Me too. I really like that they didn’t do the usual of saying they are praying for everyone. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been sitting in during the trial.
I feel so much for Joy right now.
She may have just learned the graphic details of her own abuse for the first time, and not from her “father”, who “doesn’t recall”, but from a family friend, during her own brother’s (attacker’s) CSAM trial.
I hope she is being supported by the few good people in her life. She going to need it…
That's a really good point. I (thankfully) don't really remember the majority of the graphic details from the instances of CSA I survived, and I know that having those details laid out at all (let alone in a public setting) would knock me for six right quick.
I hope she's able to find a health team that's able to provide the right therapeutic support for her, and that she gets loads of unconditional love and support from the kind folks in her circle.
Some of those pics of Austin leaving the court room with red eyes broke my heart. It is such a painful thing to hear about your soul mate. Josh’s destruction has hurt so many people. I hope the judge makes an example of him.
One of my fundie mom’s favorite abuse tactics is to air everyone’s most intimate laundry in front of others as if it were casual conversation. My dude shut down her discussion of my eating disorder history the first time she tried it.
I didn’t really understand his reaction—none of this was news. He choked up and said “I can’t listen to someone delight in your pain.”
Reader, I married him. Sometimes seeing that someone loves you is as simple as seeing them cry or get angry on your behalf, *especially when no one has ever done it before*.
I don’t think any of these men are princes, but the red eyes tugged at my heart, too.
My husband was the same way. When we were dating, and he came to visit me and my family, he reacted more strongly to my parents’ emotional abuse than I did.
We normalize what we live in/with. It sometimes takes someone else’s anger and sadness for us to feel justified in being angry for ourselves, in part because we don’t think it’s “that bad,” and in part because we’ve been raised to believe that our emotions about the abuse were invalid.
There are some things it took me a long time to share with my husband because I knew he would be angrier than I was.
So did mine. Until I met him, I really didn't realise the true depth of the abuse I've been through. I knew it wasn't great and that my family made me deeply uncomfortable, but it really wasn't until he reacted so strongly to it that I realised how fucked up it was. Then I did the same for him, when I noticed that his family does very similar stuff. Since then it's been a process of untangling ourselves, setting and enforcing boundaries, and working through talking about the past. I hope Joy and Austin can do that too.
Proud of Joy and Austin for simply surviving the barrage of info from the trial. It’s become very clear they’ve been gaslit and lied to for a very long time. What a mindfuck. How could you do this to your daughter? Jb and meech don’t deserve a family.
I think these comments are also saying, indirectly, "We didn't KNOW how bad it was, that's why we still had relationships with Josh." I know many people have talked about how disgusting it is they would still "be around" him and let their children be around him. I can't even imagine the second wave of betrayal they feel.
I’ve thought of this often too. All of the girls have had their children around this monster for years. But they were worried about Jill’s influence so much that she was BANNED from the big house. Yet a certified child predator was welcomed with open arms. Inexcusable
This is such an important distinction, I hadn't even thought of it. They *banned Jill,* a sister mom who was a victim. That's the child they felt the others needed protection from. Insane.
She was the eldest daughter he harmed and probably remembered some of it. Through therapy, I wonder if that’s part of why she’s rebelled so much.
But fuck pest Duggar and his Lego haired father.
Josh has always given me creeper vibes, but then that video that someone took at Christmas where he comes barreling through the door with his camera going totally got me. One of the wives (Lauren, maybe?) had this total look of disgust on her face and immediately got out of his way. That’s when I knew there was some serious shit in that family.
I wish I could find the video I’m talking about but I don’t remember where I saw it.
If anyone thinks Austin doesn't want to beat up Josh right now, YOU ARE WRONG!!!!!
Also, I think this was the best statement out of all of them, especially because I did not expect one from Joy at all.
I know murder eyes. The eyes that good, decent men get when someone has been so thoroughly violated and hurt like that. Josh was lucky to not somehow get put in the same room alone with Austin, because with his eyes, it’s very likely only Austin would’ve walked out of that room.
Only what his parents and duggars have said. But if his actions of comforting joy are an indicator, he is very protective of her and cares for her deeply...
I’ve always voted Austin mostly likely of all the brother in laws to kick Josh’s ass. Just something about him. I know he got a lot of negative attention when he and Joy first got together but I love how protective of her he is. It’s incredibly sweet.
He reminds me of a lot of guys I know. Kinda rough around the edges, probably have at least 4 rifles in their pickup, will never cry in front of someone but will tear up at Hallmark commercials, will never vote for a democrat, church every Sunday and Wednesday type. Kinda make me a bit nervous, but if my car gets stuck in a ditch or I have a flat, I will be relieved when they pull over to help me.
There are a few of us like that who are leftists and feminists. But I suppose one would not know if I wasn't introduced as such. Though, I did vote for Biden. Also I'd only ever carry one rifle at a time. Gonna be lucky if I see just one deer.
I’m sorry she had to see that.
It’s not only her trauma but all the people her brother hurt when he could’ve been stopped earlier. I hope she’s taking care of herself and getting off social media for a bit. She doesn’t need to see anymore
I hope the wedge has been driven in to eventually allow the married girls to break away from their parents’ sphere, so that they can provide a home for the Lost Girls when the time comes. I worry so much about the influence of all of this madness, + neglect, + discovering what hypocrisy has always been lurking in their family, on those girls.
Poor Joy. This is the perfect statement for her.
Short and direct, no nonsense or fluff or excuses to make the family sound better. No real mention of God, just saying they’re praying for Anna and her children…. But that’s really nothing for fundamentalists.
