“19 Kids and Counting” star Josh Duggar admitted to having a pornography addiction and being unfaithful to his wife on Thursday, following reports the 27-year-old had a paid account on the recently hacked website Ashley Madison, an online dating service for married people looking to have an affair.
“I have been the biggest hypocrite ever,” said Duggar, who previously worked for the Family Research Council, a conservative lobbying group, in a statement. “While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife.”
He later revised this statement, taking out previous references to having a “secret addiction” and viewing pornography on the Internet.
Related: ’19 Kids’ canceled after child sexual abuse allegations
Duggar did not confirm or deny having an account on Ashley Madison, and it is possible that someone else registered on the site with his name. TLC canceled the reality TV show “19 Kids and Counting” last month after allegations surfaced that Duggar, the oldest son of the show’s stars, molested underaged girls when he was a teenager. Duggar’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle, posted a statement from their son on the family website Thursday, saying their “hearts were broken.” “I brought hurt and a reproach to my family, close friends and the fans of our show with my actions that happened when I was 14-15 years old, and now I have re-broken their trust,” Josh Duggar said. “The last few years, while publicly stating I was fighting against immorality in our country, I was hiding my own personal failings. As I am learning the hard way, we have the freedom to choose to our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences. I deeply regret all hurt I have caused so many by being such a bad example.”
Emma Margolin
Emma Margolin is a reporter at MSNBC.com. Recommended
