Josh Duggar Calls Himself a ‘Hypocrite,’ Begs Forgiveness for ‘Double Life’
Josh Duggar has confirmed the data released in the Ashley Madison hack was, indeed, his, and revealed he has been struggling with a pornography addiction.
“I have been the biggest hypocrite ever,” Duggar writes on the Duggar family blog. “While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the Internet, and this became a secret addiction, and I became unfaithful to my wife.”
Josh is married to Anna, and the two have four children, including recent arrival Meredith Grace.
In May, Josh admitted to molesting five girls, including his sisters. He resigned from his position at the Family Research Council after the information became public.
Now, he finds himself apologizing once more for his actions.
“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,” Duggar writes.
The rest of his statement is as follows:
“I brought hurt and a reproach to my family, close friends and the fans of our show with my actions that happened when I was 14-15 years old, and now I have rebroken their trust.
“The last few years, while publicly stating I was fighting against immorality in our country, I was hiding my own personal failings.
“As I am learning the hard way, we have the freedom to choose our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences. I deeply regret all hurt I have caused so many by being such a bad example.
“I humbly ask for your forgiveness. Please pray for my precious wife, Anna, and our family during this time.”
The Duggar family, formerly of 19 Kids and Counting, has been dealing with the fallout of Josh’s choices since the molestation allegations surfaced this summer.
The family has undergone significant changes, including the cancellation of their TV show, two new babies with a third on the way.
In addition, Duggar daughter Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, moved to South America in recent months.
Josh Duggar’s bombshell revelation about his “double life” is something many families across the country are experiencing in the wake of the Ashley Madison data hack.