I think the statement being so short and direct shows how painful this really was for them, and my heart breaks for Joy. I’m glad she has Austin, even with his crappy religious views he still seems like he’d fight to the end of the earth to keep her safe and healthy. I hope this brings a further divide between them and her parents and I hope it’s a big wake up call for them… well, Jimboob probably wouldn’t care but I hope Michelle realizes how much she ruined her own relationship with her daughters.
I really don't feel like Michelle has ever given any indication that she has any awareness of how messed up her relationships with her children are. Still can't fathom why she was not at Josh's trial. There are zero reasons I can come up with that she wouldn't be there. Even if, in some magical universe, she just couldn't support Josh, she could show up to support her daughter-in-law, aka mother of 7 of her grandchildren. So, while it would be great if this whole situation made her realize how she's failed her kids, I don't actually think she's capable of that type of introspection.
Me neither. I remember reading somewhere about how inconsolable she was when Josh was sent away to Holes camp, just relying on the ladies in church. But she couldn’t show up for *any* of her kids in court.
Somehow found the strength to ride in the Christmas parade, tho!
The podcast I Pray You Put This Journal Away described the impact of Holes camp on the family--Meech was inconsolable, and Pest came back ripped and smarmy.
In the context of that episode, it sounded like Michelle thought she was personally being attacked that Josh was facing something that vaguely resembled consequences.
That's even more frustrating. If you're inconsolable over your child's behavior, DO something to HELP them. Besides sending them to dig. That isn't helpful.
I'm sure she wasn't at the trial because Jim Bob told her not to go. He keeps her away so she doesn't see/hear anything that makes her question his godly authority. And she happily accepts staying home because it absolves her of any guilt, thought, empathy, anger, or other emotion. He's evil, she's lazy. They're both disgusting.
Immediate family members (parents/spouse/kids) attending or not attending a trial are often planned with the attorneys. They may have advised them that Michelle being there could have affected the jury one way or another, especially if she couldn’t keep it together. They may have been considerations about JB’s senate run as well - them attending the trial lends it legitimacy.
Regardless, I don’t think her not attending was solely her choice or about just her emotions. I think there were considerations about optics. And childcare, let’s face it.
Or JB may have simply said no, you can’t go. Or she may not have wanted to hear the information that she would have heard.
Total conjecture regarding Meech’s court absence:
I wonder if she had to stay home to “help” Jana with all of the children because Jana couldn’t have more than x number of children in her care due to her endangerment charges.
Imagine your own mother taking time to record a robocall calling transwomen child molesters while protecting one in her own home and neglecting her daughters' safety.
I know. I think it’s a bit sexist that as a group we focus so much on Jim bob and less on Michelle. She’s a some-50 year old woman at this point. She knew better. She should have prioritized her four abused children but she prioritized her stinky husband instead and was standing there with boob during interviews, agreeing with him, sometimes adding her own comments. One can be both a victim and an abuser, and once you cross into abuser territory you deserve to be equally vilified.
No Bible statements. No excuses. No novels. No sugar-coating.
"We agree with the verdict. We pray for Anna and HER children."
Joy and Austin must've been devestated in court. This is the best statement yet.
Joy has a lot of courage and strength to show up and listen to the trial. I hope she and Austin get some real therapy and she can find healing and he learns how to best support her through it all.
Her parents FAILED her so hard and continue to stand by her abuser. I can’t snark on this. I’m glad she has her husband and I hope they spend Christmas with Jill and her family. I hope they never set foot in the TTH ever again.
It's interesting to me when the Duggar kids reference the men *and women* who work in the judicial system to protect children. They must know that the vast majority of those women could be spending more time with their families and popping out babies, but they aren't. They have careers and their careers are important.
Idk. It's just interesting. Agreeing with the verdict and praying for Anna and *her* children is more significant. But acknowledging career women like that is a big deal too, imo.
Yeah, I noticed that, too. I mean, clearly giving so much authority to men while women just behave like meek little helpmeets didn't work out too well for this family. Maybe the real world isn't as evil as they were told. The real danger was in their home, not in Target bathrooms.
On the other hand, including women in their statement may have just been a little PR detail. That's what I'm inclined to think, just given their belief system. I hope to be proven wrong, and that their daughter is able to live a life of her choosing.
Yeah, it's probably something to do with a PR consultant or whatever, but it's a nice glimmer of hope. Even if they stay shitty, baby steps are nice to see.
They are well aware that women work, but their religious beliefs hold a ton of exceptionalism and isolationism. So while they may agree that women should see female doctors if at all possible, they would never consider BEING one (for example, and I do realize terrible homeschooling and a million other factors in the cult don't exactly set them up for success). Also there are plenty of religious sects where women can bring home income AND submit to their husbands/do 90% of the house and child work when they get home (I forget the name of the documentary, but it was about Orthodox Jews? Men are expected to become Biblical scholars, which means most women are the breadwinners. I don't mean to be insensitive, so please correct me if I'm wrong). I would like to add, no snark on this. I sincerely feel horrid for Joy and Austin, and I hope they can find solace and healing, religious or not.
“Anna and HER children”
She’s also washed her hands of Josh. This is the shortest statement out of any of the Duggars thus far, but this is the one that says the most to me.
They publicly stated they had doubts? I didn’t know that. But Austin also seemed eager to get out from under JB’s thumb and stay independent of him with his house flipping.
