The Duggar Family’s first post-scandal interview has already been conducted, and the first part will air tonight on Fox News. Megyn Kelly – arguably one of the better Fox News anchors, although that’s setting the bar pretty low – conducted the interview. After the airing tonight, there will also be a special on Fox News on Friday night with previously unaired segments. My understanding of the interview is that it’s mostly going to be with Michelle and Jim-Bob Duggar, although there will be parts with the kids and maybe even Josh Duggar. As I said in the post on Sunday, I was willing to give Megyn Kelly the benefit of the doubt on all of this and I really hoped she would call out the Duggars for this horror show. Unfortunately, we got a little preview – with Megyn speaking to Howard Kurtz – and if you can make it through this without screaming at the video, you deserve a medal.
Let’s take this piece by piece.
In Touch Weekly got the police record with a FOIA request. Megyn Kelly says that outright, then continues to make the specious claim that “Josh Duggar’s private personal sealed records have been improperly released. It doesn’t excuse any of his behavior. It’s one thing if the Duggars want to talk about it… [but] the media didn’t even pause.” While there is an issue to be made about the release of Josh Duggar’s VICTIMS’ NAMES, that argument does not extend to Josh Duggar. In Touch didn’t even release the names of his victims – In Touch made the editorial decision (correctly) to redact the names. When the police began investigating Josh’s criminal acts, he was 17 and 18 years old. He was not a minor in the state of Arkansas, unlike his victims. And the reason the investigation was part of the public record was because the investigation was launched years after Josh molested his sisters and after the statute of limitations had passed.
“Feasting on this carcass.” The liberal media, you see, is so gleeful to take down a family of conservative Christians that no one is asking why the Arkansas police released the information. They released the information because of In Touch’s FOIA request. In Touch made the FOIA request because they got a tip – likely from another conservative Christian with close ties to the Duggars and their community – that something was not right about Josh Duggar.
The conservative politicians posing with Josh Duggar. If the “liberal media” is going to town on certain politicians, it’s because those politicians openly courted Josh Duggar’s support specifically. Megyn tried to play it off like conservative politicians are being targeted because they posed with “some random member of the family.” Nope. They posed with Josh specifically, because he was director of an ultra-conservative, anti-gay, anti-reproductive-rights political group. I don’t believe it’s bad journalism to ask those politicians how they feel about Josh Duggar right now. Some of them (Huckabee) STILL support Josh. Some of them (Santorum) are disgusted. I’d still like to know what Scott Walker, Ted Cruz and many more have to say.
“Bill Clinton was accused of rape.” Yes, honey. Because that’s exactly the same thing. Because if Bill Clinton was accused of it at some point, that means Josh Duggar should totally be forgiven for molesting five children over the course of two years (that we know of).
“Nothing is off limits.” Except a lot was off limits. Megyn says: “I don’t plan on getting into the specific details about what was done because my understanding is the victims don’t want to discuss that either.”
This is going to be an utter disaster. Or worse, it’s going to be a Fox News advertisement for the Duggar Cult.
Photos courtesy of Duggar’s social media, WENN.
It’s Megyn Kelly. It’s Fox News. It’s the Duggars. Therefore, I am not surprised.😒
Me either.
I thought she might be tougher, but she’s since been spitting out weird anecdotes about Bill Clinton and other liberal politicians, trying to tie it back to the Duggars. To make them look better? I give up.
Bill Clinton didn’t rape, nor did he molest young children. He had affairs, he lied. Hardly the same thing as predatory sexual behavior.
^ This, Senaber. This exactly.
Clinton was President of the United States and Monica
Lewinsky was an intern; slight power dynamic imbalance there.
Not saying it equates with pedo Duggar; just saying it was more egregious than an affair.
It was not more egregious than an affair, it was an affair and I would like to know what business it is of yours if he had an affair? He made a marriage vow to his wife not the USA and the vindictive prosecution of him was a disgusting waste of time and money that had nothing to do with his job.
Sadly, I am surprised. I expected them (collectively) to have a shred of common decency and not blame the “liberal” media or the “anti-Christian” agenda and acknowledge that their son – who was not a “child” at the time – did a really awful thing and that his chickens have come home to roost. This is about saving Josh’s career and their own livelihoods. No one – not Fox, not the Duggars – gives a hoot about those girls.
I’m right there with you. I’m not surprised at the Duggars, but I’m surprised at Fox News. How dumb can I get, I know, but I thought even they would rise above politics in a case like this.
I was hoping for more, but it looks like Fox is going for the ratings the Duggar interview will provide. More than likely they agreed to any stipulations the family had for the interview. This equates to high ratings for Fox and pre-screened, Duggar-friendly questions for the family (with TLC crossing their fingers that their pot of gold hasn’t run out with this family yet).
Blech.
+100
I don’t think we can pass judgement on Megyn’s interview until we see all of it. Here’s to hoping she asks the hard questions! PS Could not get the preview above to play.
Man. I thought he was a kid himself when this happened. Had no idea he was 17,18. Those poor girls.
As for Kelly, I think she made the right decision in not asking the victims what was specifically done to them. We don’t have a right to every single embarrassing detail. I also agree that there is a sickening glee in this story that is at play. Not for the reasons she states. I haven’t read this story til today because on every website, there just seems to be this overriding joy in calling out the hypocrisy of this family without considering the revictimization of those girls. I would normally be okay with that if the victims weren’t part of this family too. And for some reason, I wonder if they blame themselves for the backlash and I just don’t want to be part of this witchhunt. I can’t imagine reliving in public what ur brother did to you 10 yrs ago. Such a shame.
I just don’t understand how anyone can call this a “witch hunt” unless they simply don’t understand the origin of the phrase.
