Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald cover the new issue of People, and inside the magazine, a source close to their family (People has long has been one of the more reliable outlets for Duggar news.) opens up about the ongoing backlash from the Josh Duggar molestation scandal.
“They are still stunned that this is how it has all gone down,” says the insider. “I think they are still trying to absorb the fact that their life has so radically changed.
“The better part of the last decade has been doing their show, and to have that removed – and instead for there to be this intense scrutiny of their every move – just isn’t something you get used to overnight."
It could be argued that the Duggars were already living lives of intense scrutiny and it’s simply the widespread criticism that they’re not used to, but we digress.
As for Jim Bob’s defense of Josh’s actions, the source says he and Michelle genuinely believed that the public would be quick to forgive Josh, just as his family was.
“None of the Duggars think Josh is to blame,” says the insider. "[Jim Bob and Michelle] truly felt people would understand and eventually be okay with it."
Instead, the source says the family is focusing it’s anger on those who they believe are responsible for the news of his transgressions going public, even though an investigation revealed that the release of Josh’s records was perfectly legal.
The insider adds that Jim Bob and Michelle have kept their distance from Josh in recent months not because they’re angry with him, but because they fear attracting more negative attention from the press:
“Jim Bob and Michelle love their son, and they love when they can spend time with his family. But every time they’re photographed with him, a story gets made out of it that rehashes the whole mess – and it’s painful for everyone.”
Some might point out that that same fear of the media didn’t prevent the Duggars from being photographed for a People cover story or clawing their way back onto TV with a series in which they counsel sexual abuse victims, but again, we digress.