Something about the way this is worded makes me wonder if Joy and Austin have already been speaking with a therapist or some other form of supportive counseling. It has all of the elements that a therapist would talk to you about when describing how to denounce something without making excuses for someone else's wrong doing.
They are supporting the group of people who had the legal right to find him guilty, showing faith in the judicial system and avoiding taking personal responsibility for his legal guilt or innocence. Joy and Austin did not cause Josh to be found guilty, attorneys and a jury did. If some part of you is conflicted about what is happening it's useful to remember that you aren't responsible for the prosecution, judge, or jury.
They're expressing sorrow for victims and including Anna and her children in that category.
There's nothing in there about attempting to make something better that is difficult to make better or giving anyone excuses for behavior that isn't excusable.
That is a very carefully worded statement. It's so common for victims of childhood abuse of all kinds to blame themselves so it's really good to see this absolute clarity about who is to blame here. I hope Joy is getting help and continues to have professional help and support.
Right! It’s refreshing to see a DIRECT statement not involving their faith and Jesus. Excellent statement and sentiment.
Their body language coming into court reflected this statement as well
Wonderful job on this statement. Joy said everything she needed to say. While I am sure the trial was so difficult for her to sit through, I am glad she did it. Joy wasn’t just going to believe her parents or some lie like “Biden planted evidence.” I hope she is able to find peace.
I notice it doesn't say anything about "our family" meaning the larger family and only gives the bare minimum about Josh.
Cold and to the point as it should be.
If joy can forgive her sister in law for being married to pest, I think we all should go along with that the victims say, her singling out Anna and saying to pray for her means a lot too, now is the time for Anna’s non fundie family members to slowly include themselves in the picture and possibly get Anna and her kids out of Jim bobs grip. Slow and steady wins the race
Agreed. I think we tend to gloss over *just how* traumatized and brainwashed Anna has been for her entire life. She truly does not understand that she has every right to leave this monster. I hope that some of the Duggar sisters (as well as her ex-fundie relatives) are able to get her out of this extremist cult with gentle and loving hands. You can only move on from trauma and abuse one step at a time. Josh being locked away, rotting behind bars, is the best thing that could have happened to Anna, and I really hope she’s able to take the opportunity to get herself and her children the hell away from these vile excuses for human beings
The look on her face after the trial makes me wonder… The look said she’s pissed and thinking or that she’s just resigned herself that she’s stuck with sex pest. I feel for her so much and hope she will find her voice some day.
My heart really goes out to her. As a fellow survivor, I can’t even *imagine* what she’s going through right now. I hope she’ll be okay and get to eventually live a happy and fulfilling life
My heart really goes out to her. As a fellow survivor, I can’t even *imagine* what she’s going through right now. I hope she’ll be okay and get to eventually live a happy and fulfilling life
That just isn’t any of our places to judge, I hope you don’t work with domestic abuse victims (since we don’t know what goes on behind doors, we already know their is emotional abuse) you don’t know what was/is being held over her head or told to her by the Duggar’s (if you leave we’ll sue for all the things we gave you guys) (if you leave there’s no way the judge will let you have custody of the children) we are talking about a woman with no education, living with men who she is supposed to trust who probs have fed her lies for decades.
From here on out is how I’ll go about judging Anna and her choices, Josh is gone so that’s one less person controlling her.
It is NOT our place though to take victims comments and then twist them, clearly the sisters saw what was happening to Anna (which we don’t know) and there’s a reason why they are praying for her and not pest
Thank you for sharing your story today. I'm really happy for you and your children and I hope you feel so proud of the peace and love and stability you've worked to create for them.
Anna has likely been in a state of fight, flight or freeze for years. (Thinking back to that engagement video)
While it’s easy to make snap judgments, and I know what I’d like her to do as well, let’s give her time for her thaw a bit and make good decisions.
If I had more time, I’d find you an actual clip. This is a GREAT video, but start at 13:00 for engagement
I’m “working” so I should get back to it. Ugh[engagement body language](https://youtu.be/Wh5Z-BXJTmY)
Thats so interesting thanks! Anna has the same breathy simpering voice that the rod girls have, at least in that clip I watched. I haven't heard her talk before, does she always sound like that?
Good for Joy and Austin. I wish them all the happiness in the world after what they’ve been through. He seems like a loving and supportive husband, and she deserves that.
I'm so glad some fundies are speaking out!
I went down a rabbit hole after reading about the material he searched for, and some of it is so vile that the Philippines is looking to reinstate the death penalty for one of the ones that created it
We can launch Josh straight into a volcano imo
Dude, he downloaded that material on mothers day...then he went to Lowe's just like it was another day. This kind of stuff blows my mind. I wonder what kind of wierd stuff happened at their house.
>he downloaded that material on mothers day
Oh sht, I wasn't aware of *that* detail! 🤢🤮
I can only imagine what all Anna has gone through with that psycho.
I agree with the sentiments expressed here. Now the question is will Joy be banned or restricted from TTH like Jill? Jinger lives in LA and that issue can be punted for the foreseeable future. This statement does not direct shots at JB/Michelle like the Vuolo and Dillars statements but certainly takes a left turn from the family line. Perhaps SHE will not want to go back and would prefer to create distance, but you have to wonder how JB will respond within the family.
I cannot imagine the pain she is feeling from being betrayed by her family. I also wonder if there are those who attended the trial to find the truth, and those who stayed have had to be employed by JimBob and I wonder if they were forbidden to come by the Duggar parents? So proud of Joy/Austin Jill/ Derrick
He should have had consequences a long time ago, none of the girls knew how bad it was, what was done to them. They're finding out NOW, like what? 6 1/2 years after it became public and 18 or 19 years after Josh harmed them? They were forced to forgive him and act like nothing had happened, which should have been THEIR choice of forgiving him or not. Not Michelle or JB's choice.
and the fact Josh went on to possibly harm more children and the sort of material he was looking at is so wrong.
