Former reality star Kendra Duggar tearfully urged her husband Joseph Duggar not to trust anyone during a recent jail visit, sharing that she no longer has custody of their four children following their arrests.
In a phone call from March 23 that was captured by authorities, Kendra, 27, could be heard sobbing. In a subsequent conversation, she mentioned that she had hired a lawyer, though this detail wasn’t publicly disclosed.
“Friday was probably the hardest day, but it’s funny to say that because Wednesday was just as tough,” she told Joseph during a March 24 call.
She expressed her heartache, saying, “You’re taking my baby away from me, the very people I intended to pour my life into.”
In another prison call, Kendra reiterated her focus on their children. “I’m fighting for my children. They’re my priority right now,” she told Joseph. In response, he expressed his full support for her efforts, agreeing that she should be the one to lead in fighting for their kids.
“Throughout all of this, I want you to know that no matter what happens, who comes first,” Kendra added. “Then we’ll see where that leads and try to piece everything together.”
Kendra was arrested on March 20 in Arkansas, facing charges of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree false imprisonment. Joseph has also been charged with eight counts related to similar issues.
A close family source indicated that their arrest stemmed from a search of their home, where authorities found the door locked from the outside.
A family spokesperson clarified that the charges in Arkansas are “completely unrelated” to Joseph’s prior sexual abuse case in Florida, stating that Kendra has not been implicated in any of his alleged crimes.
Joseph, now 31, is also facing charges for lewd indecency and inappropriate touching of a child under 12. A Florida judge set his bail at $600,000 during his initial court appearance on Tuesday, which he posted the same day. The judge instructed him to avoid all contact with the alleged victim and not to have unsupervised interactions with minors under 18.
Joseph, who gained fame through the TLC series “19 Kids and Counting,” was arrested after a 14-year-old girl reported incidents of inappropriate touching that occurred when she was nine during family vacations. According to an arrest affidavit, Joseph admitted to the abuse when confronted by the girl’s father.
