Still, “their faith is in no way rocked by this”

Aug 21, 2015 14:10 GMT  ·  By
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are “devastated” by Josh's infidelity, never imagined this would happen
   Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are “devastated” by Josh's infidelity, never imagined this would happen

The Duggars’ time on the small screen may have been (not surprisingly) cut short when TLC canceled their hit reality show 19 Kids and Counting, but they still hoped they could get some specials or other appearances on the network. The discovery that Josh Duggar, their eldest, is also a cheater and a hypocrite, in addition to a child molester, has made that impossible.

People Magazine, perhaps the first outlet to which the Duggars talk, has several stories online today, after Josh got busted by Gawker for subscribing to cheating website Ashley Madison, with the purpose of cheating on his wife Anna.

The scandal (Josh is an outspoken family values activist) comes a little over 2 months after police records exposed him as a child molester, after a series of incidents involving 5 minor girls, 4 of whom turned out to be his sisters.

It will probably be the end of the Duggars as we’ve known them so far.

Jim Bob and Michelle don’t know who Josh is anymore

When the truth about Josh as a teen was exposed in the media, through the Freedom of Information Act, Jim Bob and Michelle stood by their son and defended their own actions at the time, of not cooperating with authorities when they got involved.

They also blamed the media for the scandal, saying that “this wasn’t like rape or anything:” Josh’s inappropriate touching of the girls was a “mistake” that they had handled as a family, and the media had no right to interfere, even if only to cover the details of the case.

Right now, Jim Bob and Michelle feel like they don’t know the Josh they defended so passionately, sources tell the celebrity publication.

“This wasn't something they ever imagined was possible,” one such tipster shares. “They so strictly limit their exposure to these sorts of outside influences - from websites to even the sort of television they watch, if they turn on the TV at all - that they were absolutely baffled by how this could have been possible.”

As they see it, shutting their kids up in a bubble, completely removed from the outside world, should have worked in terms of keeping them away from temptation. It didn’t.

The Duggars’ faith is as strong as ever

In a separate report, People notes that the Duggars have more trouble coming their way - not that this weren’t enough: the latest scandal in which Josh got himself involved has effectively killed whatever chances they still had to make a comeback to television.

After TLC canceled their show, they knew better than to expect the network to bring it back at some point. Still, they imagined they could still get on the air through specials or shorter appearances, and thus continue what had been a very, very lucrative TV career.

This Ashley Madison scandal will be their complete undoing, the report says, adding that they’re thinking their future will be bleak, money-wise.

With all that, they’re not losing their faith in God. “Their faith is in no way rocked by this,” says another source. They’re praying right now.