Jinger Duggar Vuolo and Joy Duggar Forsyth are still reeling from their brother Joseph Duggar’s recent arrest for alleged child molestation, with the former Counting On stars admitting to fans that they are going currently struggling.
As The Ashley previously reported, Joe was arrested in March for allegedly sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl in 2020 during a vacation in Florida. Following that arrest, unrelated charges were filed in Arkansas against both Joe and his wife Kendra, with each receiving four counts of false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a minor. Joe and Kendra have both plead not guilty to the alleged crimes.
While fielding questions from followers on Instagram this week, Jinger was asked if she’s “okay” in light of recent events, with one fan noting that the mom of three has appeared “so disconnected” in the latest episodes of her and husband Jeremy Vuolo’s podcast.
(On a recent episode of The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast, Jinger and Jeremy discuss why people in the IBLP cult keep being accused of sexual crimes. However, the bulk majority of the episode is just Jeremy blabbering on while Jinger just grunts “mm-hmm” every minute or so. In fact, it’s a full three minutes into the episode before Jinger utters at actual word, and then goes right back to chiming in “mm-hmm” occasionally while Jeremy runs his mouth for another three minutes.)
During her Instagram Q&A session, Jinger seemingly confirmed that she’s feeling the “disconnect.”
“It’s been a heavy season that reopened old wounds,” she wrote, presumably referring to her older brother Josh Duggar, who is currently in prison after being convicted in 2021 of receiving child sex abuse materials (CSAM). (Jinger and some of her sisters also experienced a similar situation in their childhood as the victim of Joe’s alleged crimes after they were molested by Josh. The molestations became public in 2015 when it was exposed by a tabloid– an incident the Duggar girls said re-traumatized them.)
Jinger went on to tell followers that while she “wanted to talk about these things” on her podcast, she said “it’s honestly so hard to do so.”
“I’ve been plugged in deep with my community here, not as active on socials, enjoying fun days with my little fam, and God is giving me help as I see brighter days ahead,” she added.
As you may remember, Jinger and Jeremy addressed Joe’s arrest during a short podcast episode they released last month, while telling listeners they planned to discuss the subject in more detail once they had time to process the situation. During the March 25 episode, a visibly upset Jinger told listeners she “did not think [her] heart could break like it has.” In a follow-up episode of The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast, Jinger claimed (as she did again this week) that Joe’s arrest had “reopened wounds from the past.”
“It’s been a hard season,” she added.
Duggar fans also seemed to notice a recent shift in Joy’s demeanor, with one fan reaching out to the former ‘Counting On’ star during an Instagram Q&A to ask if she’s “okay.” In response, Joy told the concerned fan that she’s also been struggling.
“I’m struggling to find the balance of what to share on here and what to hold close, while learning to carry what’s mine and give the rest to God,” Joy wrote. “It’s been a heavy season personally. Thank you for your prayers.”
As you may recall, Joy– who was once very close to Joe– was one of many Duggar siblings who spoke out last month in response to the latest Duggar arrest. In a statement posted to social media, Joy called the news of Joe’s alleged crimes, “heartbreaking and deeply disturbing.”
“My heart is with the victim, and I am grieved by the pain and harm caused,” she continued. “I have been a wreck this week and am taking time to process. I have a few pre-filmed commitments that I have to post, but I will be taking some much-needed time with my family. Thank you for your prayers.”
(Photos: Instagram; TLC)