These people are very rightly being called out for their atrocities. Yes it’s a shame that re-victimization might be an unsavory by-product of that but Josh Duggar is a dangerous person who should not be around children. People like Duggar are why a sex offender registry exists.
This has nothing to do with harassing or undermining people with different views and everything to do with holding people accountable for what is criminal behavior. If you start feeling bad for them, just think about the fact that they got away with it. They willingly and intentionally covered up their son’s incestuous molestation and they f*cking got away with it.
Josh was a child when it started he was 14, and probably had the mental and social maturity of someone much younger, because his parents insisted on this repressed environment for their children. Then instead of getting him and his victims help, they continued with this repressed environment where all sexual feelings are “bad” and forbidden, and did not think to help with the psychological effects this might have on him and his victims. I blame the parents. They were adults and owed it to take care of their children, and they did not. They may think they helped Josh by not dealing with this legitimately when he was young, but if they had gone through the proper avenues when he was 14 he would have most likely received proper counseling and would be better along with his victims. Now, I suppose they could have found a way out of this, but who knows and I am sure even if they did recover it was far more difficult than it should have been. I wish they would stop rewarding the parents with the shows, and interviews, their parenting was despicable.
Noway: I agree with you.
kitten wrote:
” Yes it’s a shame that re-victimization might be an unsavory by-product of that.” I doubt the sisters would say the media’s scrutiny of how their brother abused them is just a shame or merely unsavory. We should not downplay the impact of the release of the police report on the sisters’ lives.
My intention wasn’t to downplay, betsyh. They couldn’t have been “re-victimized” is they weren’t victimized in the first place.
My point was that people who say that the release of this information is the worst thing that’s happened to them are actually minimizing the original atrocity.
The worst thing that happened to them was getting molested by their teenage brother and betrayed by their parents, period, end of story.
HERE’S the video you should check out: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/82a2f2d61f/the-duggars-respond
😝😜😄
thank you for the video…it makes me feel slightly better to laugh at least. Laugh or cry….because the duggar’s are revolting and we are stuck with them….thanks tlc.
Jim-Bob & Michelle were only EVER going to agree to talk to a media outlet that would further their agenda and be sympathetic.
Does anyone else see the irony of the book title the Duggar rabbits are holding up in that photo?
Came here to say the same thing.
This family makes me ill.
Right? Disgusting.
Hey, that’s offensive to rabbits! 😉 😉
So, the Duggars don’t immunize their kids?
And what is Megyn dressed for?
Also, Megyn, since you are supposedly an attorney, you are aware that being accused of something is not the same as being convicted of something, right?
I get the feeling that her training in the law is probably as extensive as, “In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered extremely heinous…”
And Santa is white!
Where is Kiddo with her DUN DUN link?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8lDYrvTILc
She better not be raiding the Cheez-its cabinet.
Whah?
*Hides yellow hands and fingers behind back, forgets to wipe mouth*
Oh my God, I’m a lawyer, too!
Lol I love law and order!
I wish I could put Josh Duggar in Olivia Benson’s “custody”. Aw, hell-throw in Elliot and Fin, too.
I’m an actual lawyer, and this tripe is disgusting. So now Fox News is off my list of acceptable channels (along with TLC and the rest), not that I ever watched it anyway.
I would love to be in Elliott’s custody. Yum
@shambles. Serious topic but I busted out laughing at your comment. SVU was my show. ..and I agree with you.
It’s Fox. There never should have been en expectation that this would be a legit interview. The fact that these people are even doing an interview speaks volumes about their priorities and how very un-Christian they actually are. They are trying to rescue their reputation. They show such extreme vanity and place themselves above all others, including their victims. Sorry, but I see nothing Christian about these hateful, abusive people.
^THIS…all day long.
I did have a flicker of hope that Fox might distance itself from this family, for the sake of their GOP candidates who don’t want to be seen supporting a molester and the people who are ok with their son molesting their daughters.
Alas, any opposition to “liberals” and “media” and whatever other names for the boogeyman they have is good opposition, apparently.
No, they’re just going to go with their tried and true method of screaming that Bill Clinton sexually harassed women, never mind that he didn’t court Josh Duggar’s political support; that he’s not running for any office; or that Paula Jones LOST her sexual harassment case because she couldn’t prove sexual harassment.
Im not sure faux news knows how to
1. Conduct an interview
2. Use real facts based in reality for their stories. It seems they prefer pie in the sky theories
3. Do any stories that isn’t about white, cis males, utter conservative Christians
4. Fact checking
5. Run a story without blaming the “liberal media” for something
There’s more but this list will do. I make it a point to avoid Faux News as to keep my brain cells so I wasn’t expecting anything really. Actually I was expecting this.
Yup. I was surprised at how many people were commenting on the last post about how Megyn was a “hard-hitting reporter” and not to be underestimated.
Looks like she’s drinking the Kool-Aid like all the other cultists.
Kitten
Every so often a news outlet will turn lash out when wrong is really done. Mainly for big ratings. This seemed like it would be just that. Sometimes you just cross your fingers and hope a specific interview will be the one.
Hopefully, this backfires heavily on FOX. This is so softballed it would be laughable if not so horrible. They can lie to themselves and deflect all they want. Just digging that hole.
And that video made my blood boil. I was yelling at my mobile.
And would Megan Kelly trust him around her young family? Trust him on an everyday babysitting basis long term? No f-in way. I’m all ragey now.
