The former &34;19 Kids and Counting Star&34; was arrested March 18 in connection with the sexual assault of a 9yearold girl. Joseph Duggar touts brother Josh's 'hard time' in prison to cops in booking video The former &34;19 Kids and Counting Star&34; was arrested March 18 in connection with the sexual assault of a 9yearold girl. By Raechal Shewfelt :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RaechalShewfeltauthorphotoc49d3a3b6aa442f588f2bbc0de804e09.jpg) Raechal Shewfelt Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at . She has been working at EW since 2024.

The former "19 Kids and Counting Star" was arrested March 18 in connection with the sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl.

Joseph Duggar touts brother Josh's 'hard time' in prison to cops in booking video

The former "19 Kids and Counting Star" was arrested March 18 in connection with the sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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March 20, 2026 5:54 p.m. ET

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Joseph Duggar; Josh Duggar. Credit:

Washington County Sheriff's Office; D Dipasupil/Getty for Extra

Joseph Duggar made reference to his brother Josh while being taken into custody Wednesday at the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Footage from video of the booking, which was released by the sheriff's office, shows Joseph being processed following his arrest in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl in Florida in 2020.

Joseph, 31, is asked whether he has been in a detention center before.

His answer: "Not on this side."

He then explains that his brother has done "hard time."

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Florida's Bay County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that the former reality TV star, who has appeared on TLC's *19 Kids and Counting* and *Counting On*, had been charged with lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older.

"On March 18, 2026, Bay County investigators were contacted by a detective with the Tontitown (Arkansas) Police Department regarding a report of past sexual abuse," their statement read. "The 14-year-old victim participated in a forensic interview, where she disclosed several incidents involving Duggar that occurred during a family vacation in Panama City Beach when she was 9 years old."

Joseph Duggar seen in family vlog 1 month before his arrest on child molestation charges

Jill Duggar Dillard's family speaks out after Joseph Duggar is arrested on child molestation charges

The alleged victim claimed Joseph had "repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap," authorities said. "As the vacation continued, he also asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket. During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim's underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs."

In the statement, authorities alleged that Joseph had "eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology," and that "investigators discovered the victim's father confronted Duggar about these incidents on March 17th, 2026."

The father of four now awaits extradition to Bay County after waiving his right to an extradition hearing.

Joseph Duggar is known for appearing on TLC's '19 Kids and Counting'.

In 2022, Josh Duggar, 38, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted on child pornography charges.

The sprawling Duggar family's flagship show, *19 Kids and Counting*, was canceled in 2015, following allegations that Josh had previously molested several young women, including more than one of his sisters.

Josh issued a statement in which he apologized for his previous actions, for which he was never charged, as authorities determined that the statute of limitations had expired in those cases.

Following the allegations against Joseph, an attorney speaking for Josh—who maintains his own innocence with respect to his convictions—said he was "deeply saddened."

"Josh understands the stigma of being accused," his attorney told the *Daily Mail*. "He lives with the painful reality of how false accusations can destroy a life. He understands how the targeting of a person for publicity can twist the truth into sensationalized fiction."

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