{"id":236734,"date":"2025-10-19T17:05:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T17:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/236734\/"},"modified":"2025-10-19T17:05:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T17:05:13","slug":"amy-duggar-king-details-scary-josh-duggar-encounter-before-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/236734\/","title":{"rendered":"Amy Duggar King details scary Josh Duggar encounter before prison"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n

Amy Duggar King is still haunted by a scary encounter she had with her cousin Josh Duggar.<\/p>\n

The “19 Kids and Counting” alum\u2019s new book, “Holy Disruptor,”<\/a> chronicles her experiences within the well-known Arkansas family beyond reality TV. In it, she details the scandal that shattered their once-wholesome image.<\/p>\n

In 2015, TLC canceled the series after reports surfaced that Duggar, 37, had molested four of his young sisters and a babysitter. Weeks after the allegations were made public, Duggar King, 39, drove to her uncle\u2019s house to demand answers.<\/p>\n

JINGER DUGGAR SAYS SHE\u2019S ‘FREE’ FROM \u2018CULT-LIKE\u2019 RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING: \u2018IT JUST CONSUMED MY LIFE\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

TLC canceled “19 Kids and Counting” in 2015 following allegations that Josh Duggar (pictured here) had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter years earlier. (D Dipasupil\/Getty Images for Extra)<\/p>\n

“He was extremely passive, non-responsive,” Duggar King told Fox News Digital about what it was like being face-to-face with her cousin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“[He was] looking down at the floor for the longest time, didn\u2019t have much to say at all. I was furious and red in the face, crying, just my heart beating so fast out of my chest.”<\/p>\n

“He looked at me right into my eyes and said, \u2018I knew better,\u2019” said Duggar King. “And it was the creepiest smile I\u2019ve ever seen.”<\/p>\n

\"Amy <\/p>\n

Amy Duggar King told Fox News Digital she wanted to confront Josh Duggar face-to-face about the allegations. She wasn’t expecting his reaction. (\u00a9 Amazon\/Courtesy Everett Collection)<\/p>\n

Authorities began investigating the abuse after receiving a tip from a family friend, The Associated Press<\/a> reported. They concluded that the statute of limitations on any possible charges had expired.<\/p>\n

“As I continued to stare directly into his eyes, a slow smile spread across his face,” Duggar King recalled in the book. “It was the kind of smile that sent shivers down my spine, a twisted grin that was unlocking a world of chaos, suffering and pain that was yet to come for my family.”<\/p>\n

WATCH: AMY DUGGAR KING RECALLS CHILLING MOMENT CONFRONTING JOSH DUGGAR<\/p>\n

Duggar King claimed that “just as the tension reached its peak,” her uncle Jim Bob Duggar barged in and said in a condescending tone, “Now, Amy, let\u2019s not stir up contempt.” This enraged her.<\/p>\n

\"Josh <\/p>\n

After the scandal broke, Josh Duggar resigned as a lobbyist for the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group. (Kris Connor\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“His son was a predator, and yet he was more worried about my language and tone of voice,” she wrote.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Jim <\/p>\n

Amy Duggar King told Fox News Digital she wished her uncle Jim Bob Duggar (right) had done more about his son Josh Duggar. (D Dipasupil\/Getty Images for Extra)<\/p>\n

\u00a0Fox News Digital reached out to Jim Bob, 60, for comment.<\/p>\n

“This is just my opinion, we\u2019ll just put that out there, [but] I think the reality was too much,” Duggar King told Fox News Digital about how her uncle dealt with the scandal.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” followed the growing Duggar family from Arkansas. It premiered in 2008. (Peter Kramer\/NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“I think the harsh reality was heartbreaking, and it was too much. … But I don\u2019t know what was going through his mind. I can\u2019t really speak for my uncle, and I\u2019m not going to, but I just know that if I were in that situation, I would have parented very differently<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

\"Book <\/p>\n

Amy Duggar King’s memoir, “Holy Disruptor: Shattering the Shiny Facade by Getting Louder with the Truth,” is out now. (Zondervan)<\/p>\n

Duggar King said she and her mother first learned of the accusations when they made headlines.<\/p>\n

“We didn\u2019t know,” she said. “It came out on the news, and we had no idea. So we were blindsided. It\u2019s absolutely heartbreaking to know what has gone on in my family, but I\u2019m not afraid to be bold when it has to do with my cousins. I\u2019ve always been really protective of them. I love them, and I want the very best for them.<\/p>\n

\"Amy <\/p>\n

Amy Duggar King was known as “Crazy Cousin Amy” on “19 Kids and Counting” because she was so different from her relatives. (Alberto E. Rodriguez\/Getty Images for WE TV)<\/p>\n

“And so, when I found out that the girls were violated in such a hard way, I was like mama bear. I was like, that\u2019s it. I am done with not knowing anything. I was never told anything, and no one was giving me any answers. And if no one\u2019s going to talk to me or tell me what\u2019s going on, then I\u2019m going to find out myself.”<\/p>\n

LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Amy Duggar King, seen here with her husband Dillon King, spoke about the controversial teachings of Bill Gothard in the docuseries “Shiny Happy People.” (\u00a9 Amazon\/Courtesy Everett Collection)<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m not afraid to ask the hard questions,” she said. “And it\u2019s not about me being a martyr, like, \u2018Why didn\u2019t you touch me?\u2019 It\u2019s not about me. But if he had tried, then I could have gotten help for the girls. I just feel like I could have done more if I had known more at the time. And it really is crazy to think that for so long, I was on the show, I had no idea. Not a clue.”<\/p>\n

