Josh Duggar’s statement: “I have been the biggest hypocrite ever…”
After his Ashley Madison and OKCupid accounts were exposed, former 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar admitted he has been living a “double life,” which involved both a “secret addiction” to Internet porn and physically cheating on wife Anna Duggar.
“I have been the biggest hypocrite ever,” Josh said in a statement published on the Duggar family blog today. “While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and* I became unfaithful to my wife.”
Here is the rest of the statement:
I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him.
I brought hurt and a reproach to my family, close friends and the fans of our show with my actions that happened when I was 14-15 years old, and now I have re-broken their trust.
The last few years, while publicly stating I was fighting against immorality in our country, I was hiding my own personal failings.
As I am learning the hard way, we have the freedom to choose to our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences. I deeply regret all hurt I have caused so many by being such a bad example.
I humbly ask for your forgiveness. Please pray for my precious wife Anna and our family during this time.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar said they only learned of Josh’s actions last night. They added, “As we continue to place our trust in God we ask for your prayers for Josh, Anna, our grandchildren and our entire family.”
Anna, who welcomed her fourth child with Josh just one month ago, has not commented.
UPDATE* Shortly after publishing the statement in the form shown above, it was temporarily removed from the family website. When it was replaced, segments about Josh’s porn-viewing habits and “secret addiction” were removed, along with the reference to when he molested five underage girls as a teenager. No explanation was given for the revisions.
