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That time Josh Duggar made an awkward joke about incest on TV.

Of course this was buried away on the internet, waiting to come out.

Less than a week since the world found out Josh Duggar was investigated for molesting his young sisters as a teenager, someone has uncovered a clip of him making a joke on the subject.

The one important thing missing from the Duggars’ cover-up.

Josh is 20 at the time the clip was filmed. And in it, he makes a joke about dating his sisters.

In an episode of 19 Kids and Counting, Josh talks about having his younger brother and sister chaperone him and his girlfriend — now his wife — Anna to the movies.

He jokes about going on a “double date” with his siblings — an awkward gag considering we recently learned he molested some of his siblings when he was 14.

If you’ve been blissfully unaware of the Duggars until now, here’s what you need to know:

The Duggars are a fundamentalist Christian family from the US. They became famous through a reality show called ‘19 Kids and Counting‘ because they have, well, 19 kids and counting.

They are Independent Baptists. They do not wear shorts, singlets, or anything above the knee. No beaches. No swimming in public. No short hair. No beards. The children are homeschooled, and the older ones help out the younger ones using a buddy system (the buddies are allocated at birth).

According to mother Michelle, the Duggars feel that exposure of the thighs amounts to “nakedness and shame,” and runs the risk of “defrauding” others by encouraging lustful thoughts.

Jim-Bob and Michelle Duggar don’t believe in contraception, so Michelle has been having a child every 18 months since they married when she was 17 years old.

Now, there are some very complicated rules when it comes to finding a husband the Duggar way, and they all revolve around a process called courting. Duggar dad Jim-Bob explained it in a recent interview.

Apparently, a good girl never dates a guy. She allows herself to be ‘courted’ by him. Basically, a boy calls a girl’s dad (never her mum, only a man can decide) and asks if he can court her. If her dad says yes, that boy then comes over to the girl’s home, and sits in the living room with her and her parents while the two of them talk and pray. Said boy and girl then sit awkwardly in the living room a certain number of times deemed appropriate before getting married.

All four of the eldest Duggar girls, Jana, Jill, Jessa and Jinger, wrote a book called Growing up Duggar: It’s All About Relationships, which reveals just how conservative their views on men really are. And while two of the authors have gone on to marry and have children, it’s not clear whether their relationship advice is all that it’s cracked up to be.

Jessa Duggar, the fifth child, 22, was married on 1 November last year to Ben Seewald. They held hands for the first time when they were engaged. They had a self-imposed ban on contact until their nuptials, and were only allowed to side-hug.

After the ceremony there were reports that Jessa had sex with Ben after the church ceremony.

But Jessa says no – they didn’t even kiss at the ceremony. They decided it was even too special for the wedding day. So when the pastor said “You may now kiss the bride”… Jessa’s parents had a quick peck instead. But ten days later, the kiss finally happened and Jessa was able to capture it in a selfie and put in on Instagram…

But this hasn’t been the Duggars’ only kissing scandal.

Amy Duggar, who is technically Jim Bob’s niece, posted an image to her instagram of her and boyfriend Dillon King kissing (and they’re not married). The photo was later deleted.

The Duggars have been no stranger to controversy. After the death of their 20th child in Michelle’s second trimester, the couple held a memorial service – and the order of service included some images of their dead child. While consistent with their tendency to live their life out in the open, the images were distressing to some.

With the eldest Duggar son Josh confessing to sexually abusing young girls as a teenager, and reports that Michelle and Jim-Bob were involved in the cover-up, it seems as though the Duggar household may have been showing a very different face to the world.

Josh spoke to People magazine about the abuse, saying that “twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends.

“I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counselling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life.”

Meet the rest of America’s largest family – the Duggars:

 

Do you have a news tip? Email us on news@mamamia.com.au.

Read more:

The one important thing missing from the Duggar’s cover-up.

The 6 most disturbing fan responses to Josh Duggar’s sexual assault confession.

This is the true face of the Duggar family. And it is ugly.

 

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Top Comments

Caz Gibson 9 years ago

This family is clearly a cult, and what are religious cults obsessed with ?..........Sex.

To my eyes their ethical compass is broken and their sense of entitlement is typical of ultra right-wing, conservative religious thinkers.

Having too many children is no laughing matter in a society where welfare and child abuse are part of the fabric of a dysfunctional way of life for many.
This mob are not role-models - they're smug, smiling fascists who clearly should never be anywhere near innocent children...........what a bunch of creeps.