Duggar\u2019s parents said that after the allegations resurfaced he confessed and apologized privately, The Associated Press reported. Duggar then apologized publicly for unspecified behavior and resigned as a lobbyist for the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group.<\/p>\n

\"Amy <\/p>\n

Amy Duggar King said the scandal involving her cousin Josh Duggar impacts the way she parents her young son. (Courtesy of Amy Duggar King)<\/p>\n

The father of seven is currently serving a nearly 13-year prison sentence<\/a> for receiving and possessing child pornography. Investigators testified that images depicting the sexual abuse of children were downloaded in 2019 onto a computer at a car dealership he owned.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Josh Duggar is currently serving a nearly 13-year prison sentence for receiving and possessing child pornography. (Washington County Sheriff’s Office)<\/p>\n

“Obviously, after the first scandal, I was blown away, heartbroken,” said Duggar King. “But it also changed the way I view parenting and just how I want to educate my son at a very young age. \u2026 Because one day my son is going to be a young man. \u2026 I want him to be ready for the world, and I want him to know what the word \u2018abuse\u2019 is. I want him to know the places that are off limits.”<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s also changed how I view people,” she continued. “I used to easily trust, thinking, \u2018They have a good heart because I do, so they must.\u2019 [I realized] that\u2019s not always the case. And so, I am very selective now about who I allow in my inner circle.”<\/p>\n

\"Josh <\/p>\n

In 2024, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Josh Duggar, a former reality television star convicted of downloading child sexual abuse images. The court did not elaborate on the denial, as is typical. (Washington County Police Department)<\/p>\n

In the book, Duggar King wrote that she reached out to her cousin\u2019s fifth victim to tell her how sorry she was for what happened.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Anna <\/p>\n

Josh Duggar and his wife Anna share seven children. (Kris Connor\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“She told me she is moving on and ready for a quieter life, and that she\u2019s in a much better place now,” Duggar King wrote<\/a>. “Josh, on the other hand, was barely held accountable for his actions, which is exactly why he was later caught in yet another heartbreaking scandal.”<\/p>\n

Duggar King admitted that her relationship with her cousins, uncle and aunt is strained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Amy <\/p>\n

In her new book “Holy Disruptor,” Amy Duggar King is candid about her family’s dark history. (Jo Johnson Overby)<\/p>\n

“I haven\u2019t spoken to many of them in several years,” she said. “For me, boundaries are key. It\u2019s not about rejection. It\u2019s not that I don\u2019t love them. It\u2019s just one of those things where a lot has happened. \u2026 And it\u2019s for those reasons that have led to my mom and me stepping back, having distance and putting up boundaries. And I think that\u2019s a healthy thing to do. And because of the boundaries that we have in our lives, we can now live a more peaceful life.”<\/p>\n

\"Amy <\/p>\n

Amy Duggar King and her mother are estranged from the Duggar family. (Courtesy of Amy Duggar King)<\/p>\n

In her book, Duggar King described her cousins as “happily brainwashed” \u2014 not out of malice, but out of frustration at watching them grow up under the rigid teachings of Bill Gothard. In the series, she was labeled “Crazy Cousin Amy”<\/a> for being different from them.<\/p>\n

“They couldn\u2019t slam a door, they couldn\u2019t listen to the radio, they couldn\u2019t watch a movie,” she explained. “They couldn\u2019t just turn on the television and watch Saturday morning cartoons. They couldn\u2019t wear jeans or shorts. There are a lot of things that they couldn\u2019t do. They couldn\u2019t hang out at the mall with their friends. They couldn\u2019t experience dressing up as a Disney princess or any of that.”<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

Amy Duggar King described how her cousins were required to follow strict rules even when cameras stopped rolling. (D Dipasupil\/Getty Images for Extra)<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m a walking sin, and I guess I have always been,” she laughed to herself. “I\u2019ve always enjoyed wearing jeans and shorts. … Why is it all a sin? And it\u2019s just blindly following a teaching that maybe they didn\u2019t ask questions about. My \u2018happily brainwashed\u2019 is a way of just saying, \u2018I wish you would think for yourself.\u2019 … [But], I\u2019m really glad that they\u2019ve come to their own now and a lot of them are wearing jeans and venturing out.”<\/p>\n

JINGER DUGGAR\u2019S \u2018CULT-LIKE\u2019 UPBRINGING LEFT HER STRUGGLING EVEN AFTER BREAKING FREE<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Amy Duggar King told Fox News Digital she hopes to one day reconnect with her cousins. (Kacey Kinion Photography)<\/p>\n

Duggar King remains hopeful that any of her cousins, ready to forge a new relationship, will reach out.<\/p>\n

\"Amy <\/p>\n

Amy Duggar King (seen here with her family) lives in Arkansas with her husband, Dillon, and her son, Daxton. (Courtesy of Amy Duggar King)<\/p>\n

“I would tell my cousins if I saw them today that I love them and I want the very best for them,” she said. “I want them to live a very full life. And I want them to also question what they\u2019ve been taught. \u2026 If they do start asking questions and if they do want a different way to live, or if they maybe are questioning just what they\u2019ve all seen and what they\u2019ve been taught, then I\u2019m always going to be here for them.”<\/p>\n

Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Amy Duggar King is still haunted by a scary encounter…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":236735,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[223,88,12856,17716,92],"class_list":["post-236734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-books","tag-entertainment","tag-reality","tag-scandal","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}