinuates That Her Uncle Jim Bob Duggar is a “Monster”: How Could You Sleep at Night Knowing All the Lies You’ve Told?”
(Photos: Instagram)
15 Responses
Look at Amy’s body language, that says it all.
It is beyond that the daughter of the molester is writing about her daddy in heaven. If God is as just as they say, Daddy’s not in heaven lady.
Maybe there is something there with Josh. Amy and Josh are similar in age. Did something happen to Josh by the creepy grandpa when he was little, and that’s why JB went so hard burying all of Josh’s actions? Guilt can make people do wild things. No excuse either way.
Also I am shocked out of all of the girls Jill still entertains Amy. Jill seemed the most outspoken about what happened to her, but watching your cousin continually attempt to profit off your pain and family strife must be something.
Reading this I wondered the same about Pest.
The way this girl has used the exploitation and rape of children to make money leaves me speechless.
They shove their religion down those kids’ throats so strongly.So that if someone in the family does do something to them, they can make them believe that it was god’s will
I think child molestation is an issue that runs deep in the Duggar family. It’s possible that either grandpa Duggar or Jim Bob molested Josh at a very young age. That might explain why Josh turned out to be a predator.
These people are wicked and sick. And they use christ as a facade to cover up their evil ways. These women openly know what these bastards are doing and everyone just shushes and looks the other way. Theyre all sick and disgusting and we all know they arent in heaven. God doesnt like ugly.
Being a predator runs in the family. How long until something comes out about her dad. It’s not normal to want to have that many kids.
are you referring to amy’s dad or jim bob? jim bob is amy’s uncle, which not gonna lie i’ve had the same thoughts before
Jim Bob has made numerous sexual comments about his own daughters before their weddings, as seen on the show. Although I think if JB was committing assaults, that info would have come out before, he definitely has an issue with boundaries- which explains part of the reason Josh turned out the way he did.
Oh yeah, I remember him implying (and chuckling?) about Jill’s wedding night with Derick. No dad does that. It was…bizarre.
idgaf but regardless what they are to you, if you know someone is a predator why would you still let them be around kids?!? it doesn’t even matter how on top of it you are, but if you even think someone’s gonna potentially do something to a kid then you shouldn’t have them around!! and i don’t wish this on anyone but i wouldn’t be surprised if he did something to josh and that’s why josh turned out the way he did… obviously not an excuse but people seem to forget a lot of predators were victims of csa themselves…
My grandfather (maternal side) was the same way as theirs. My father had strict rules that we were not allowed alone with him. When my Dad went to work my mother did not follow those rules because she needed a break.
Some people shouldn’t be parents.
I bet Grampa Duggar molested Josh. It’s not a coincidence that both of them preyed on kids.
Also her mother knew he was a molester and took her daughter to his house for sleepovers? Disgusting.
This was my thought as well! I always wondered if there was something that triggered Josh to be the way he is.