Duggar Family Reacts to Josh's 12.5 Years Prison Sentencing

The Duggar family has reacted to Josh Duggar’s 12.5-year prison sentencing following his child pornography trial after details emerged from his Wednesday, May 25, hearing.

The disgraced Duggar brother was sentenced to 151 months on child pornography charges, which is between 12 and 13 years, and his wife, Anna Duggar, had “no reaction” according to a court reporter on the scene.

A reporter captured a video of Joy Anna looking stoic while leaving the courthouse, following her brother’s sentencing. Josh will fulfill his prison time in Seagoville, Texas, or Texarkana, Arkansas. As for his wife, she was seen almost jogging to her vehicle promptly after leaving the courthouse.

“We’re grateful the judge dismissed Count 2 and rejected the Government’s request for a 240-month sentence,” Josh’s attorney Travis Story tells In Touch of his 151-month sentence. “We look forward to continuing the fight on appeal.”

The former TLC star will face 20 years of probation after he serves his time at either of the prison facilities and will not be allowed unsupervised visitation with his seven children. Additionally, Josh will be banned from watching adult pornography and will not be allowed to own a computer, according to The Sun.

Scroll down for more details to see how the rest of the family responded to the sentencing.

Following the sentencing, Josh’s cousin Amy King (née Duggar) shared her reaction with Celebuzz, saying, “Twelve and a half years isn’t enough.”

“I hope that every single second he’s there feels like an eternity,” she added.

Just one week prior, Amy exclusively opened up to In Touch in a video interview about her perspective on the situation.

“I honestly don’t think justice can be served a hundred percent for those victims,” Amy, 35, said on Wednesday, May 18. “But I do know — I’ve actually looked up some prison details lately ‘cause [I’m] just trying to get an idea of really what’s gonna be happening to him … And I would be very, very, very fearful if I were him.”

Speaking about her desire for Josh to receive the maximum sentence, Amy mentioned that “another monster, another abuser is put away, and they can’t hurt any more children.”

“And that makes my heart happy because that means the judge is doing his job,” she concluded. “Homeland Security did their job. And that’s what matters.”

As for her personal view on her cousin, Amy noted that she “can literally like, not think of him as [her] cousin” and just view him as a “terrible person.”

“I can literally think of him, like, I never knew him really,” the former 19 Kids and Counting star said before adding she never “really, truly knew him.”

Josh was found guilty of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography in December 2021. He was in custody in Fayetteville, Arkansas, while he awaited his sentencing hearing. At the time, multiple members of the former reality TV family publicly reacted to Josh’s verdict. One of the lengthiest responses was from Jill Duggar and her husband, Derick Dillard.

“Today was difficult for our family,” the couple wrote in a statement posted to their blog. “Our hearts go out to the victims of child abuse or any kind of exploitation … After seeing all the evidence as it was presented, we believe that the jury reached a just verdict today, consistent with the truth beyond a reasonable doubt. Josh’s actions have rippled far beyond the epicenter of the offense itself. Children have scars, but his family is also suffering the fallout of his actions.”

The couple then extended their well-wishes to Josh’s wife, Anna Duggar, and their children Mackynzie, Michael, Marcus, Meredith, Mason, Maryella and Madyson.

“Our hearts are sensitive to the pains Josh’s wife, Anna, and their seven children have already endured and will continue to process in the future,” Jill and Derick added. “This trial has felt more like a funeral than anything else. Josh’s family has a long road ahead. We stand with them, we are praying for them, and we will seek to support them however we can during this dark time.”

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Nevertheless, Jill and Derick noted that “nobody is above the law.”

“As a Christian, we believe we are all equal at the foot of the cross, and, likewise, we are all equal under the law,” they continued.

Scroll down to see how members of the Duggar family reacted to Josh’s sentencing.

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Jason Duggar

Jason opened up about his brother’s sentencing via his Instagram Story on Thursday, May 26.

“In my opinion, Judge Timothy L. Brooks was fair in his ruling giving Josh a sentence that would be considered below the median for the crimes he has committed,” the 22-year-old wrote. “My heart is grieving over the choices my brother has made, his actions do not reflect that of a Christian believer and have doubtlessly defamed my Lord and Saviors name!!”

“Joshua’s poor decisions have greatly affected those around him, in particular his wife, seven children and our family as a whole.”

“With that said,” he continued, “I will never stop loving my brother, regardless of what he does, just as my savior has forgiven me so I have forgiven my brother of his wrongdoings! My prayer is that God will use this circumstance to truly humble him and bring about a true change in his life!”

Amy Duggar

Amy shared her thoughts on Josh’s sentencing via an Instagram video on May 25. “I knew him getting the maximum sentence wasn’t going to be the easiest to prove since it’s, like, his first offense in the judge’s eyes, which I hate,” she said. However, Amy said she’s happy her cousin won’t have access to a computer and that he “can’t hurt” any more children.

“Where he’s going, I feel like the prisoners are just gonna take care of him,” she continued. Amy also admitted she’s been “stressed” out over the sentencing.

“I don’t think the case is over. I think this is far from over,” she added. “Josh’s sickness stems from somewhere and eventually we will hear about the trauma.”

Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard

Jill and Derick took to their family website to share their reaction to Josh’s sentencing. “The last several weeks and months have been difficult emotionally. Yesterday was another one of those hard days,” they wrote in the May 26 post. “We are neither rejoicing nor disappointed by the sentence, but we are thankful it’s finally over.”

“Though some believe Josh should have received a greater sentence and still fewer believe he should have received a lighter sentence, God has carried out his vengeance today for his unspeakable criminal activity,” the couple continued. “Until now, he has yet to be held accountable to the extent necessary to cause change in his dangerous pattern of behavior. It is unfortunate, but it seems that it may take spending over a decade in federal prison, and still more on probation, for Josh to have any potential for rehabilitation to the point he can safely live in society again.”

“Hopefully, Josh can actually begin to get treatment and begin to work toward a lifestyle where he is less likely to reoffend. If for nothing else, the notoriety of this case has hopefully contributed to the deterrence of potential offenders and will help protect children by decreasing the demand for CSAM,” Jill and Derick wrote. “We continue to love Josh and his family and will be there for them however we can.”