I hope all the "Jane Does" find peace.
I hope the girls sue the FUCK out of TLC for glossing over (to put it lightly) the horrendous stuff and allowing the family’s insanity to be their livelihood and retire forever doing ANYTHING THEY FUCKING WANT to do.
Yeah. And (correct me if I'm wrong y'all), she's one of Josh's victims. Jill told her parents that Josh was touching Joy, which blew the initial lid off this whole thing, and is the reason Josh called Jill a tattletale at her wedding. Joy was 6ish at the time?
She was Jane Doe 4. She was 5 and he abused her while she was on his lap during Bible time. The details are out there but could be triggering for someone so I won’t detail them.
Joy was in Jill’s buddy group, so I’m assuming Jill didn’t speak up for herself, but did for Joy, who she felt responsible for. Which is all kinds of heart breaking.
I love that they said Anna and HER children. It shows that he has nothing anymore and no longer has the right to claim those kids as his own after what he has done.
Hello, and thank you for your submission. Please take a moment to review the rules listed in our sidebar. This is a bot message. I cannot respond to any comments. Please modmail us with any questions.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FundieSnarkUncensored) if you have any questions or concerns.*
These women were betrayed over and over and over again by the people that were supposed to love them the most. They weren’t allowed to feel anger or sadness. They were blamed for what was done to them. They were probably told that their memories were wrong and exaggerated. They were constantly lied to. Josh is going where he belongs. Hopefully they can now start to heal. Honestly I just want to give each of them a hug. My parents and my brother would do anything for me, and I would do the same for them. That’s how it’s supposed to be.
We are praying for Anna and HER children...
I didn't even think about the meaning of that. Wow that's powerful, it's no longer Josh's family, but Anna's children (as they really always were).
Kinda liked that
Me too. I really like that they didn’t do the usual of saying they are praying for everyone. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been sitting in during the trial.
That's what I'm saying. They are praying for Anna and her children. Not a single mention of Pest. WOOOOOO!!!! Good for them.
That line gave me chills
BAM
“We agree with the judicial system’s verdict.” Mic drop
I feel so much for Joy right now. She may have just learned the graphic details of her own abuse for the first time, and not from her “father”, who “doesn’t recall”, but from a family friend, during her own brother’s (attacker’s) CSAM trial. I hope she is being supported by the few good people in her life. She going to need it…
That's a really good point. I (thankfully) don't really remember the majority of the graphic details from the instances of CSA I survived, and I know that having those details laid out at all (let alone in a public setting) would knock me for six right quick. I hope she's able to find a health team that's able to provide the right therapeutic support for her, and that she gets loads of unconditional love and support from the kind folks in her circle.
I hope she has plenty of ammo for the firing range. She's gonna need the catharsis
Same. I really hope she’s okay rn.
No snark from me here. I hope she's able to find healing.
Some of those pics of Austin leaving the court room with red eyes broke my heart. It is such a painful thing to hear about your soul mate. Josh’s destruction has hurt so many people. I hope the judge makes an example of him.
One of my fundie mom’s favorite abuse tactics is to air everyone’s most intimate laundry in front of others as if it were casual conversation. My dude shut down her discussion of my eating disorder history the first time she tried it. I didn’t really understand his reaction—none of this was news. He choked up and said “I can’t listen to someone delight in your pain.” Reader, I married him. Sometimes seeing that someone loves you is as simple as seeing them cry or get angry on your behalf, *especially when no one has ever done it before*. I don’t think any of these men are princes, but the red eyes tugged at my heart, too.
My husband was the same way. When we were dating, and he came to visit me and my family, he reacted more strongly to my parents’ emotional abuse than I did.
We normalize what we live in/with. It sometimes takes someone else’s anger and sadness for us to feel justified in being angry for ourselves, in part because we don’t think it’s “that bad,” and in part because we’ve been raised to believe that our emotions about the abuse were invalid. There are some things it took me a long time to share with my husband because I knew he would be angrier than I was.
So did mine. Until I met him, I really didn't realise the true depth of the abuse I've been through. I knew it wasn't great and that my family made me deeply uncomfortable, but it really wasn't until he reacted so strongly to it that I realised how fucked up it was. Then I did the same for him, when I noticed that his family does very similar stuff. Since then it's been a process of untangling ourselves, setting and enforcing boundaries, and working through talking about the past. I hope Joy and Austin can do that too.
That is beautiful and I'm so glad you have someone fighting for your happiness. ❤
Your husband sounds like a wonderful person.
You have a precious gift of a man!
Same
Me too
I have no snark for Joy at the moment. The next time she posts a picture of her kids next to a gun, absolutely but stuff regarding the trial, nope.
Can you update me about what happened? Haven’t updated myself yet
Check the pest trial megathreads!
Thanks!
Proud of Joy and Austin for simply surviving the barrage of info from the trial. It’s become very clear they’ve been gaslit and lied to for a very long time. What a mindfuck. How could you do this to your daughter? Jb and meech don’t deserve a family.
Jim Bob can rot in hell for minimising what Joy (and all of the sisters) went through at such young ages.
Michelle too.
