Aunt Deanna Demands Kendra Divorce Joseph Duggar Amid Legal Fallout

This one is grim. Joseph Duggar has been arrested on child sex abuse charges, his wife Kendra was picked up days later on separate counts, and now Joseph's aunt Deanna is publicly saying Kendra should get out. Here is how this all unfolded and what people around them are saying.

Deanna Duggar is not sugarcoating it

"I think Kendra should divorce him. She needs a new life."

Deanna, 63, said that to Page Six in an interview published Monday, March 30. She added that she has not seen Joseph in a few years, went into shock when she heard about his arrest, and is praying for the victims and for the family to, in her words, wake up, drop the defensiveness, and get right with each other. She also said she hopes her nephew gets help through rehabilitation.

The charges against Joseph

Joseph, 31, was arrested earlier this month and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving the molestation of a child under 12, along with a separate count of lewd and lascivious conduct by an adult. Authorities accuse him of molesting a 9-year-old girl in 2020 while he was on vacation in Florida.

Why Kendra was arrested too

Days after Joseph's arrest, Kendra, 27, was arrested and charged with eight counts total: four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. Joseph was charged with those offenses as well.

A Duggar family spokesperson told Us Weekly that Kendra's case is a misdemeanor and is not connected to the Florida accusations against Joseph.

So what triggered her arrest? An insider told Us that once Joseph was charged, authorities came to the couple's home because minors live there, which is standard. According to that source, police found two bedrooms with doorknob locks mounted on the outside instead of the inside. Based on that, Kendra was arrested and the children were removed, with authorities viewing the setup as evidence of unlawfully restraining kids. That description is from the source; the cases are ongoing.

Timeline at a glance

• Early March: Joseph is arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior counts tied to an alleged 2020 incident in Florida involving a 9-year-old girl.
• Days later: Kendra is arrested on four counts of second-degree child endangerment and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment; Joseph is also charged with those offenses.
• March 21: A source tells Us Weekly Kendra's arrest followed a home visit and inspection because minors live at the residence.
• After Kendra's arrest: A Duggar spokesperson says her case is a misdemeanor unrelated to Joseph's Florida charges.
• Monday, March 30: Deanna publicly urges Kendra to divorce Joseph and says she was shocked by the arrest.

The family backdrop

Deanna is Jim Bob Duggar's sister. Jim Bob, 60, and his wife Michelle share 19 kids and starred on TLC's 19 Kids and Counting and the spinoff Counting On. Deanna and her daughter Amy Duggar King, 39, also appeared on the shows; in recent years, Amy has become an outspoken critic of her uncle and that larger family machine.

Where things stand for Joseph and Kendra

Joseph and Kendra married in 2017 and have four children: Garrett, 7; Addison, 6; Brooklyn, 5; and Justus, 3. Deanna says she has not seen Joseph in years but wants the entire family to face what happened and stop acting like the world is against them.

The shadow of Josh Duggar

All of this is landing on a family with a very public history: Joseph's older brother Josh admitted in 2015 that he molested multiple underage girls, including some of his sisters, when he was a teenager. In 2021, he was arrested and convicted on federal child pornography charges and is serving a 12-year sentence.

If you need help

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text the Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.