Jim Bob Duggar took the stand Monday in an Arkansas federal courtroom, after being called by those prosecuting his son, Josh, on charges of receiving and possessing child p0rnography. The Duggar Family patriarch was reluctant to discuss what he was called upon to talk about— Josh’s history of molesting four of his sisters and one other girl when he was a teen.
Jim Bob also challenged the judge multiple times during the hearing, only to have the judge clap back and inform Jim Bob that he is not in charge or able to make objections/rulings in the case.
Jim Bob may have been forced to testify (after allegedly dodging the court’s subpoena), but the former 19 Kids & Counting star insisted he “can’t remember” many of the details of the molestations, which Josh and his legal team are attempting to have kept out of Josh’s child sex abuse material trial, which begins Tuesday.
(Monday’s pre-trial hearing was called specifically so the judge could decide whether or not to allow Josh’s prior molestation history to be part of his current trial. The judge is due to decide tomorrow.)
In 2015, Josh admitted to (but was never charged for) molesting four of his underage sisters, as well as another minor female, back when he was a teen himself. The molestations— which happened in 2002-2003— were documented in a 2006 police report after Jim Bob and his wife Michelle were asked to take Josh and their daughters to a police station to report what Josh did. In Touch Weekly exposed that police report in 2015, leading Josh, Jim Bob, Michelle and two of the victims— Jessa Duggar Seewald and Jill Duggar Dillard— to speak publicly about the molestations.
(Josh’s other sisters, Jinger Duggar Vuolo and Joy Duggar Forsyth, later came out as two more victims in a lawsuit. The fifth victim has never been publicly identified.)
During Monday’s court hearing, Jim Bob repeatedly said he couldn’t remember the details regarding how Josh informed him that he had touched the victims.
He also became upset when the police report (that was exposed by In Touch Weekly) was brought up in court, telling the judge, “For you guys to use a tabloid to bring it back up is very unprofessional.”
“I’m not going to allow it, are you going to allow for that?” he asked the judge, Timothy L. Brooks.
Jim Bob also refused to read the police report aloud in court; however he did read the report to himself but said he still “can’t remember” many of the details of Josh’s prior molestations.
According to People, Judge Brooks then made it clear to Jim Bob that he is not in charge.
“If there is [an] objection to be made, someone will make it but it won’t be you,” the judge told Jim Bob.
“Mr. Duggar, I recognize this is perhaps a very unfair position that you’re placed in and I appreciate that…This is not a debate,” the judge added.
Also taking the stand on Monday was Bobye Holt, a close friend to the Duggars and the wife to Jim Holt, an elder in the Duggar Family’s church.
(While it’s never been publicly confirmed, Josh was once in an early courtship with one of the Holt daughters. That courtship ended before Josh courted his now-wife, Anna.)
Bobye gave more specific details about Josh’s teenage molestations, stating that Josh admitted at least twice— in 2003 and in 2005— to her that he touched four of the victims inappropriately under and over their clothes.
Jim Bob stated that both Bobye and Jim Holt counseled Josh at the time.
Josh’s legal team argued that, because Josh confessed to Bobye Holt when she was acting as part of a “church group,” she should not be allowed to testify at the trial. The defense stated Arkansas’ law on clergy privilege as the reason, according to the local news, 4029 TV.
After Judge Brooks decides on Tuesday whether or not Josh’s prior molestations will be used in his current trial, jury selection will begin.
To read more about Josh’s trial, click here!
UPDATE! People has reported more details of Bobye Holt’s testimony at the pre-trial hearing on Monday. She stated that she and her family “loved Josh” and spent a lot of time with the Duggar family. She stated that Josh even called her “Aunt Bobye.”
Bobye confirmed that her oldest daughter (Kaeleigh, who is now married to a man named Rob Tull) dated Josh for several months in 2002-2003. Bobye stated that the relationship was chaperoned (as most of the Duggar kids’ relationships have been), and that it was “more emotional than physical.” Bobye stated that she hoped Josh and her daughter would marry someday, even though both were only about 14 when they were “dating.”
Bobye confirmed that Josh and her daughter stopped their relationship in March 2003, when the Duggars called the Holts and told them that Josh had molested four of his sisters, with one of the incidents happening while a sister was sitting on Josh’s lap during Bible time.
“From when he told me … [Josh’s molestation of his sisters] started at [age] 12 until March 30, 2003,” Bobye added.
