Kendra Duggar Retreats to a Private Location After Arrest—What She Told Joseph

Joseph Duggar’s jailhouse call to Kendra Duggar reveals the couple coordinating her whereabouts after their arrests, per a March 20 recording from Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, obtained by Entertainment Weekly.

Well, this escalated quickly. New audio from a jailhouse call between Joseph Duggar and his wife, Kendra, pulls back the curtain on where each of them landed after their recent arrests — and it is not pretty.

The call: money, kids, and where Kendra is

Entertainment Weekly says it obtained a March 20 collect call Joseph, 31, made to Kendra, 27, from the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She missed his first try, so he emailed her — because, as he explains, emails are free and phone calls are not. He says he has around $60 to use for calls and had $50 in his wallet when he was picked up, and he is not spending it on anything else.

They switch over to family talk — the couple married in 2017 and share four kids: Garrett, Addison, Brooklyn, and Justus — and Kendra asks if he knows where she is. Per EW, she seems to be aware the line is recorded. After pausing, she says authorities took her to a private and safe place. Joseph’s response: relief.

Joseph says he is in solitary

Joseph tells her he is alone in an 8-by-10 cell for 23 hours a day at the Washington County Detention Center. He says he is getting a lot of reading in and some rest, but that sleeping through the night has been rough.

"I’m in solitary for 23 hours of the day... It’s pretty small... I’ve been able to read a lot... but I’m not sleeping great through the night."

The charges and the messy timeline

Earlier this month, Joseph was arrested in connection with alleged conduct in Florida. The arrest stems from a 14-year-old girl’s accusation that he molested her during a 2020 trip to Panama City Beach. The listed offenses are lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim under 12, and lewd and lascivious behavior by someone 18 or older. Yes, the charge language sounds off next to the accuser’s age — that’s the kind of statute wording that makes these things read more confusing than they already are.

Joseph appeared in court virtually on March 20, did not enter a plea at that hearing, and waived his right to an extradition hearing. According to records cited by Us Weekly on Sunday, March 29, he then filed a written not-guilty plea and asked for a jury trial. Us later said the Bay County Jail confirmed on Tuesday, March 31 that he was in custody in Florida.

Why Kendra was arrested too

Days after Joseph was picked up, Kendra was also arrested and then released the same day on a $1,470 bond. Both Joseph and Kendra now face Arkansas charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment.

A source familiar with the case told Us on March 21 that Kendra’s arrest is separate from Joseph’s Florida case — but one led to the other. Translation: after Joseph’s charge, authorities did a home check because there are minors in the house. During that visit, investigators reportedly found two bedroom doors with doorknob locks installed so they lock from the outside. The source says that was treated as evidence of unlawfully restraining the kids; Kendra was arrested and the children were removed.

The Duggar family’s spokesperson, meanwhile, called Kendra’s case a misdemeanor that is totally unrelated to the Florida allegations.

Where things stand now

• March 20: Joseph makes a collect call from Washington County Detention Center; appears virtually in court, does not enter a plea, and waives extradition.
• March 21: Source tells Us Kendra’s arrest followed a home study; outside-facing door locks cited; kids removed.
• March 29 (Sunday): Records viewed by Us show Joseph filed a written not-guilty plea and requested a jury trial.
• March 31 (Tuesday): Bay County Jail confirms Joseph is in custody in Florida.
• Kendra: Arrested, then released same day on a $1,470 bond; charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. Family spokesperson says it is a misdemeanor unrelated to Florida.

Quick takeaway

The call paints a stark picture: Joseph in a tiny cell for 23 hours a day, Kendra in a guarded, undisclosed location, and both facing separate but now intertwined legal problems. It is a lot, and the procedural details do not make it any clearer — at least not yet.

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.