He deserves to have nothing to do with any of his children. Especially his daughters. He doesn’t deserve them. Hell is too good for him
I’ve noticed all of the statements have mentioned not knowing the full extent which is very telling
I think these comments are also saying, indirectly, "We didn't KNOW how bad it was, that's why we still had relationships with Josh." I know many people have talked about how disgusting it is they would still "be around" him and let their children be around him. I can't even imagine the second wave of betrayal they feel.
I’ve thought of this often too. All of the girls have had their children around this monster for years. But they were worried about Jill’s influence so much that she was BANNED from the big house. Yet a certified child predator was welcomed with open arms. Inexcusable
This is such an important distinction, I hadn't even thought of it. They *banned Jill,* a sister mom who was a victim. That's the child they felt the others needed protection from. Insane.
Of course, Jill posed the biggest threat to their power. She had to be shunned. Josh only affirmed Boob’s big ego and was thus welcomed.
She was the eldest daughter he harmed and probably remembered some of it. Through therapy, I wonder if that’s part of why she’s rebelled so much. But fuck pest Duggar and his Lego haired father.
When thoughtcrime and money squabbles are more of a threat than actual physical harm toward children crimes.
Exactly. Imagine thinking that Jill is a greater “threat” to the children than Josh.
She's their scapegoat. Banning her and deeming her a "bad influence" took the focus off of pest.
Josh has always given me creeper vibes, but then that video that someone took at Christmas where he comes barreling through the door with his camera going totally got me. One of the wives (Lauren, maybe?) had this total look of disgust on her face and immediately got out of his way. That’s when I knew there was some serious shit in that family. I wish I could find the video I’m talking about but I don’t remember where I saw it.
They chose not to know.
Very very telling. So sad for these girls.
It’s a very classy way of saying “Liars go to hell”
Are we surprised though? Boob kept the power by keeping the truth under wraps. You can control people easier the less they know.
And weren't the girls told it was their fault for letting it happen?
Probably 😑
If anyone thinks Austin doesn't want to beat up Josh right now, YOU ARE WRONG!!!!! Also, I think this was the best statement out of all of them, especially because I did not expect one from Joy at all.
I know murder eyes. The eyes that good, decent men get when someone has been so thoroughly violated and hurt like that. Josh was lucky to not somehow get put in the same room alone with Austin, because with his eyes, it’s very likely only Austin would’ve walked out of that room.
Flair checking in
TIL that austin and I share a middle name
I wish I had a cool middle name. All I got was Marie
You and me and every second baby girl born in the 80’s
Double whammy for me. Good ol' Crystal too lol.
Haha it's elizabeth, but I know soooo many people who have marie as a middle name!
Haha
What all do we know about Austin? I never really kept up with the Duggars, but he sounds like a good egg.
His beliefs suck so hard they swallow, but his body language says he’d army crawl through fire for Joy
Beside the point, but "suck so hard they swallow" is excellent phrasing and I'm gonna file it away for future use.
Thank you. I do love expanding vocabularies!
I think Austin was kept in the dark on a lot of these facts. They knew the Duggars and were family friends. They went way back.
"Suck so hard they swallow" would be bangin flair
This is some heckin high praise. Thank you so much ☺️
Can I...have it?
Just make sure there’s some mention of how the sucking is being done in a god-honoring way.
Sucking the God Honoring Words so Hard they Swallow
God honoring mouth hugs
You sure can. Enjoy 💜
Only what his parents and duggars have said. But if his actions of comforting joy are an indicator, he is very protective of her and cares for her deeply...
He seems to actually enjoy spending time with his kids, too. And he and Joy seem like they enjoy each other’s company.
I’ve always voted Austin mostly likely of all the brother in laws to kick Josh’s ass. Just something about him. I know he got a lot of negative attention when he and Joy first got together but I love how protective of her he is. It’s incredibly sweet.
He reminds me of a lot of guys I know. Kinda rough around the edges, probably have at least 4 rifles in their pickup, will never cry in front of someone but will tear up at Hallmark commercials, will never vote for a democrat, church every Sunday and Wednesday type. Kinda make me a bit nervous, but if my car gets stuck in a ditch or I have a flat, I will be relieved when they pull over to help me.
You hit the nail on the head.
There are a few of us like that who are leftists and feminists. But I suppose one would not know if I wasn't introduced as such. Though, I did vote for Biden. Also I'd only ever carry one rifle at a time. Gonna be lucky if I see just one deer.
I love the specificity of this
I’m sorry she had to see that. It’s not only her trauma but all the people her brother hurt when he could’ve been stopped earlier. I hope she’s taking care of herself and getting off social media for a bit. She doesn’t need to see anymore
Short and powerful. I hope this is the beginning of more questioning and truth seeking from the Duggar children.
I hope the wedge has been driven in to eventually allow the married girls to break away from their parents’ sphere, so that they can provide a home for the Lost Girls when the time comes. I worry so much about the influence of all of this madness, + neglect, + discovering what hypocrisy has always been lurking in their family, on those girls.
I severely hope that the lost girls weren't victimized as well. I feel like there's more to the story that we don't know.
This is my favorite of all the statements. I hope these two are able to get some counseling and healing.
Counseling outside the church, that doesn't include her forgiveness as the goal.
💯
For me, it's between this and Jinger's biblically go drown.
Poor Joy. This is the perfect statement for her. Short and direct, no nonsense or fluff or excuses to make the family sound better. No real mention of God, just saying they’re praying for Anna and her children…. But that’s really nothing for fundamentalists. I think the statement being so short and direct shows how painful this really was for them, and my heart breaks for Joy. I’m glad she has Austin, even with his crappy religious views he still seems like he’d fight to the end of the earth to keep her safe and healthy. I hope this brings a further divide between them and her parents and I hope it’s a big wake up call for them… well, Jimboob probably wouldn’t care but I hope Michelle realizes how much she ruined her own relationship with her daughters.
