The 19 Kids and Counting family have been through a difficult year. Ever since news broke out regarding Josh Duggar and his teenage discrepancies, the family of Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar have been closely scrutinized. Apart from Josh himself, the public also slammed sisters Jessa Duggar Seewald and Jill Duggar Dillard for standing by their erring brother. Even Josh's wife, Anna Duggar, was not spared from the public persecution. However, the entire Duggar family still stood by him - a move they all stuck to even despite the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting.
When everyone was gradually moving on, however, Josh once again blindsided the family. Taking to the media, he admitted to availing of the services of the Ashley Madison website. Josh further revealed that he engaged in extramarital affairs during the fourth pregnancy of his wife, Anna. These revelations, coupled with the recent scandal the family had to weather, tore apart the Duggar clan.
Jessa explained that the molestation scandal had been easier to come to terms with because they dealt with the issue as a family. Moreover, every member of Jim Bob's family had been privy of the matter. Hence, they were no longer shocked by the details. Nonetheless, the exposure of one of the family's darkest hours had been a challenging time for everyone.
The wife of Ben Seewald noted, however, that Josh's infidelity had been a more difficult act to accept. Apart from her obvious concern for Anna and the kids, Jessa felt betrayed by her big brother whom they all began to trust again despite his indiscretions. She shared, "It was really difficult to come to grips with that."
As for Jill, she said that she talked to husband Derrick Dillard regarding the Ashley Madison scandal of Josh. She shared that she did regret defending her brother at the time when everyone had been attacking him for his mistakes as a teenager. However, she felt it was unfair for Josh to allow them to speak on his behalf "without having the full knowledge of what he was hiding." Moreover, Jill shared that she learned the importance of not being a "hypocrite" following Josh's issues.
Despite Josh's mistakes, though, Jill shared that he remains close to their hearts. So, they could not turn him away forever. She shared that forgiving Josh for his actions is part of the family's healing process. Jill added that the inability to forgive will eventually hinder their desire to move on. Moreover, the family is optimistic that they will come out of the trials stronger than ever.
Anna was noticeably absent from the Jill & Jessa: Counting On episode. Fans and followers of the Duggar family believe that she might be featured in the next installments of the TV series.
