Life

Jinger Duggar Vuolo Breaks Silence on Brother Joseph Duggar’s Arrest

'I did not think my heart could break like it has this week,' said Jinger Vuolo.

A woman with long, wavy hair in a blue dress smiles on a red carpet with a blue "Unsung Hero" backdrop.
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Lionsgate

In a video shared to their podcast’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, former 19 Kids and Counting star Jinger Duggar Vuolo sat down alongside her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, to address the recent arrest of her brother, Joseph Duggar.

Joseph, who is a father of four young children, was arrested last week after being accused of allegedly abusing a girl who was 9 at the time. Joseph is 31-years-old and is Jinger’s younger brother.

Jeremy opened up the video by talking about the devastation that he and Jinger have felt since hearing the news involving Joseph, noting that they are still processing what has happened.

He then turned things over to Jinger, asking how she’s been holding up during this time.

“Well, I mean, it’s been such a long week. It’s been one of those weeks that feels like years, and I did not think that my heart could break like it has this week. The pain and heartbreak that we’ve had over this and just thinking of how it’s affected so many, yeah, it’s just unthinkable,” she said.

“Thinking about the victim who was brave enough to share her story has been heartbreaking. Just the effect on that young person’s life is unimaginable, and then to see the ripple effect of that horrific crime just across the board. It just has so many damaging rippling effects,” Jeremy shared.

This is the second time that Jinger has had to confront the reality that one of her siblings has done the unimaginable. Her oldest brother, Josh Duggar, is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for the possession of child sexual abuse material.

“You can’t be prepared for news like this, even though we’ve experienced something very similar before with one of my other siblings, who made unthinkable choices, decisions that have affected all of us. And yet the pain and hurt that’s caused to us, but then to so many others, is just so hard,” Jinger explained.

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