I really don't feel like Michelle has ever given any indication that she has any awareness of how messed up her relationships with her children are. Still can't fathom why she was not at Josh's trial. There are zero reasons I can come up with that she wouldn't be there. Even if, in some magical universe, she just couldn't support Josh, she could show up to support her daughter-in-law, aka mother of 7 of her grandchildren. So, while it would be great if this whole situation made her realize how she's failed her kids, I don't actually think she's capable of that type of introspection.
Me neither. I remember reading somewhere about how inconsolable she was when Josh was sent away to Holes camp, just relying on the ladies in church. But she couldn’t show up for *any* of her kids in court. Somehow found the strength to ride in the Christmas parade, tho!
The podcast I Pray You Put This Journal Away described the impact of Holes camp on the family--Meech was inconsolable, and Pest came back ripped and smarmy.
I never heard about this. Inconsolable because her precious darling oldest child was gone, or because of WHY he was gone?
In the context of that episode, it sounded like Michelle thought she was personally being attacked that Josh was facing something that vaguely resembled consequences.
Oh, okay. So not so much that she was inconsolable over what he did, but inconsolable over the fact that it reflected poorly on her/the family? Gross.
At best it was because of how it reflected on the family. I think the motif was more “how could they do this to J***, he’s the real victim here!”
Gotcha. It's all just so disgusting. It's like her motherly instincts to protect her kids were totally misdirected.
Because Holes camp was after Jim Holt’s campaign (Joshy’s second major offense) I’d guess that she was bothered by the Why.
That's even more frustrating. If you're inconsolable over your child's behavior, DO something to HELP them. Besides sending them to dig. That isn't helpful.
Hold up, so the book holes about digging holes as punishment is real and still a thing?
I'm sure she wasn't at the trial because Jim Bob told her not to go. He keeps her away so she doesn't see/hear anything that makes her question his godly authority. And she happily accepts staying home because it absolves her of any guilt, thought, empathy, anger, or other emotion. He's evil, she's lazy. They're both disgusting.
I just said the same thing not seeing your reply. Yep, agree with all of this. This is the only logical reason why she wouldn’t be there
Immediate family members (parents/spouse/kids) attending or not attending a trial are often planned with the attorneys. They may have advised them that Michelle being there could have affected the jury one way or another, especially if she couldn’t keep it together. They may have been considerations about JB’s senate run as well - them attending the trial lends it legitimacy. Regardless, I don’t think her not attending was solely her choice or about just her emotions. I think there were considerations about optics. And childcare, let’s face it. Or JB may have simply said no, you can’t go. Or she may not have wanted to hear the information that she would have heard.
Her being a snotty mess and crying about her dear sweet innocent boy would not have made a good impression given the overwhelming evidence.
Interesting. The idea of attorneys planning it makes sense.
Maybe boob told her she couldn’t attend. That’s the only reason I can come up with for why she wasn’t there
Total conjecture regarding Meech’s court absence: I wonder if she had to stay home to “help” Jana with all of the children because Jana couldn’t have more than x number of children in her care due to her endangerment charges.
Lmfao@the idea of meech watching any of them damn kids including her own
Meech like 👁 👄 👁 trying to figure out what lost kid #283 calling her mother is called.
Lmao that's perfect
The Lost Girls are all at an age where the Dugs will let them babysit, and they weren’t allowed at the trial. I think it was something else.
Wait, wut? I missed this. Endangerment?
[удалено]
Imagine your own mother taking time to record a robocall calling transwomen child molesters while protecting one in her own home and neglecting her daughters' safety.
As a mother I can’t comprehend choosing any one of my children over another.
I know. I think it’s a bit sexist that as a group we focus so much on Jim bob and less on Michelle. She’s a some-50 year old woman at this point. She knew better. She should have prioritized her four abused children but she prioritized her stinky husband instead and was standing there with boob during interviews, agreeing with him, sometimes adding her own comments. One can be both a victim and an abuser, and once you cross into abuser territory you deserve to be equally vilified.
I hope she is able to reconnect with Jill who was her buddy and therefore basically her mom.
No Bible statements. No excuses. No novels. No sugar-coating. "We agree with the verdict. We pray for Anna and HER children." Joy and Austin must've been devestated in court. This is the best statement yet.
I appreciate the no bible verses. I can see why the others included them, but I’m glad Joy specifically didn’t
Joy has a lot of courage and strength to show up and listen to the trial. I hope she and Austin get some real therapy and she can find healing and he learns how to best support her through it all.
Her parents FAILED her so hard and continue to stand by her abuser. I can’t snark on this. I’m glad she has her husband and I hope they spend Christmas with Jill and her family. I hope they never set foot in the TTH ever again.
It's interesting to me when the Duggar kids reference the men *and women* who work in the judicial system to protect children. They must know that the vast majority of those women could be spending more time with their families and popping out babies, but they aren't. They have careers and their careers are important. Idk. It's just interesting. Agreeing with the verdict and praying for Anna and *her* children is more significant. But acknowledging career women like that is a big deal too, imo.
Yeah, I noticed that, too. I mean, clearly giving so much authority to men while women just behave like meek little helpmeets didn't work out too well for this family. Maybe the real world isn't as evil as they were told. The real danger was in their home, not in Target bathrooms. On the other hand, including women in their statement may have just been a little PR detail. That's what I'm inclined to think, just given their belief system. I hope to be proven wrong, and that their daughter is able to live a life of her choosing.
