In 2015, Josh Duggar of reality-show family the Duggars admitted to sexually molesting five underage girls 13 years ago, when he was only 14. He also revealed that two of those girls were his younger sisters, Jill and Jessa, and he conceded to a porn addiction and cheating on his wife, which rocked the family’s strong Christian fanbase.
Eight of the Duggar siblings (minus Josh, obviously) appeared on Good Morning America on Monday to state their position: they’re “moving on” from Josh and his scandal.
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After taking a brief hiatus from reality TV when 19 Kids and Counting was cancelled by TLC, the Duggars are returning in Jill and Jessa: Counting On.
John-David Duggar told ABC News reporter Paula Faris that the family has worked to overcome its challenges and is slowly moving forward.
“The devil took his best shot and he tried to take our whole family down, but God has really used this to — instead of tearing us apart as a family, he’s using it to draw us together,” he said. “We’ve forgiven, and we’re moving on, and we’re looking to the future,” he said.
When Faris asked the Duggars if the decision to film Jill and Jessa was money-and-fame-driven, Jessa Duggar Seewald (she’s now married) denied that those were motivation.
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“I think in the midst of what we were walking through, there definitely have to be periods where you’re like, ‘I don’t want cameras around,'” she said. “If we can encourage even one other person out there who’s struggling, then that needs to be our goal… we’ve had a lot of healing in our family these past few months and we’re ready to move forward and share our lives.”
Jill and Jessa follows Jill and Jessa Duggar as new mothers. Josh Duggar does not make any appearances on the program.
Josh Duggar sought treatment at a faith-based rehabilitation center in Rockford, Ill., last August, and was released last week.
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