Josh Duggar Checks Into Long-Term Treatment Center; Family Admits He Has 'Brought Great Insult' to Faith and Values
The Duggar Family have revealed that Josh, who recently admitted to having cheated on his wife using the adulterous website Ashley Madison, has checked himself into a long-term treatment center. The family thanked supporters for their prayers, but noted that their 27-year-old son has "brought great insult to the values and faith we hold dear."
"As parents we are so deeply grieved by our son's decisions and actions. His wrong choices have deeply hurt his precious wife and children and have negatively affected so many others. He has also brought great insult to the values and faith we hold dear," the family statement posted on Wednesday read.
"Yesterday Josh checked himself into a long-term treatment center. For him it will be a long journey toward wholeness and recovery. We pray that in this he comes to complete repentance and sincere change. In the meantime, we will be offering our love, care and devoted support to Anna and our grandchildren as she also receives counsel and help for her own heart and future. During this time we continue to look to God — He is our rock and comfort. We ask for your continued prayers for our entire family."
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Duggar, who has been married to Anna Keller since September 2008, has four children, with their youngest, Meredith Grace, born in July.
The latest statement from the Duggar family does not make clear what precisely Josh will be treated for at the center, though the father of four admitted in his statement that for several years he had been viewing pornography on the Internet, which he said became a "secret addiction."
Duggar's confession of adultery came after hackers leaked information of Ashley Madison clients, where his email address was found.
"I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have been unfaithful to my wife," Duggar said.
"I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him," he added.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins has condemned the "deceitful behavior" of the reality TV star, who served for a short period as the executive director of FRC's lobbying arm.
"His deceitful behavior harms his family, his friends, his former coworkers, and the cause he has publicly espoused," Perkins said of Duggar.
"Those of us who advocate for family values in the public square are held to a higher standard, and Josh's failures serve as a painful reminder of the destructive effects of not living with integrity. We are praying for the family."
