Highlights
- Jill and Jessa Duggar defended their parents and downplayed allegations against their brother Josh during a controversial interview.
- Jill Dillard revealed in her book that Josh was in the room during the interview, causing her considerable emotional pain.
- Some fans blame Megyn Kelly for not taking control of the situation and allowing Josh to be present, questioning whether the presence of Josh changed the interview’s content.
At this point, there’s not a whole lot that shocks people about the Duggar family. From the revelations that have come from Michelle and Jim Bob’s now-adult children to the police reports and court cases among them, the family has surely fallen from grace when it comes to maintaining supporters.
However, plenty of people feel for the now-grown Duggars, specifically the girls who have broken away from their family’s apparently harmful habits. Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald are two family members who seem to have broken from some of the family’s traditions, with Jill speaking up more vehemently than any of her siblings. Sadly, it turns out that one opportunity she had to speak up was crushed by none other than the brother who assaulted her.
Jill And Jessa Duggar Gave An Interview With Megyn Kelly After Josh Made Headlines
Years ago, Jill and Jessa Duggar, both newly married, sat down to discuss the allegations against their brother Josh. Fans will recall that this happened around the time that Josh’s bad behavior was revealed to the world, through a leaked legal document that detailed how Josh Duggar had assaulted his younger sisters.
In the interview, which has not aged well at all, Jill and Jessa discussed how they had moved past their brother’s wrongdoings, suggesting that they had forgiven him while their parents had taken the necessary precautions to protect all their kids.
At the same time, they explained, Josh was sent away to be rehabilitated, and the family had simply moved on. At least, that was what the two stated at the time.
More recently, beyond the fact that the interview didn’t age well (Jessa defended Josh against the label of “pedophile,” while he is in prison for possessing inappropriate material of children), new information has also come to light.
Thanks to Jill Dillard’s book, and her tell-all interviews, fans are learning more than they ever imagined from the very vocal Duggar’s retelling of her experiences.
Jill Dillard Says Josh Duggar Was In The Room During The Megyn Kelly Interview
Writing about her experience during the interview in her book, Counting the Cost, Jill Dillard wrote that she and her sister did the best they could “to stand up for [their] parents.”
Anyone who watched that interview will recall that both girls defended their parents’ actions post-assault, and grew teary-eyed while talking about the experiences. Neither girl considered herself a victim, they stated on camera, and they seemed to downplay the allegations against Josh.
But in Jill’s book, she wrote that she and Jessa answered Megyn’s questions “with Josh watching from a couch just out of shot.”
Though she kept her composure during the interview, Jill reflected on the experience later, calling it “agony.”
“It was like having a band-aid ripped off a deep and open wound. It was agony. So painful that I didn’t really pause to ask why Josh was allowed to be there in the first place.”
This revelation, revealed in Jill’s book but shared by followers like @PreacherBoys, who shared the tidbit on YouTube, was nothing new to most commenters who had been following the Duggar family’s story.
Many were not surprised that Michelle and Jim Bob apparently forced their daughters to defend them while Josh sat nearby, or at the very least, didn’t consider their wishes during the intimate interview.
The way that Jill wrote about the experience, it also sounds like she had no choice when it came to participating in the interview, which took place at her parents’ house (Jill was married with a baby by that point, and no longer lived at home).
Some Fans Blamed Megyn Kelly For Not Taking Control Of The Situation
While it’s clear Jill and Jessa had little to no say in how the interview happened, or even whether to participate in it or not, many commenters blasted the girls’ parents as well as Megyn Kelly for letting it happen.
As the host, some fans pointed out, why didn’t Megyn Kelly restrict who was there? One fan noted that Megyn “certainly” had control over the situation, while another suggested she should have said something about it.
What many commenters seemed to be saying was that the context of the interview changed knowing who was in the room and privy to the conversation. At the very least, the girls were uncomfortable, having to discuss their respective assaults on television, but now, viewers wonder whether Josh being there changed the entire content of the interview.
If Josh had not been in the room, would Jill and Jessa have said anything differently? Did they lie for their parents, to protect the rest of the family? One commenter labeled the entire scenario, “Total intimidation of victims!” and had many people who agreed.
Sadly, based on Jill’s other interviews and revelations over the years, the interview moment was hardly the worst thing that happened in the Duggar household as she was growing up.
Source: NewsFinale