A normal network run by sane people WOULD burn its bridges with these freaks, however cynical and hypocritical a move that might be. But this is Fox, whose entire brand is built on the delusion of being under attack at all times. If you hate what they hate – Obama, Hillary, liberals, modern medicine, equal rights, book learnin’ – then they will lock ranks with you no matter what you do. The only way Fox would turn on the Duggars is if Michelle Obama starts hugging them.
kitten
i was shocked with megyn’s interview last night.
i am a fox news viewer.
it’s a big part of where i get much of my news.
while i am aware of the opposers who claim fox is biased, i find the cnn’s and mainstream media to also be blatantly biased (i work in the industry.)
anyway…
my husband and i watch megyn every single night and last night’s interview made me sick.
this was not the megyn kelly we respect.
really…it sickened me…and i’ll be reading today reviews/opinions on the interview for an explanation on why she handled the duggars this way.
bella, if you “work in the industry”, you know that fox is entertainment, not news and if that is where you get “much of your news”, expand your world, try Comedy Central or HBO, the reporting is much better.
Just one tiny correction to your post, Josephine. “rescuing their show” instead of reputation. 😉
There’s a reason it’s called Faux News…. It really isn’t a legitimate source of news. They don’t even try to be objective but rather work to twist things to fit their established agendas. There’s a lot of self-censorship in all US mainstream media and they all have their biases, but Fox is unusually blatantly biased. It’s a peculiar phenomenon.
I can’t even look at their faces.
Yep. What awful people.
I feel like scrubbing my mind after even reading about them. They leave such a nasty taint.
One big heaping, steaming, putrid pile of NOPE.
I said this yesterday. she said it wouldn’t be a “cross examination” but absolutely an “interview” so they could “tell their side”.
she’s not going to go hard on them. what a f-ing surprise.
I knew this is how it would be. All the people going on about how Megyn was hard-hitting. LOL It’s going to be used to try to take down the, clutch my pearls, “liberals.” Just an agenda interview is all this is.
This is exactly what I expected. I just hope people will see through this crap.
Btw, In Touch redacted the victims names in part because one victim is still a minor. Since the assault took place twelve years ago, let’s all do the math…. This is how we know that one victim was five years old.
The problem is that by not redacting the parts about his sisters being victims, they might as well have left in the names. And he actually was a minor when it happened, and there are good reasons to deal differently with minors and information about what they did. The media today routinely violates both the letter and the spirit of privacy laws in pursuit of scandal. They should not be rewarded.
It’s sad that Josh didn’t get the kind of intensive intervention very early that was available outside his small church sphere – it might have made a real difference. Teenagers are not yet fully formed so there is more hope for change in them. But it just makes sense to keep up treatment and not allow him unsupervised contact with children, because there is no way to be certain that he is fully healed and many reasons to doubt it. His actions indicated severe deep-seated problems. If his parents actually believe it was anywhere near normal behavior for a young teenage boy, they are just deluding themselves. It’s true that his problems might have been triggered or exacerbated by their peculiar religious attitudes, but such actions are also a common response to being molested/abused. Too many secrets in that house.
The records released to ITW were not Josh’s juvenile criminal records. He was an adult when the investigation was opened and conducted, and it was not clear until it was concluded that the molestations all (allegedly) occurred when he was a minor and that the statute of limitations had run out on all of his offenses.
I almost laughed out loud when Jim Bob and Michelle claimed tonight that they voluntarily took Josh to self-report his crimes to the state police not knowing if he would be arrested or face prosecution. If they were genuinely committed to requiring their son to pay for his crimes, why did they refuse to present him for an interview during the 2006 investigation? The documents ITW obtained from the police make it crystal clear that Jim Bob and Michelle were involved in preventing them from talking to Josh. Perhaps it was because they feared he might slip up and admit to conduct that was still within the statute of limitations?!?
And do not even get me started about their assertions that “people with agendas” have been persecuting them for something that is in the past and resolved. Condemning a child molester and the greedy, evil people who enabled him is not persecution.
These people are delusional liars and an affront to Christianity. TLC can rot in hell if they do not drop these jerks immediately.
I can’t figure out if the people at Fox News actually believe the ignorant, hateful stuff they spew or if they just pretend for ratings.
They probably just don’t think too hard about it. That’s the way of the ignoramuses. Ignoramusi? I’m not sure of the plural form.
Ignorami 🙂
No, I did not take Latin, and no, I’ve got no clue.
I often wonder that myself, and don’t know which is worse.
renee28, it really is hard to say if they really believe this stuff. But the scary thing is the viewers do, and that’s what they count on. I have watched my dad, who has always been conservative slowly evolve from having thoughtful, intelligent, well-reasoned opinions to just spewing what he hears on Fox without thinking to check any facts anymore. It’s really unsettling how easily people can be brainwashed.
I’d say they believe it, because if you’ve ever read the New York Post (same ownership), all the articles repeat how hateful and ignorant liberals/democrats/progressives are.
I’ve been wondering that for years. I have upon occasion caught some screed on FOX while flipping channels and am always staggered by the deliberate obtuseness and dog whistle tactics going on.
I think it’s both. They really believe it in general, but they definitely know their audience as well, and throw in lots of dog whistles, as I Choose Me said.
It’s money making pandering, plain and simple, tell the rubes what they want to hear and gee golly, they’ll tune in, no one at Faux News gives a crap about the truth or integrity, they are interested in pushing their agenda and pandering to their viewers.
So… It’s all the liberal media’s fault for bringing attention to the whole sordid mess. Kill the messenger, change the subject. Anything but talk openly about child abuse and incest, which is EXACTLY what this should be an opportunity to do. Instead it’s about saving the Duggar’s brand. Sigh…
Yes, and also no liberals can criticize the Duggars because Bill Clinton, or something.
Don’t forget Lena Dunham. Their supporters have been bringing her up too.
Wasn’t Lena something like 7 at the time? Doesn’t seem comparable, although she should have kept her mouth shut.
I seriously can’t believe they are even using that angle. This has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative! It’s about the fact that this dude molested his very young sisters, more than once and the sick family covered it up. I’ve never liked Fox News, but freaking come on!!! This whole thing has made me disgusted with the human race. I’ve seriously lost all hope for humanity.