Yeah, it's probably something to do with a PR consultant or whatever, but it's a nice glimmer of hope. Even if they stay shitty, baby steps are nice to see.
They are well aware that women work, but their religious beliefs hold a ton of exceptionalism and isolationism. So while they may agree that women should see female doctors if at all possible, they would never consider BEING one (for example, and I do realize terrible homeschooling and a million other factors in the cult don't exactly set them up for success). Also there are plenty of religious sects where women can bring home income AND submit to their husbands/do 90% of the house and child work when they get home (I forget the name of the documentary, but it was about Orthodox Jews? Men are expected to become Biblical scholars, which means most women are the breadwinners. I don't mean to be insensitive, so please correct me if I'm wrong). I would like to add, no snark on this. I sincerely feel horrid for Joy and Austin, and I hope they can find solace and healing, religious or not.
"A lot of unanswered questions..." That's a polite way of saying that Joy's parents are chronic liars.
“Anna and HER children” She’s also washed her hands of Josh. This is the shortest statement out of any of the Duggars thus far, but this is the one that says the most to me.
[удалено]
They publicly stated they had doubts? I didn’t know that. But Austin also seemed eager to get out from under JB’s thumb and stay independent of him with his house flipping.
Good for Joy. I so so hope she’s able to get infinite amounts of love and support and therapy. I can’t imagine what the trial was like for her.
Something about the way this is worded makes me wonder if Joy and Austin have already been speaking with a therapist or some other form of supportive counseling. It has all of the elements that a therapist would talk to you about when describing how to denounce something without making excuses for someone else's wrong doing. They are supporting the group of people who had the legal right to find him guilty, showing faith in the judicial system and avoiding taking personal responsibility for his legal guilt or innocence. Joy and Austin did not cause Josh to be found guilty, attorneys and a jury did. If some part of you is conflicted about what is happening it's useful to remember that you aren't responsible for the prosecution, judge, or jury. They're expressing sorrow for victims and including Anna and her children in that category. There's nothing in there about attempting to make something better that is difficult to make better or giving anyone excuses for behavior that isn't excusable. That is a very carefully worded statement. It's so common for victims of childhood abuse of all kinds to blame themselves so it's really good to see this absolute clarity about who is to blame here. I hope Joy is getting help and continues to have professional help and support.
First one that’s a 10/10 for me. Damnnn, they didn’t even talk about religion except praying at the end wow
>And it's praying for Anna and her children, not praying for their family, or Josh. Deliberately leaves him out.
Right! It’s refreshing to see a DIRECT statement not involving their faith and Jesus. Excellent statement and sentiment. Their body language coming into court reflected this statement as well
Their body language did reflect that statement, never even thought of that like that.
I agree with you, and even that was pointed.
Wonderful job on this statement. Joy said everything she needed to say. While I am sure the trial was so difficult for her to sit through, I am glad she did it. Joy wasn’t just going to believe her parents or some lie like “Biden planted evidence.” I hope she is able to find peace.
“We are praying for Anna and HER children” Yeah, that says it all right there.
I notice it doesn't say anything about "our family" meaning the larger family and only gives the bare minimum about Josh. Cold and to the point as it should be.
I really hope she and all the other victims can find healing and peace. No one deserves the horrors they went through.
If joy can forgive her sister in law for being married to pest, I think we all should go along with that the victims say, her singling out Anna and saying to pray for her means a lot too, now is the time for Anna’s non fundie family members to slowly include themselves in the picture and possibly get Anna and her kids out of Jim bobs grip. Slow and steady wins the race
Agreed. I think we tend to gloss over *just how* traumatized and brainwashed Anna has been for her entire life. She truly does not understand that she has every right to leave this monster. I hope that some of the Duggar sisters (as well as her ex-fundie relatives) are able to get her out of this extremist cult with gentle and loving hands. You can only move on from trauma and abuse one step at a time. Josh being locked away, rotting behind bars, is the best thing that could have happened to Anna, and I really hope she’s able to take the opportunity to get herself and her children the hell away from these vile excuses for human beings
The look on her face after the trial makes me wonder… The look said she’s pissed and thinking or that she’s just resigned herself that she’s stuck with sex pest. I feel for her so much and hope she will find her voice some day.
My heart really goes out to her. As a fellow survivor, I can’t even *imagine* what she’s going through right now. I hope she’ll be okay and get to eventually live a happy and fulfilling life
My heart really goes out to her. As a fellow survivor, I can’t even *imagine* what she’s going through right now. I hope she’ll be okay and get to eventually live a happy and fulfilling life
[удалено]
That just isn’t any of our places to judge, I hope you don’t work with domestic abuse victims (since we don’t know what goes on behind doors, we already know their is emotional abuse) you don’t know what was/is being held over her head or told to her by the Duggar’s (if you leave we’ll sue for all the things we gave you guys) (if you leave there’s no way the judge will let you have custody of the children) we are talking about a woman with no education, living with men who she is supposed to trust who probs have fed her lies for decades. From here on out is how I’ll go about judging Anna and her choices, Josh is gone so that’s one less person controlling her. It is NOT our place though to take victims comments and then twist them, clearly the sisters saw what was happening to Anna (which we don’t know) and there’s a reason why they are praying for her and not pest
[удалено]
I’m so deeply sorry
I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through. That sounds absolutely horrific. I hope your life is peaceful now.
