Jeremy Vuolo says the recent arrest of his brother-in-law Joseph Duggar has made him reflect on his own life and the way he parents his own children.
During a recent episode of their Jinger & Jeremy Podcast, Jeremy and his wife Jinger discussed Joe’s arrest last month for allegedly sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl in 2020 in Florida. Following that arrest, Joe and his wife Kendra were also charged in Arkansas with four counts of false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a minor, leading to both Kendra and Joe being banned from seeing their kids until at least their court hearing at the end of the month.
Jeremy told Jinger that Joe and Kendra’s four children are also victims of Joe’s alleged actions.
“In a moment when you see children whose father is taken away from them… The devastation of Joe’s behavior isn’t just the effects on Joe,” he said. “It’s the effect on all those who he’s damaged and the victim, but it’s also his children who have just lost their father.”
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Jeremy— who starred alongside Joe and Kendra and the rest of the Duggar clan on Counting On— said seeing Joe’s kids lose their dad has had a big effect on him.
“It makes me hug my kids tighter and say, ‘Well, I want to be the best father I can be for them,’ you know?” Jeremy— who shares daughter Evangeline and Felicity, as well as son Finn, with Jinger— said. “And it reminds you when you see someone who’s lost the greatest treasures in their lives, it reminds you of what the greatest treasures are in yours.
“I’ve had a lot of those thoughts, a lot of reevaluating of what’s valuable.”
“Reality checks of life,” Jinger added.
Jinger and Jeremy released a short podcast episode last month to address Joe’s arrest but told listeners they’d be going into the subject in more detail once they had time to process the situation.
“I did not think that my heart could break like it has this week,” a visibly upset Jinger stated in the podcast episode posted on March 25. “The pain and heartbreak that we’ve had over this and just thinking about how it’s affected so many. Yeah, it’s just unthinkable. It’s so hard and painful on many levels. It’s hard. I don’t even have words. All we can do in those moments is just cry out to God and ask him to sustain us, to give help.”
On the newer episode, Jinger reflected on how Joe’s arrest has “reopened wounds from the past,” which is almost certainly a reference to her eldest brother Josh being convicted of receiving child sex abuse materials, a crime he is currently in prison for.
“It’s been a hard season,” she said.
Jeremy then requested that their fans pray for “those who are more even immediately affected in this situation– the children, the family.”
Currently, Joe is out of jail on bond and reunited with Kendra in Arkansas, although neither have access to their four kids at this time.
You can watch the full episode of the Jinger & Jeremy Podcast below.
RELATED STORY: Kendra Duggar Tells Joe Duggar “May God Have Mercy on Us” In Jail Phone Call; Jokes She Hasn’t “Died Yet”
(Photos: YouTube; Washington County Sheriff’s Office; TLC; Instagram)
4 Responses
I think Jinger’s reference to opening up wounds of the past is about her own molestation. I’m sure she and Jill are hurting right now. I’m glad they both moved away from their disgusting family.
This guys does need to worry about hugging his kids tighter he needs to worry about keeping his eyes on them when they are around anyone in this family or they very well may become the next victims
I’d like to think I have unconditional love for my husband, but the truth is, my support IS conditional. I couldn’t stay with someone who sexually abused kids. The thought of someone doing that grosses me out; I’d never be able to look at him without picturing him violating an innocent child in that way. It makes me want to vomit.
Welp, someone’s not going to be invited to this year’s Ugly Sweater Christmas Party…
(and he wouldn’t have it any other way, crimes or not)