Josh Duggar, a former reality TV star and conservative political activist, pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges on Friday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Duggar entered his plea via Zoom, local television station KNWA Fox 24 reported.
The court appearance came after he was taken into custody on Thursday by the U.S. Marshals Service, according to a statement obtained by Urban Hollywood 411 from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Arkansas. The father of six is charged with receiving and possessing materials depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Related Story: ’19 Kids and Counting’ Star Jill Duggar to Detail Family Secrets in Tell-All Book
“Joshua James Duggar, 33, allegedly used the internet to download child sexual abuse material. Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000 on each count.
Duggar and his family are best known for their TLC series 19 Kids and Counting. The reality show ran from 2008 to 2015, and was initially titled 17 Kids and Counting, with the name changing as the family expanded.
Brought up in a conservative Christian household in Arkansas, Josh is the oldest child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.
In 2015, tabloid reports surfaced saying Josh had abused five underage girls, including two of his sisters. He acknowledged abusing the girls when he was a teenager, and also confessed to cheating on his wife, having an addiction to pornography, and entered rehab.
TLC canceled 19 Kids and Counting in response to the scandal.
“After thoughtful consideration, TLC and the Duggar family have decided to not move forward with 19 Kids and Counting. The show will no longer appear on the air,” the cable network said in July 2015.
In response, the Duggar family released a statement about moving forward.
“We are so thankful for our film crew that has shown up at our house for over a decade. They have become like family to us,” the statement read. “With God’s grace and help, Josh, our daughters and our entire family overcame a terrible situation, found healing and a way forward. We are so pleased with the wonderful adults they have all become. It is our prayer that the painful situation our family went through many years ago can point people toward faith in God and help others who also have lived through similar dark situations to find help, hope and healing, as well.”
The network ran a one-hour special featuring sisters Jill and Jessa Duggar, as well as other survivors and families affected by the scandal, as part of an initiative to raise awareness about child abuse.
As the controversy erupted, Josh resigned in 2015 from a position he held with the Family Research Council — a fundamentalist Christian group with a mission to “advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.”
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