Josh Duggar turned 28 on Thursday, and parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar posted a birthday message to the disgraced 19 Kids and Counting star. The message alluded to the “sexual sins” he committed that led to the cancellation of the family’s reality show and nearly cost him his marriage.
#TheDuggars wish disgraced son #JoshDuggar a happy 28th birthday https://t.co/bdhG44OoIQ pic.twitter.com/TNkxHUMRlw
— Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) March 4, 2016
Taking to social media, the Duggar parents posted their wishes to Josh Duggar on their Facebook page.
Today is our son Josh’s birthday. The heartache of the past year cannot surpass the joy 28 years ago on this day when we…
Posted by Duggar Family Official on Thursday, March 3, 2016
It was back in August when Josh Duggar checked into a Christian rehab facility in Illinois–Reformers Unanimous–where he remains today. While there, the eldest of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 children is receiving therapy for his sexual sins. Just before entering the facility, Josh Duggar was outed in the Ashley Madison cheater’s website hack. He then admitted to cheating on wife Anna Duggar, and to having a penchant for pornography.
Months earlier it was determined Josh Duggar had sexually molested several underage girls while he was a teenager. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar no doubt played a big role in sweeping those incidents under the rug. Jill Duggar Dillard and Jessa Duggar Seewald–two of Josh’s sisters–acknowledged they were molested by their brother.
It’s uncertain what–if anything–Josh Duggar did on Thursday to celebrate his 28th birthday, but there are many people who believe he should stay right where he is and never re-enter society.
Josh Duggar’s parents "continue to pray" for him as he spends his birthday in rehab: https://t.co/FFHHDYiyLh pic.twitter.com/0C5zqGzLA7
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) March 4, 2016
Even though Josh Duggar cost the family their 19 Kids and Counting reality show, TLC has announced an upcoming season of a new Duggar reality show. Jill and Jessa: Counting On stars Jill and Jessa Duggar, along with siblings Jinger, Joy Anna, and Jana Duggar, and sister-in-law Anna Duggar. Josh Duggar and his parents are conspicuously absent from the new show.
Does it surprise you that Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar wish Josh Duggar a happy birthday on social media, rather than privately noting their son’s big day? It’s no doubt part of their belief in forgiveness, no matter the severity of the crime.