Well OF COURSE it is! This would never have been a problem if the evil media hadn’t brought this up and ruined the family’s good name! It’s not the crime, excuse me, “sin” that we’re 100% sure that God has forgiven, by the way, it’s the MEDIA.
They should get together with Bill Cosby and do a “we can’t believe you’re calling us out on this” tour.
As a bystander following this conversation, and not the actual interview by Fox…my jaw drops. Exposing the incest occurring in a family whose livelihood is reality tv, culty-christianity and image control is a bad hurtful thing that liberal media have conspired to do? But conservative media are supportive and want those who committed the incest and hid the incest to “tell their stories.” So many questions, my mind is reeling.
Thanks of covering this, Kaiser. One small point: On the ‘free ginger’ website (pretty much the go-to for years regarding the Duggars and fundamentalism in general), one poster was able to trace back through the instagram of a woman who is claiming to be the one who tipped off In Touch and establish that her claim is legit. Apparently the tipster is a local woman who had taken a picture in front of the Duggar house kissing her (same sex) partner back when the Duggars stupidly encouraged their ‘fans’ to post kissing pics. Of course, the picture was removed from the Duggars instagram, along with other same-sex kissing pics. The woman kept the picture up on her own instagram, and was contacted by a reporter from In Touch on her instagram weeks prior to the announcement.
The kicker? This woman had known about the Josh rumors for years. Apparently, what put her over the top was Michelle Duggar’s robocalls to locals equating transgendered folks with pedophiles. Oh, the delicious irony…
I don’t understand how she knew about the rumors. Was she one of his victims?
+1 I don’t get how she’d know. Or why she’d sit on that info.
Someone had posted about the molestation rumors online somewhere, years ago. So the rumor has been floating around for years on the internet.
My guess is because she’s a local woman and this is small town USA where everybody knows everybody’s business, she knew the story and told In Touch when they contacted her to get back at the Duggars. Maybe they should have supported the gays after all, huh? Karma is a bitch.
Sorry to be unclear – yes, she is local to the Duggars; apparently it was somewhat of an open secret for years. Pretty incredible that it to took this long to come out – frankly, the Duggars’ arrogance in putting themselves out there in the public eye in the wake of what happened is pretty incredible too.
Definitely an open secret locally:
http://m.nwaonline.com/news/2015/may/30/commentary-the-age-of-accountability-20/
Josh Duggar’s sorrow and repentance is so very obvious, amirite? What a little scrote. He makes my skin crawl.
It’s beyond my comprehension that an “open secret” of molestation of minors was out there and NO ONE investigated it! Not the police. Not CPS. No one! Oh that makes me so mad!
Well when you consider that the person they did “report” it to was sent to prison for child porn, it’s not really surprising at all.
I remember a commenter on this site several years ago left a comment that people around their town knew that Josh Duggar had molested some girls. It must have been about 2-3 years ago that I saw that comment on a Duggar story, but it stuck with me, so when this story broke all I could think was “wow, that fellow Celebitchian was right”.
So… it’s the… “liberal media’s” fault that Josh Duggar molested his sisters and other young girls?
Fox News continues to make sense, as usual.
To be specific, it is “this woman on CNN’s fault.” Megyn didn’t even bother to get the woman’s name.
See? Megyn not affected. Megyn don’t care.
What is this liberal thing? When did Christians become synonymous with the Duggars? They are the Quiverfull sect. I know of no Christian in my family or friends that identifies with this sect. By the way, I grew up Baptist. None of my extended relatives in Southern Baptist heavy Georgia identify with this sect and the side-hugging, dating chaperoned, the have babies until you drop philosphy, education for women frowned upon, on and on. Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Catholics, on and on, they don’t ascribe to this Quiverfull sect’s view of lving as a Christian, sheltered away from the world.
Also, when did liberal take on the across-the-board you aren’t a Christian? And Democrats aren’t just some one-stop liberal camp. Moderates are heavy in the Party, with many liberal views mixed with many moderate views on other issues. It’s the buzz word they love to use, “liberals,” like we are all a bunch of non-Christian or non-spiritual heathens trying to destroy the world, and that if you aren’t a Christian, you aren’t moral. What a crock. Living morally is living by a moral compass of being a good person. I don’t need God to tell me to be a good person, who treats people with compassion and kindness and gives back to the world or my community.
They are going to use this as non-Christians versus Christians and liberals trying to destroy this TV show and family, and this is totally false. Except for the evangelical fundamentalists far, far right, most Christians don’t and would never whitewash this Quiverfull sect family and defend blindly.
As a Christian, moderate liberal I agree with everything you just said. I don’t know how we got so far off track in this country where we only see or respond to extremes, but this crazy has got to stop.
+ 1000
+1001
I would describe myself the same way leahpet.
As a Christian, I am ashamed, mortified and horrified by the abduction of my faith by these people who use the Bible to defend their hate and ignorance.
+1 billion. As a Agnostic, left of center politically leaning person, I am tired of extremists getting so much attention and drowning out all moderate voices out there. It doesn’t help that the media laps up and gives a voice to extremists.
You used a word that hit the nail right on the head: “extremes.” The cancer that is fundamentalist right-wing religion disguising itself as Christianity is nothing more than “religious extremism.” Kind of like the extremism that has corrupted other notable religions as of late.
+10000 bang on jayna and leahpet! political parties and the media or religion haveNOTHING to do with a man molesting children. the dems and the liberal media did not make him do that and neither did the republicans. it has nothing to do with political ideology. it has nothing to do with the media. it has everything to do with people who are severely mentally ill from being trapped in a socially deviant cult.
It blows my mind that anyone could blame the media for this instead of focusing on the actual crimes that happened, and the hypocrisy of this family labeling everyone else perverts. I’m not surprised it’s shaping up to be a softball interview, but I am disappointed.
And if a bunch of left wing politicians had posed with someone later revealed to be a child molester, Fox News would be wetting themselves with excitement and playing the slideshow on a continuous loop.
(Side note, I actually briefly met Megyn not too long ago and she was very nice, but a little part of me wanted to scream “Santa isn’t real!”)
Fox has a habit of labeling Republicans who are caught in sex scandals as Democrats.
It looks like she’s skipping over the fact that the father had called for pedophiles to be killed. I guess that doesn’t apply when it’s his own son?
they act like they’re not benefiting from this scandal at all.
So basically it will be the Fox News circle jerk we were all expecting anyway.
Since they are pandering to the trigger happy evangelicals that flock to that station, they get to pretend they are doing a hard hitting piece and not showing bias, with a female anchor who will supposedly ask tougher questions, but in the end still get to whine about the liberal media witch hunt obsessed with persecuting Christians. Lather, rinse, repeat.
The sheer insanity of how many people are defending this moron molesting his sisters is frightening.
“Fox News circle jerk.” That’s the best description to give this.
It blows my mind that you people call out Fox as a bunch of hacks yet you believe CNN, MSNBC, etc?? All of the media is playing to their base.
The Duggars are disgusting and ya they may be right wing nuts, but the Clintons, Woody Allen, Roman Polaski are just as disgusting. Not one time when they are brought up does any of you call them Left Wing Liberal Trash.
You guys are just as bad as any Fox News Right Wing Republicans with your generalizations. Of course you all will never see your own bias. A big part of being Liberal is having your eyes closed to your own behavior and the behavior of the people you celebrate.
I don’t think anyone here who finds Fox distasteful and appalling has ever pledged their allegiance to one of those other networks. Just because you like Fox doesn’t mean those who don’t automatically swear by MSNBC. There are plenty of other sources for news, information and actual facts.
+1, smart.
Wow, an actual rational argument. +1000
Ugh. Thank you. I don’t watch any of that sh*t.
Also, thanks for once again proving that the Fox News audience is straight nutters.
And Like6 doesn’t make any generalizations at all in her comments at all like ” you people.”
It blows my mind that you just used the phrase “you people” and then went on to complain about folks making generalizations. You obviously don’t read any of the comment sections on this site, or you would know that every time there is a post about anyone who is even associated with Woody Allen or Roman Polanksi, that person is called out. The disgust with Allen and Polanksi has been heavily discussed. But that has nothing to do with this story, at all. Go ahead and deflect attention from the real issue, which is that five young girls were molested, just like Megyn Kelly and the Duggars.
+1, smart
Yet “you people” never call the left wing liberals. That’s not an insult but being even remotely to the right is a sin the same as child molesting.
@Carsson-I’m pretty sure if a left wing liberal or their family member molested several children and tried to cover it up, “us people” would be chewing them out here. Like others have said, check out the Polanski/Allen posts here-they are NOT well respected around here.
Really, it is pretty immature to try to turn a conversation about a child molestation case into liberals vs. conservatives.
@winter
What I’m saying is when other people do things they do not talk about their political affiliation unless it’s republican.
I think politics should stay out of this conversation.
Anyone who molests kids is bad no matter who they vote for.
@ Carsson-People talk about this family’s politics because Josh Duggar was being groomed for a prominent political career, which started with his former job at the FRC lobbying group.
Pretty sure that I have never celebrated Roman Polanski.
+1, smart
We pretty much celebrate the Comet Sophie and Cheez-its, is all I can recall. Oh, also beige bootie shorts and poo studies.
I found you, miss Beige Booty. Get it together and bring it back to me.
don’t forget #fakebaby, kiddobootyshorts.
Sorry doofus, fakebaby is a classic, and I was remiss in forgetting it.
no more cheez-its for you.
And direwolves and bacon. We celebrate bacon
OMG…and balls! BALLS! how could any of us forget the magic of BALLS!
I don’t watch any news stations. I read about current events online and I read about the same story on many different sites so I can get an idea of the actual story. Stop deflecting with this left-wing, right-wing BS. It’s not about political affiliation. It’s about a teenager who molested his young sisters for a couple years, knowing what he was doing was wrong and his sick parents covering it up to keep their son out of trouble. It doesn’t matter if they were Christian, Muslim, Republican or Democrat. Wrong is wrong and the situation is wrong.
I’m the same (though I’m not American, so I have limited exposure to any of those channels), and I’m quite confused why this is being made into a political issue. When interest in political affiliations triumph over the well-being of children, perhaps one should start reconsidering their values.
Then again, I don’t understand the zealousness over the divide in the first place, so I’m guessing that something is lost in translation in between different cultures.
I’m not really sure why it’s being made political either. I guess because the Duggars are somewhat involved in politics and Josh was as well. He was working with some organization and was always mingling with politicians. But even with that I don’t understand how this has become a left versus right issue because like you said, it’s about the well being of children.
I don’t understand the zealousness myself to be honest with you. I think both sides have good and bad attributes and I really wish we could all meet somewhere in the middle. Everything is being divided more and more and it’s not helping anybody. It’s sad.
Funny post.
when any of the stations you mention have a family like this on for an interview, while white-washing THEIR behavior and blaming on the “conservative media”, you can complain.
Until you have evidence that the Clinton’s teenage child molested several children between the ages of 5 and 12, and that they covered it up, then NO, they are not just as disgusting as the Duggars.
Yes, Allen and Polanski are just as disgusting, and are labeled as such when discussed on here.
I think you might have some problems with reading for comprehension. and simple observations.
Excellent points.
Polanski and Allen get called out here all the time. Nice deflection, though.
