America was introduced to a family from Arkansas. A peppy narrator said that while most families in the country have two children on average, some families just keep growing and growing.
The narrator said to meet the Duggars.
Jim Bob and Michelle had 14 children and one on the way. The documentary, 14 Children and Pregnant Again, was about how a large family handled logistical issues like chores, transportation, and parenting.
The children introduced themselves to the camera one by one. Joshua was the family's eldest at the beginning of the line. Josh had a plaid blue shirt buttoned up to his neck and a clean-cut appearance, which was what his parents were trying to convey to the world: a wholesome, religious boy who could be an example of the lifestyle they believed was right.
Things are different now. Josh was arrested by US marshals in Arkansas in April and charged with receiving and possession of child sex abuse images. Gerald Faulkner, a Homeland Security agent, testified during the trial that Josh had more than 200 images of children, some as young as 18 months, on his computer, describing some of the images as the worst he had ever seen. He was found guilty of all charges on Thursday.
The fall from grace for the Duggars is the result of spending the past two decades selling themselves as a family for others to emulate. They have sometimes implied that their fame came about by accident.
For years, Jim Bob and Michelle have been searching for the spotlight. In the early 2000s, after Jim Bob left politics to work in the Arkansas legislature, his wife wrote an essay for Parents magazine about her unique life and accepted Arkansas's young mother of the year award.
When reality television producers called, the couple took the opportunity to improve the family finances, and also fulfill their ultimate goal of inspiring others to live like them.
Our desire in opening our home to the world has been to make Christ known and to share Bible principles that are the answers for life's problems. The family is praying that everyone will trust Jesus Christ.
In their quest for fame, fortune, and being a spiritual example for the world, the Duggars inadvertently ended up doing the opposite. They were unaware of the truth that it was disingenuous to preach family values to the people who were watching.
We know that Jim Bob and Michelle were aware that they had a problem with Josh, even before the first documentary aired.
It is hard to imagine why Jim Bob and Michelle chose to expose their family to the public, while dealing with such horrifying truths behind the scenes.
Bobye Holt, a family friend, testified during the trial that the family knew about Josh's sexual abuse of young children.
Holt told the court that the family had asked her and her husband to counsel their son as spiritual advisers, noting that Josh had been dating a teenaged daughter at the time. She said that Josh admitted to touching four underaged girls on their breasts, vaginal areas, and under their clothes.
Holt fought back tears as he said that the man told them that their oldest daughter would know why the relationship had to end.
In Touch Weekly first reported allegations of Josh sexually abusing his sisters and another girl in May 2015, and Holt didn't name the victims, but the timing matches. After the magazine published its bombshell article, based on police reports it had obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests, the Duggars began a public relations campaign, giving an exclusive, two-part interview to Fox News. The sisters said that they forgive Josh, even though they were among his victims.
Despite knowing about Josh's actions, the Duggars chose to chase fame and exposure for their family, filming that first special in 2004 and following it up with several others. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported in October 2005 that the family was filming two more Discovery specials. The paper reported that Jim Bob was going to run for the state senate.
Holt said that Josh went to her home in Little Rock in 2005 to get things off his mind. Holt admitted to penetrating the vagina of a 5-year-old girl with his finger.
Holt said that you don't forget something like that.
In 2015, Jim Bob and Michelle told Kelly that after Josh confessed, they took him to Arkansas State Police Headquarters to reveal what he had done. They didn't hear anything from the police for months after that.
The star continued to rise. The host of the Today show declared them to be an inspiration to all of us on Father's Day 2005. Johannah, their 16th child, was born in October of that year. The Democrat said that the mother of 16 was already thinking about doing it again after delivering her 16th child. They continued to film shows like Raising 16 Children and On the Road With 16 Children.
Someone tried to expose the secret of the Duggars. The studio of Oprah Winfrey's production company Harpo was warned of the allegations against Josh shortly before the family was scheduled to appear on the show.
"You need to know the truth," it said. They are not what they seem to be.
