Josh Duggar releases statement following Ashley Madison scandal
Josh Duggar released a statement in the wake of claims he had an account on Ashley Madison, the popular website dedicated to married dating and discreet encounters and extramarital affairs.
Although he didn't address the dating site directly, the former reality TV star explained, "I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. 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."
[Shortly after posting the statement, those first few lines were edited to read: "I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have been unfaithful to my wife."]
Duggar, 27, went on to admit that he's "so ashamed of the double life" he's been leading and is grieving for the hurt and disgrace he's caused his wife and their four children, "and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him."
Duggar, who had already been under scrutiny for a child molestation scandal, wrote on DuggarFamily.com, "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."
He added, "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," before asking for forgiveness.
"Please pray for my precious wife Anna and our family during this time," asked Duggar, who's been married to Anna since 2008.
On Wednesday, Gawker reported that it had found Duggar's old Ashley Madison account after hackers posted stolen data from the site. The site even included Duggar's reported dating profile -- what he was looking for in a woman.
This is the latest in a series of drama for the Duggar family. Last month, TLC announced it had officially canceled "19 Kids and Counting." The future of the show featuring the Duggar family had been up in the air since May after revelations that Josh Duggar molested five children, including four of his sisters.