[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Amy Duggar King has a few strong words to say to Jim Bob Duggar following the release of the documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets!
The 36-year-old took to TikTok on Thursday to call out her uncle for not protecting his daughters, Jill and Jessa Duggar, from being abused and molested by their “predator” brother Josh Duggar. She said in the video:
“It all kind of boils down to this, right? If you’re not going to protect those beautiful daughters from a predator that was living inside of your home and you knew about it, and you’re gonna sweep it under the rug and your mentality is kinda just to brush it off and to hide it and to lie, not only do I not respect you anymore, but I also don’t want to give you a right to get to know my child. Because I will protect my child at all costs.”
Related: Jinger Duggar’s Shady Reason For Not Joining Sister Jill In New Documentary
As you most likely know, it came out in 2015 that Josh – who has since been convicted of child pornography possession – was accused of molesting multiple underage girls when he was a teenager — including a 4-year-old. Jill and Jessa were later identified as two of those victims. At that time, the pair sat down for an interview with Megyn Kelly and actually defended their brother – insisting they had “already forgiven” him. However, we learned later in the Duggar Family Secrets documentary that they were forced to do the interview by Jim Bob and felt “obligated” to downplay Josh’s actions for the sake of her family. Awful.
And while testifying on behalf of Josh in November 2021 for his child porn trial, the 19 Kids and Counting patriarch insisted he couldn’t remember the exact details of the 35-year-old’s admission that he’d horrifically touched the victims. But Jim Bob did recall how his eldest son told him and Michelle Duggar in 2002 about “inappropriate touching” of a minor – but could not say his exact wording. He said at the time:
“We were shocked this had happened but we were thankful he came on his own and told us. He had told me that he had touched some of the girls when they were sleeping on their breasts … they didn’t wake up.”
However, Amy doesn’t buy Jim Bob’s claim that he had no clue what was going on at home. She explained in the TikTok video:
“Just focus on the fact [that] the abuse was hidden and then [Jim Bob] was put on the stand, and he said, ‘Oh judge, I don’t recall.’ You don’t recall your daughters’ abuse? You don’t recall that? Well, then, for me, I have to protect my son from you. Because something is not right here. A lot of screws are loose.”
As we’ve learned from the doc, Jim Bob knew about Josh’s behavior for two decades and did whatever he could to sweep the whole thing under the rug. Family friends Jim and Bobye Holt also testified he molested their daughters. Although a police report was filed, a state trooper — who was a family friend — only gave Josh a warning. Rather than entering juvenile detention or getting counseling, he was shipped off to a Christian camp, and it was all kept secret for years. So, so horrific. It’s no wonder why Amy is rightfully enraged and disgusted by her uncle’s actions, to the point she wants to keep her son away from him. You can see her entire video (below):
@amyrking Al lot of screws are loose. #iblp #shinyhappypeople #amaz #duggars
♬ original sound – Amy Rachelle King
Reaction to her video, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via MEGA/WENN, Amy Duggar King/TikTok, TLC/YouTube]