Like6, you might do well to visit Media Matters on a daily basis. And not having cable I don’t watch any of the TV news channels you mentioned, though I do occasionally like Al Jazeera America which comes over antenna.
“You people”? “YOU PEOPLE”?? Talk about an “us and them” attitude. Remember Like6 that there are people commenting on this blog from all over the world. We don’t all watch Fox or CNN or MSNBC. I’m Canadian, I watch Canadian news (which covers way more news about America than yours covers Canada by the way).
The mere fact that the Duggars are celebrities speaks to American media in general and its love of capitalizing on and celebrating some of the most vile people in society today. Don’t politicize this with your personal bias against Liberals. Furthermore, the backlash against people like Woody Allen and Roman Polanski was global, as is the disgust with the Duggars.
You would think we could all unite to protect children from predators, despite our varied political beliefs, but you would be disappointed.
Right, GoodNames? So sad. You’d also think we could unite to feel Joe Biden’s pain at the loss of his son and all the tragedy he has endured but politics trumps basic decency there, too. The vile comments people have made on that front have been pretty disheartening.
Like6 – How would you know what has been said on CB in the past regarding the Clintons, Woody Allen or Polanski? If you had been on this thread before you would know that YOUR generalizations regarding the people that come here to comment are way off base. This issue is not about politics!! Unfortunately, you are too biased to see that the real issue has to do with a predator that molested his own sisters.
I don’t watch CNN or MSNBC. CNN used to be okay, now it is trash, but I wouldn’t classify it as liberal. MSNBC is liberal, but shrill and frequently ridiculous too. Fox is literally, and admittedly the model for later channels like MSNBC that tried to follow its success. It was created by Roger Ailes, specifically and on-purpose to be an integral part of the Republican machine. It blatantly lies about things. While old school media may have some sort of liberal bias because of the political orientation of the journalists (but for every NYT you have to Post of Wall St. Journal) that is quite a different matter. I get my news from the New York Times and NPR. Their editorial boards are liberal, but their whole purpose is to report, as opposed to spin stories.
And dude, I trash Woody Allen and Polanski every chance I get. I think you are confusing average liberals with Hollywood.
It blows my mind that somebody just assumes Polanski is a left-wing liberal without anything to support that assumption
@Like 6 Your point is that since people considered liberal commit (Polanski) or are accused (Everyone else you mentioned- but the Clintons not sure what sex crime they are accused of ) of sex crimes this means we should have a major network white wash and PR an interview with a conservative christian family where the perpetrator admitted to a sex crime so they can keep their television show.
Even if you were right, but I think you are seeing it through your bias, ever heard two wrongs don’t make a right.
By the Chelsea Clinton standard iterated previously- I’m not sure if Josh Dugger is a public person. I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with this. Hahahaha.
What is the hahaha for? What are you laughing at?
And he has agreed to star on a reality show. That makes him a public person.
Compare and contrast with the way FOX NEWS released all kinds of damaging reports about black men who were shot dead or otherwise killed, and whose pasts HAD nothing directly to do with their deaths.
+1 If any one those black men so much as lifted a finger in those pictures, it was “gang signs” and what-not. Yet, FOX is twisting itself into a pretzel trying to defend this admitted child molester.
I just learned that Fox News hasn’t covered the Duggar story at all until they booked this interview.The Duggars are using Mike Huckabee’s PR guy so this interview will a joke.I guarantee you the girls will not be discussed under the guise of protecting their privacy.
And they didn’t do that until Dennis Hastert was indicted and they aren’t covering that story at all. They are using the Duggars to divert from the fact that a former speaker of the House paid blackmail money to hide the fact that he molested a kid he was teaching
Ooh, good point.
Oh give me a break with that liberal media garbage, what a fkng joke. Has nothing to do with their Christianity, Josh is a predator, period. If they were Muslims not one person would be saying he made a mistake and we should forgive him. This whole thing is just sickening!
I hate that. It is such an obvious ploy, yet too many people fall for it every time.
These people really think that they have it so hard being a Christian in America, they should try in other countries. I am sure they would like to be “persecuted” the way these American Christain think they are. There are Christians being murdered on a large scale because of their faith and these people get up in arms because someone finally decided to publicly call out a child molester.
The problem with a lot of American Christians, especially those in the more devout Bible belt, is that (some, not all) talk about their religion. All. The. TIME. They have to edge it into most conversations and can’t comprehend that some of us don’t want to be saved and don’t want to hear every detail of their faith. That is the difference between certain Christian sects in the US and other religions or even Christians in Europe: they don’t feel the need to discuss their faith, they just let it be what it is for them.
I’m not trying to offend any Christians, as I said not all are overbearing but those that are can rub others wrong. I’m of the opinion faith (or lack of it) is personal and should remain so, unless one is asked about their religion/spirituality.
Wow this is ill informed to say the least. No one is blaming Christians and let’s be honest this is a problem for the GOP just like it would be for the liberals. You can’t be praising child molesters and think people will be on board for you.
Also the lack of concern for the victims in this video is disturbing, it’s all about Josh his rights and how liberals are picking on them.
I have to wonder would Megan Kelly be so offended by this if josh was a black liberal atheist? Something tells me, she and Fox News would be leading the charge against them.
meh, I don’t need to watch the video. I get more intelligent and informed commentary here, on a gossip site. No need for the news parody version.
Great interview Megyn! Who needs “facts” and “the truth”
I really do not understand these people and it makes me sad that there are people who get their information from places like Fox and do not bother to do their own unbiased research. All it would take is actual reading to see the truth, but they just refuse and follow blindly. It has nothing to do with being Liberal, but everything to do with this guy molesting his sisters. I don’t know why people can’t understand that or feel sympathy/empathy for them.