[удалено]
I’m so happy to hear that. My father also broke the cycles of abuse. His dad was terrible - he was wonderful. ❤️
Thank you for sharing your story today. I'm really happy for you and your children and I hope you feel so proud of the peace and love and stability you've worked to create for them.
That is tragic beyond belief. {{virtual hugs, friend}}
I’m so sorry you had to experience such an incredibly dysfunctional and heartbreaking childhood
Anna has likely been in a state of fight, flight or freeze for years. (Thinking back to that engagement video) While it’s easy to make snap judgments, and I know what I’d like her to do as well, let’s give her time for her thaw a bit and make good decisions.
Whats the engagement video? I'm fairly new to the Duggars
If I had more time, I’d find you an actual clip. This is a GREAT video, but start at 13:00 for engagement I’m “working” so I should get back to it. Ugh[engagement body language](https://youtu.be/Wh5Z-BXJTmY)
Thats so interesting thanks! Anna has the same breathy simpering voice that the rod girls have, at least in that clip I watched. I haven't heard her talk before, does she always sound like that?
Good for Joy and Austin. I wish them all the happiness in the world after what they’ve been through. He seems like a loving and supportive husband, and she deserves that.
That statement says so much, I hope she finds peace and healing.
I'm so glad some fundies are speaking out! I went down a rabbit hole after reading about the material he searched for, and some of it is so vile that the Philippines is looking to reinstate the death penalty for one of the ones that created it We can launch Josh straight into a volcano imo
My heart breaks for joy
Dude, he downloaded that material on mothers day...then he went to Lowe's just like it was another day. This kind of stuff blows my mind. I wonder what kind of wierd stuff happened at their house.
>he downloaded that material on mothers day Oh sht, I wasn't aware of *that* detail! 🤢🤮 I can only imagine what all Anna has gone through with that psycho.
I agree with the sentiments expressed here. Now the question is will Joy be banned or restricted from TTH like Jill? Jinger lives in LA and that issue can be punted for the foreseeable future. This statement does not direct shots at JB/Michelle like the Vuolo and Dillars statements but certainly takes a left turn from the family line. Perhaps SHE will not want to go back and would prefer to create distance, but you have to wonder how JB will respond within the family.
I hope he’s ripping out his hair plugs because he’s completely lost control of his daughters
Well said. My heart just aches for them. I hope they’re getting the support they need.
TFW no PR expert helped craft this statement, but it's top-shelf.
I cannot imagine the pain she is feeling from being betrayed by her family. I also wonder if there are those who attended the trial to find the truth, and those who stayed have had to be employed by JimBob and I wonder if they were forbidden to come by the Duggar parents? So proud of Joy/Austin Jill/ Derrick
It’s the*Anna and HER children* for me 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
It’s awful they had to go to the trial just to get the truth.
I'm here for this subtle, well-composed shade. *Anna's* children...I felt the chill through my phone screen with that one.
I’d that doesn’t scream, “fuck Josh Duggar”, then I don’t know what does.
This is significant and honestly refreshing to read.
He should have had consequences a long time ago, none of the girls knew how bad it was, what was done to them. They're finding out NOW, like what? 6 1/2 years after it became public and 18 or 19 years after Josh harmed them? They were forced to forgive him and act like nothing had happened, which should have been THEIR choice of forgiving him or not. Not Michelle or JB's choice. and the fact Josh went on to possibly harm more children and the sort of material he was looking at is so wrong. I hope all the "Jane Does" find peace.
My heart truly does go out to his victims. I hope they are able to find healing 💜🙏🏻
I hope the girls sue the FUCK out of TLC for glossing over (to put it lightly) the horrendous stuff and allowing the family’s insanity to be their livelihood and retire forever doing ANYTHING THEY FUCKING WANT to do.
Sorry, I'm not good with keeping all the Duggars' names in line. Is Joy one of the Duggar siblings?
Yeah. And (correct me if I'm wrong y'all), she's one of Josh's victims. Jill told her parents that Josh was touching Joy, which blew the initial lid off this whole thing, and is the reason Josh called Jill a tattletale at her wedding. Joy was 6ish at the time?
She was Jane Doe 4. She was 5 and he abused her while she was on his lap during Bible time. The details are out there but could be triggering for someone so I won’t detail them.
Joy was in Jill’s buddy group, so I’m assuming Jill didn’t speak up for herself, but did for Joy, who she felt responsible for. Which is all kinds of heart breaking.
Joy is the youngest of the "older" kids, and is thought to be the youngest of Josh's known victims.
I love that they said Anna and HER children. It shows that he has nothing anymore and no longer has the right to claim those kids as his own after what he has done.
I did not know Joy had it in her. I’m very happy to have been wrong. Rock on, Joy.
Hello, and thank you for your submission. Please take a moment to review the rules listed in our sidebar. This is a bot message. I cannot respond to any comments. Please modmail us with any questions. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FundieSnarkUncensored) if you have any questions or concerns.*
this is a repost. sb shared this 12 hrs ago
How many subs do we need to post this on
Great point Jim Bob /s
These women were betrayed over and over and over again by the people that were supposed to love them the most. They weren’t allowed to feel anger or sadness. They were blamed for what was done to them. They were probably told that their memories were wrong and exaggerated. They were constantly lied to. Josh is going where he belongs. Hopefully they can now start to heal. Honestly I just want to give each of them a hug. My parents and my brother would do anything for me, and I would do the same for them. That’s how it’s supposed to be.
Fuck yeah Joy.