Bobye stated that Josh lived with the Holts in 2015, after offering Josh the opportunity to discuss with them any “temptations he wanted to confess.” Bobye claims Josh confessed to touching his sister under her underwear on the day she was sitting on his lap. Bobye stated that Josh also confessed that Josh was caught by a sister when he was touching her while she slept.
“He told me she snitched on him,” Bobye told the court.
Bobye claimed she tried to inform Josh’s parents about what Josh had confessed to her, but the Duggars were reluctant to listen.
“Nope, not a thing, Michelle!”
“I went to go tell Jim Bob and Michelle but they said they didn’t want to hear it,” Bobye said, later adding, “People began to be aware. … Something else happened in Little Rock that made Josh leave our home.”
(She stated that the “something else” that happened was not an inappropriate touching incident.)
Bobye also make it clear that women are not allowed to be elders in their church, something the prosecution pointed out made the defense’s “clergy privilege” defense void.
Unrelated to Bobye’s testimony, Jim Bob reportedly told the judge at one point that, “I’m not a male chauvinist. My wife is wiser than I am.”
RELATED STORY: 5 Major Things That Happened This Week In Regard to Josh Duggar’s Upcoming Trial
(Photos: TLC; Instagram)
36 Responses
Another religieus dick that condones abuse.
I’m trying to act like I’m shocked.
Who takes care of Daddy’s needs when Mommy can’t?
Sounds like he’ll make a perfect Senator….”I can’t recall.”
Dad of the year, forgetting details of his own daughters molestations.
What a pig bitch,
If this man gets elected, I will have lost all faith in this country.
Hopefully the voters of Arkansas will see that he is NOT a Godly man. I, myself, was pretty fooled in the beginning with the show, but as time went on, I started to really dislike Josh (just seemed off) and thought Jim Bob was pretty full of himself, then all of this awful stuff starting coming to light. I like that the judge put him in his place, let’s hope he throws the book at Josh.
I’ve always wondered about Jim Bob, but the fact that he is so ready to just throw his daughters away and pretend their abuse just never happened is terrifying. What has Jim Bob done and to whom? I wonder is Jim Bob’s disgusting skeletons in his closet are why his sister wants nothing to do with him. Apple doesn’t fall far, you know.
Are the woman of jimBoobs cult allowed to vote?
Sure, if it’s for a Duggar or anyone else running on a platform of “Stop killing fetuses: we need the female ones to grow into full girls before we work on killing their souls.”
I swear, I think JimBob is more repulsive than Josh.
I always found JimBob’s actions more reprehensible than Josh’s for how he prioritized the deviant son he created over his numerous daughters and other female victims. But they were all young people then. Now he KNOWS his god didn’t cure his son of being a sexual predator, and, while he’s still quick to condemn perfectly innocent people whose actions don’t fit into his twisted paradigm of sin and sex, he still supports his criminally sexual deviant son, and he’s doubled down on his complicity. Josh is an adult now and unquestionably culpable for his actions, and a danger to society as a whole. but JimBob’s supporting him to the point of perjuring himself is all the more grotesque, given his judgment and rules over everyone else’s benign actions.
He should be caged, too, and–while I know he won’t be–I hope that he is shunned by both his fellow cult members and any other supporters he has left, but, mostly, I hope the adult children who’ved maintained their relationship finally recognize how little regard he has from him and cut him and his also-twisted wife out of their lives. After they sue for custody of all of the underage girls over whom he still has authority.
He is such a disgusting POS.
What does that say about DimBlob!!!! He’s as fkn sketchy as his filthy cońo of a son.
It’s a wonder the bible didn’t explode in his fat greedy filthy lying hand.
This is very telling of the true man he is, people of Arkansas should think twice about voting for this, ungodly hypocrite.
Hiding behind religion to get away with abusing children, and doing all sorts on his computer, he’s worse than josh, as is Anna and Michelle.
How many times are Jim Bob and Michelle going to victimize their 4 daughters?! It’s absolutely appalling that they are taking Josh’s side in this, when they have 4 daughters he molested. It’s sickening. Those girls need to get away from the parents and get real therapy. How can they even look at their parents knowing they don’t care what happened to them?
Damn, Rim Job’s behaviour in court speaks volumes. Clearly he is used to being the authority figure, and having likeminded bigots around to back him up. Now he has been forced to dip his toe into the real world, he still thinks he will get his way. How adorable! With any luck, he will keep running his mouth and just make things even worse for Josh.
For a saddo like me who has found too much morbid curiosity in this family over the years, I cannot wait to see the trial play out. It’s like the OJ trial for crappy reality TV watchers. I hope the judge blows this thing wide open and sends his ass down. Fuck Josh, fuck RimJob, fuck Michelle, fuck Anna.
Well said.
And they call them selves people of god .. vile ..
He would place his hand on a bible, swear to tell the truth and then proceed to lie shamelessly to protect his son over his daughters and other girls. That sounds on brand for this “god-loving, family man.”
Why do so many that hide behind religion have the biggest sins?
Lying and perjury aren’t good looks, JB. You idiot.
And this enabling moron wants to run for gov
You are literally throwing your 4 daughters to the wolves again, to protect the biggest, worst, most despicable predators of p imaginable!!!!! How?!?!?
I feel horrible for Jessa, Joy, Jinger, and Jill. It’s disgusting that Jim Bob realizes who he just sacrificed for the monster he created.
Is this why he had so many kids? When 4 refuse to be in the same room with him again, he won’t even miss them because there are 14 others?
You are now officially a horrible person. I hope that judge verbally b!tchslaps JB and Josh.
“I can’t recall” is a politician’s favorite go to when they know they’ve been caught in unsavory behavior, so Jim Bob doesn’t surprise me here.
Nor does it surprise me the women in this sordid affair are treated as less than human compared to the males (I won’t say men here). So far it feels the judge isn’t playing around, let us hope Josh may finally have some consequences
I had to take my birth mother to court this summer over some property she stole from me. I lost the case because she “couldn’t remember” anything ? it’s awfully convenient that these 50-something’s suddenly have the worst memory of anyone in history. You’d think given the seriousness of what Josh did, his dad might be able to remember what happened. I was molested by a sibling and my birth mother denies it to this day. It doesn’t matter if it was brought up in a tabloid or not. As a parent, you should believe your kids and do whatever it takes to protect them. Sweeping things under the rug and pretending to not remember things is invalidating what those girls went though.
Also, I had church “counseling” from a pastors wife when I was 16. I feel like they should have some kind of credentials for any “clergy privilege” to apply. Otherwise, that’s a pretty big loophole.
Once again, he threw his daughters under the bus in order to protect his evil son. I hope that all of his adult daughters cut him out of their lives and that his minor daughters can eventually escape.
He’s so gross. Can he and josh share a prison cell?
Sooo, he swore on the bible to tell the truth and nothing but the truth and then proceeded to lie. Okay ?☕.
Could this be learned behavior by Josh? Could he allegedly grew up experiencing this or witnessing it? JImBob take care of your daughters. Let your chomo son serve his time.
Wow. Just wow. F this family and these fake values they preach.
Is that so, Jim Bob? You dont recall the details of the day you found out that your son had abused five young girls, four of which are your own daughters? For most people that would be the worst day of their life, but not Jim Bob. He’s so focused on finding a loop hole to get his son out of trouble that he’s totally overlooking the trail of victims Josh has left behind him. Those videos dont come out of no where, those children were abused on camera and Josh Duggar enjoyed watching it. Anyone that helps josh is perpetuating his victim’s abuse. Josh hurt real people.
Ah, how the mighty fall when they have no control, eh Jim Bob? How does it feel to have someone in authority strip your power from you?
I pray the oldest girl, Jana, escapes that hell her parents built for her. If she ever speaks out, they will likely never see the light of day again. Something terrible has happened to that poor girl.
I can’t imagine how his daughters must feel. To be molested by your bother at a young age, your parents to cover it up, then try to deny they remember the details of how they found out? What horrific memories they have just for their brother to continue to get undeserved protection
Add to that: you have children yourself and everyone is told to do everything to make sure your brother doesn’t go to jail for child pornography.
He will have access to your own children when everything is legally over and he the judge wasn’t able to send him to jail. Your parents will force you to trust him etc or you’ll be the bad one. You’ll have to allow that man around your kids, maybe checking his sleeping kids where your kids sleep, etc.
What an a$$hat.
???
Who tf does Jim Bob think he is?? He’s the biggest hypocritical POS I’ve seen in my life
Pretty sure lying’s a sin you HYPOCRITE
I’m a Tracy too & I agree 100%.