There is something wrong with him and I have seen arguments that it is because he grew up the way he did and sex is seen as a bad thing or only procreation, but I believe it is worse than that. At 14/15, he probably would not have been having sex in a less strict household. Maybe some making out or whatever, but from what I read he did to his sisters that, to me, is beyond being curious and plain predatory. I really wouldn’t be surprised if at some point more stories of this behaviour come to light and people can’t blame it on teenage curiosity.
This! Josh was 14-15 yrs old when he molested little girls frequently. It seems like a pattern and a sexual preference to me. Boys that age normally knows the general direction of their sexuality. If I’m right, he could be attracted to kids, even today.
Not defending Josh here, but saying that boys that age normally know their sexuality is a bit inaccurate, especially with the environment he grew up in. In their family any type of sexual or personal contact with the other sex is taught as bad if they are not married or “courting.” I would say normal social patterns and the Duggar’s are an oxymoron. My real worry now would be that one of the other younger sons may have the same problems and may perpetuate this same type of act or worse on another child.
I have to admit that I don’t watch Fox News as its neither fair or balanced. It also is rarely accurate. I have read many people say they expected Kelly to be “hard or harder” on The Duggars. Why? This is a woman who stated on air that both Jesus & Santa were white. (One probably looked middle eastern & the other fictitious)
These people are ridiculous & dangerous (The Duggars) & Fox is pandering to their common denominator base. The saddest part is the fact that children where molested & somehow this is being spun so that we see the abuser is sorry & everything is better.
I think people expected more because in a couple recent interviews Megyn actually called people on their bullshit, so I think people wanted to believe that she would do the same in a case like this.
No, “ridiculous and dangerous” is Al Sharpton over at MSNBC which, I am sure he has stated this (Duggar fiasco) is all due to the fact they are white.
If you’re sure, prove it.
There is barely any mention of the Duggars on the MSNBC site
The NO mentioning of it, is even more frightening….
What is frightening? That they are reporting other news stories instead of living up to the accusations being hurled by Duggar supporters that they’re glomming onto this or that we can’t find anything to support your claim? Why would MSNBC be reporting something you claim is ON MSNBC? The clips would be on the site.
I’m more surprised by the people who actually thought it would be a real journalist interview.
It’s Megyn Kelly.
Its Fox News.
That Channel’s reputation didn’t come out of thin air and like I said before protecting a molesting Republican who votes is absolutely more precious to them than offering a shred of respect to women, POC, those in poverty etc.
We can’t keep believing in the Easter Bunny people.
As long as he’s white, Fox will still believe.
Now that you mention it I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of a brown Easter Bunny, LMAO.
This is sort of OT, with the Duggar posts, I haven’t thought about it in YEARS—
When I was young (ages 4 through 8) we used to live in a different country on a military base, and my mom’s friend’s son (who was the same age as my older sister–like 15/16) would come over and
“play” with me and my twin. I don’t think I can say he molested us, but he definitely made normal games that kids play (like truth or dare) sexual, by exposing himself to both of us. And I don’t think I ever told my parents, I think I was just kind of surprised. I don’t know.
Anyway, after reading all of these Duggar posts, I just kept thinking about it, and I thought I might share it.
Ugh, VC, so sorry to hear about your experience. Even if you weren’t molested, it’s outrageous that a trusted older person thought that it was appropriate that “play” with young children involved anything sexual and that he encouraged or forced you to participate in something that made you feel uncomfortable. It’s confusing at best and really damaging at worst. I’m glad you shared, maybe it can help you come to terms with what happened and find a way to move on.
With any luck, this family will verbally hang themselves even during this softball cotton-wadded interview. And those bits will go viral to those who don’t watch Fox.
The “liberal media v Christians” defense of their son’s actions…..pathetic and troubling, such a “look over there!” ploy.
This family exists in a bubble believing whatever they make up and force their uneducated followers to believe, so they are probably unprepared to have millions of people say “nope, you are full of it” about their pronouncements. Especially if they are even being STILL coddled by TLC and people like Megyn “Santa just is white” (see Kelly File/Slate/Jon Stewart if you don’t know what i’m referring to) Kelly. But yeah this makes me so disgusted with humanity, the double-standards that exist, the games. Meanwhile the victims — who cares, right? Sad.
I’ll put this out there as a woman who is Christian and conservative. What Josh Duggar did and the cover up that has followed is disgusting. Just know that not all conservatives and Christians are okay with this – on a side note i don’t get why people stereotype like that. As mother to young girls I am truly horrified by Michelle Duggar. And the adjustment in details that continue to happen. When it first broke they made it seem like he was a really young kid, and kids being curious (which will happen in households that are not open to explaining about our biology, sex, etc), and that it was a onetime thing. Fast forward to several edits of this story and now it was he was 18 and had been abusing several of his sisters and other girls for years. WTH?!?! No amount of interviews by Jim Bob and his brainwashed bride will make this better. I fear this will turn into more horrified secrets coming out. It is true about those that live in glass houses and they put their lives on TV knowing this secret was in their closet. Reap what you sow.
Thank you!
.
It seems the words, Christian and Conservative mean , white and wrong. Not remotely true! By the way, MLK was a Conservative.
Not going to watch this interview. I always boycott anything on Fox “news” anyway.
Yes!!! Everyone should boycott Fox.
But yet you felt the need to tell everyone you wouldn’t watch it…. Or, Fox. Hmmmm!
Yes, it’s called commenting on an article.
I also feel the need to tell everyone I won’t watch the interview. “Hmmmm” indeed!
My tin foil hat tells me that perhaps Jessa found out she’s expecting a girl, and that when Josh bought a house in Arkansas nearby she freaked out that he would have access to her daughter, and tipped off In Touch (how ironic is that name). I can’t recall if she ever spent time at Josh’s house to help Anna out, but I don’t think so. I know Jana frequently did.
