Kendra Duggar learned how to communicate with her husband, Joseph Duggar, from jail after he was arrested for alleged unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
“Oh, so [it] costs money for you to call me each time?” Kendra, 27, asked Joseph, 31, during a phone conversation while he was in custody at Arkansas’ Washington County Sheriff’s Office late last month, per audio obtained by Us Weekly. “Do you need more money?”
Joseph explained that he initially had $60 for phone and other privileges, which was determined based on the cash in his wallet when he was booked at Washington County.
“I’m not gonna use it for anything else,” Joseph told his wife. “You might [ask your lawyer] Travis [Story] about what that looks like.”
Joseph was arrested on March 18 for charges of lewd and lascivious behavior after allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl in Florida in 2020. The victim, now 14, told police that Joseph “eventually apologized for his actions” at the time before “the incidents stopped.”
News broke two days later that the Counting On alum is also facing four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, second-degree, and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. Kendra was arrested on the same charges and released within hours on bond. (A spokesperson for the Duggar family confirmed to Us that the charges are unrelated to Joseph’s alleged sexual misconduct case.)
During a previous call with Joseph, Kendra revealed that she doesn’t presently have custody of their four children.
After Kendra’s release from jail, she continued to communicate with Joseph via phone and email.
“I have left my phone on, so that I can always get your calls, hopefully,” she told him on the phone, noting she initially “didn’t know what the situation was.”
Joseph subsequently told Kendra that they could also send emails to each other, which he thought didn’t cost any money.
Kendra Duggar opened up to her husband Joseph Duggar about her plans to get their children into “counseling” following his child molestation arrest. “I’ve been making plans in my head of what I feel like I need to do moving forward with [the kids], and probably try to get counseling for them,” Kendra, 27, told […]
“I emailed you, I think, so you can see if that came through,” he said. “Keep in mind that I might try to do it that way too. I think those are free.”
Joseph also received emails from his father, Jim Bob Duggar, and from sister-in-law Anna Duggar. Anna, 37, is married to Josh Duggar, who is currently incarcerated after his 2022 conviction for possessing and receiving child pornography.
In Anna’s email, she offered to help Kendra set up an email chain with Joseph.
“I was amazed with how clearly she thought, how focused and articulate she was,” Anna added in one of her emails to Joseph. “She loves you deeply. She was strong on the phone call, except for when she talked about it being a month before she can see the kids. My heart breaks for all of you. I know she will win in the end … it just might take time. Kendra is an amazing woman — the Grace of God is flowing from her life. She is a gem!”
Joseph was extradited to Florida earlier this week, where he entered a not guilty plea. He was released on a $600,000 bond.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
