Eldest Duggar child Josh was born March 3, 1988. He too became a conservative activist, campaigning for the Family Research Council.

He stepped down after old police records surfaced in 2015 revealing that he had been accused of molesting several girls, including his sisters Jessa and Jill, when he was a teenager. Jessa defended her brother in a sit-down with Fox News that June, insisting that the worst names people were calling Josh were "so overboard and a lie, really. I mean people get mad at me for saying that, but I can say this because I was one of the victims."

His wife also stuck by him, including after he admitted to being unfaithful. When he checked into a treatment center in 2016, his parents called it "a crucial first step in recovering and healing."Parents of three—daughter Mackynzie (Oct. 8, 2009) and sons Michael (June 15, 2011) and Marcus (June 2, 2013)—when the scandal broke, Anna gave birth to their fourth child, Meredith, on July 16, 2015, the same day TLC canceled 19 Kids. Their fifth child, son Mason Garett, was born Sept. 12, 2017, daughter Maryella Hope arrived Nov. 27, 2019 and baby No. 7, Madyson Lily, was born Oct. 23, 2021.

In a federal indictment filed in April 2021, Josh was charged with a count apiece of receipt and possession of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty on both counts. In 2022, Josh was found guilty on both counts, and sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison.