Jessa Seewald, nee Jessa Duggar, admits she was one of brother Josh Duggar’s sexual molestation victims, yet she is still defending her brother–asking people not to call him a child molester.
The 19 Kids and Counting daughter spoke out very briefly–along with sister Jill Duggar Dillard–during parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s interview on Wednesday night with The Kelly File’s Megyn Kelly. Jill Duggar Dillard and Jessa Duggar Seewald’s portion of the interview will be expanded upon during a Fox special on Friday night.
“I do want to speak up in his defense against people who are calling him a child molester or a pedophile or a rapist, some people are saying,” Jessa Dillard told Megyn Kelly of brother Josh Duggar. “I’m like, ‘That is 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.”
Fox News has identified Jill and Jessa Duggar as Josh's molestation victims http://t.co/dZracU7vvl pic.twitter.com/osSWfnLbKZ
— People magazine (@people) June 3, 2015
Wednesday night’s interview with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar did bring to light some facets of the scenario the public hadn’t known–like the fact that Josh Duggar and all of his sibling victims–purportedly Jana Duggar and Jinger Duggar in addition to Jessa Duggar Seewald and Jill Duggar Dillard–received licensed, accredited therapy in the wake of the sexual molestations. Until then, many believed the only counseling the entire family had received was from their church elders.
Michelle Duggar insists that both Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald–perhaps because they are the 19 Kids and Counting siblings most popular with fans at this time–have been more victimized by the media these past two weeks than they were by what Josh Duggar did to them all those years ago.
They “have been victimized more by what has happened in the last couple of weeks than they were 12 years ago because, honestly, they didn’t even understand and know that anything had happened until after the fact when they were told about it,” she said.
Here's everything we learned from the Fox News #DuggarInterview: http://t.co/p6SX2keKsT
— E! Online (@eonline) June 4, 2015
It seems Jessa Duggar Seewald agrees.
Fans can watch Megyn Kelly continue her interview with both Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald on Friday night, June 5th, during a special hour-long episode of The Kelly File. It airs on Fox at 9:00 p.m.