Joseph Duggar, a former cast member of the TV series “19 Kids and Counting,” was taken into custody in Arkansas on Wednesday for alleged inappropriate behavior and unlawful sexual activity involving a minor, as per authorities.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the charges against Duggar stem from an incident in Florida in 2020. A 14-year-old girl mentioned in a forensic interview conducted in March 2026 that Duggar had engaged in inappropriate behavior with her during a family trip to Panama City Beach when she was 9.
Duggar was apprehended in Tontitown, Arkansas, where the TV show “19 Kids and Counting” was filmed. The authorities disclosed that the victim’s father confronted Duggar about the incidents on March 17, 2026, with Duggar admitting to the actions to both the victim’s father and Tontitown Detectives.
A separate statement from the Tontitown Police Department confirmed that they obtained an arrest warrant for Duggar on the same day. He is currently awaiting extradition to Bay County, and there has been no public response from Duggar or his family regarding the allegations.
This arrest follows the legal troubles of Joseph Duggar’s brother, Josh Duggar, who was convicted for possessing images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. Josh Duggar’s case initiated when authorities discovered child sexual abuse materials linked to him through a computer in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2019. He was sentenced to 12½ years in prison in 2022.
The reality show “19 Kids and Counting” was canceled by TLC in 2015 after allegations surfaced that Josh Duggar had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter years earlier. Despite investigations triggered by a family friend’s tip, the authorities determined that the statute of limitations for any charges had expired.
Duggar’s parents acknowledged the allegations in 2015, stating that he had confessed and privately apologized for his actions. He later made a public apology for unspecified misconduct and stepped down from his position as a lobbyist for the Family Research Council. Joseph Duggar and other family members addressed these allegations on the TLC special “Jill & Jessa: Counting On.”
Expressing his shock, Joseph Duggar mentioned in a 2015 show clip how surprised he was to learn about his brother’s hidden life, emphasizing the disconnect between his brother’s public image and his actions, stating that it deeply saddened him.