The family never appeared on the show. Authorities began a formal investigation after the production company contacted them. The three-year statute of limitations had expired. The incident remained largely under wraps, although it eventually leaked onto the internet, where it became a persistent rumor about the show.
The Oprah incident was not confirmed until Jim Bob and Michelle spoke to Kelly. They felt like failures when they realized what Josh had done, but they believed he had forgiven them. The abuse allegations were downplayed. Jim Bob claimed that the victims didn't know what he had done until he told them, and that the family wanted to forget about it. They made guards to make sure their sons and daughters were not alone after the investigation.
The Duggars continued to seek bigger and bigger platforms after the Oprah incident. In 2008 they got their own show on the network, 17 Kids and Counting, which ran for eight years and 15 seasons. The first two seasons of the show featured Josh and Anna Keller getting married. Their oldest child entered a Christian marriage.
Both parents extolled the good qualities of their son in the episode, but left out the pain he had been causing the family for years. They praised Josh and Anna for setting a good example of how young couples can remain pure before marriage.
It's really special to save the first kiss for your wedding day, said the actress in the episode. I hope that it encourages others to consider that as well.
The empire grew over the next few years. Josh and Anna had their first baby, Mackynzie, in 2009, and they have seven children, including a newborn. Jim Bob and his wife released books for parents. The family created a website where they could share their beliefs after going on the Christian speaker circuit.
In a 2009 interview, the family's media ventures were seen as a way to preach their faith.
She said that it's an opportunity to encourage families to enjoy their children, enjoy children while they have them, and realize that they are a gift from God. That's our prayer. This is an opportunity to enjoy time with your family and encourage others to do the same.
The Christian empire they carefully constructed slowly crumbled over the past six years as the skeletons were hidden in their closets.
The first blow came in 2015, when In Touch Weekly published the police reports from 2006 that revealed Josh had admitted to abusing five minor girls. Josh, a married father of three, apologized for his actions but insisted they were in the past.
He asked Christ to forgive him and come into his life. I would do anything to go back to those teen years.
Josh quit his position at the Family Research Council and the show was canceled by the show's producers. After the cancellation, the parents and daughters began to spin the story, starting with an interview with Megyn Kelly. Jessa implied that the family was being attacked for their faith.
I feel like people that already dislike our family would be the ones to spread this around and do so in a malicious way. She told Kelly that they didn't have the victims in mind.
The Duggars would be on the air again. In December 2015, a three-part special about the lives of Jessa andJill and their other children was broadcasted on the new show, Counting On. Anna appeared on the show occasionally.
The family continued to preach their ministry, having their youngest daughters release a Christian worship album, and making more attempts at entering local politics. There were some cracks under the surface, most notably the estrangement of the family, but for the most part, they continued on their path. If the family could move on from Josh's sins, the rest of us should as well.
Josh was arrested for child sexual abuse materials and subsequently convicted, which may have ruined the family's reputation for good. The cancellation of Counting On was announced after Josh was arrested. Most of the Duggars and their adult spouses have kept a low profile during the trial, barely posting on social media or posting about their faith. Joy-Anna posted that she was studying the book of Job, about suffering.
She wrote that Job received the strength that God gave him to endure. Yes, Jesus. I will trust you.
The current state of the family raises the question of why they started this in the first place. Would you push your family into the spotlight if you had a child dealing with darkness? When you know you have skeletons in your closet, why would you preach about family values and chastity? The world would know when the news came out that the parents made their children famous.
It is difficult to answer these questions. In light of the past two decades, Jim Bob and Michelle are still looking for more ways to evangelize.
In November, seven months after Josh's arrest, Jim Bob and his wife were running for the Arkansas Senate in order to fight for the "foundational principles that have made our nation great."
He wrote that the family has been blessed by God. We have found His love and goodness to be our source of strength during times of joy and turmoil. It is important for us to give back and help others.
Jim Bob and his wife are still teaching us. The only question is if anyone will listen.