That stupid baby-voice from a grown woman. Ugh.
I just can’t with this idiot and all the Josh Douchbag supporters ….I know for a fact that none of them would send their kids and grandkids over to Josh’s house for him to watch over.
To blindly support a man that as a child molested his sisters and family friend, who didn’t get any type of help but covered it up and just prayed for guidance, means that you support child molesters as long as they are white Christian men……and Republicans too.
I think the Duggars should send Caitlyn Jenner a thank you card for taking the media heat off of them for a while…
Well TMZ has a new story about the Duggars.Apparently Josh told his father three times that he was molesting his sisters .Jim Bob didn’t act until after he was told the third time which was 16 months after the first time.Maybe If he had done something the first time there wouldn’t be five victims.Also I wonder how long he had been molesting them before he confessed the first time.
I won’t be watching. They all turn my stomach.
The Duggar paterfamilias has cold eyes. I’d bet dollars to donuts that guy is abusive when the cameras are off. This family is saturated in abuse, utterly sick, the poster family for “dysfunctional families.” There is nothing healthy about these people at all.
Just saw a clip of the interview — the way he stares at Michelle D and she gazes up at him as if making sure she is on-script is utterly creepy to me. Cold eyes, absolutely. Controlling air.
She starts off the piece with “Yours truly”. Red Flag right there.
Edit: I made it to 4:08. She lost me when she said “their story. America wants to hear their story.” No. We’ve heard their story, what we want to know is WHY they allowed this to continue and WHY didn’t they seek help for their daughters and WHY didn’t TLC do anything about it once they knew.
Exactly. And they’ve forced “their story” onto the victims for years. Enough is enough.
Very well written, Kaiser. Thanks!
It’s painfully obvious that they don’t care about children or families at all. They’re just an oppressive patriarchy. Let’s say this together – oppression and abuse go hand in hand. Whenever you see one, the other is close by. I don’t think the abuse started or stopped with Josh. The girls and women can’t say no or express a contrary opinion. They are the perfect victims for predators. We should stop being surprised. Saddened and angry, yes. But this is exactly the result we should expect from this culture.
I’ve worked in forensic mental health yet there are a lot of things about this case that are baffling… 1st was all him victims family members? And am I to understand Josh’s abuse was reported to the police but no charges filed? How is that possible?
I mean even if the victims or their (his) families didn’t want to press charges and he’s admitted to inappropriate behavior the police are mandatory reporters; a case has to be opened with Child Welfare Services or a similar state agency whose job is to investigate and protect the welfare of minors. How/why did this not happen? Also if anything was filed mandatory counseling conducted by a licensed psychologist would have to happen and not by a therapist the family simply picked out. Finally, if they do background checks on kids applying for work at McDonald’s how on earth did these people get a reality show?
I know laws vary by state to state but this is ridiculous. Once he admitted he abuse he should have been arrested, received mandatory sex offender treatment and never, ever, should have been allowed back in the home or near minors. The parents are despicable but the state failed these girls – spectacularly. How were the Duggars able to get around all this?
THAT is the real story, and I hope to hell that nobody puts this down.
Four were sisters. The fifth was a babysitter who was asleep on the couch.
This whole story makes me want to tear my skin off and run away screaming like a madwoman. My heart aches for the ruination of innocent lives by the egregious and willful ignorance of two magnificently arrogant human beings…their conceit driving the effective abandonment of 4 daughters in what could only have been/or be their darkest hours.
Being a Liberal, Conservative, Believer, Atheist or Agnostic isn’t mutually exclusive to understanding right from wrong. These labels or identifiers, are just a skirt some (not all, thankfully) use to hide behind to press agendas, spew vitriol, and make excuses. Being a HUMAN BEING WITH A CONSCIENCE is the only thing mutually exclusive to understanding right from wrong.
Molesting children is wrong. Every time. All the time. For eternity.
Shameful and ridiculous. I don’t know how the FNC staff can look themselves in the mirror. Everything becomes a liberal vs conservative issue for ratings.
Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting that Megan will interview Josh Duggar victims/sisters Jill and Jessa for tonight’s broadcast, noting it’s the first time his victims have been publicly named.
Stop celebrating this vile couple. The only attention they need is from the police and child protective services, and if TLC wasn’t making money off turning them out, it’s the only attention they’d get.
I just can’t watch the interview. I have no interest in sitting through it. I just find they are very hypocritical people.
I regret having watched the interview. I was also molested by a teenage male relative when I was a little girl. I was blamed for it happening. I never received counseling (as a child) and neither did my abuser. He went on to become a janitor in multiple elementary schools, and abused countless children. He was finally stopped when fathers of the abused children physically took him down. Sadly, he survived the brutal beat down, and went on disability, where he was able to spend his days doing whatever he wanted to do, including drugs. He died of an overdose when I was I college. I was so relieved.
My mom is a big supporter of the Duggars, and can’t understand why this is such a big deal. Well of course not – because she doesn’t understand how being abused from ages 4-7 is something that should have bothered me. Afterall, according to her (and my now dead father) I must’ve enjoyed the abuse because I let him do it.
@leahpet, my heart aches for you. I’m so sorry about all you endured. It’s very upsetting to hear that not only did the adults in your life fail you by allowing this monster to have repeated access to you, but they turned around and blamed you for what happened. I truly hope you are now in a place where you fully believe this was their failing—not yours. I also hope you now have some people in your life that make up for the toxicity of your parents.
Sadly, one of the victims is actually defending her brother, saying he’s not a predator or a rapist, even while admitting to being one of his victims. It must take a whole lot of brainwashing combined with desperation to not have your family torn apart in order to reason that way.