Duggars to address "19 Kids and Counting" scandal on Fox News
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have sat down with Fox News' Megyn Kelly for their first interview since the revelation of sexual misconduct allegations against their eldest son, Josh, from when he was a teenager.
In a preview of the interview, which airs Wednesday night, the "19 Kids and Counting" stars said they were "devastated" when they learned of their son's actions.
"There was so much grief in our hearts," Michelle Duggar told Kelly. "I think as parents we felt we're failures."
She added, "Here we tried to raise our kids to do what's right, and know what's right. And yet, one of our children made really bad choices and I think as a parent we were just -- we were devastated."
After the news broke, Josh, now 27 and married with three children of his own, issued an apology for acting "inexcusably" and resigned from his position at the Family Research Council in Washington. His parents and wife, Anna, also released statements of their own.
Soon after, TLC removed all episodes of "19 Kids and Counting" from its schedule. The network has not yet said whether it will return for a new season, but episodes no longer appear on Hulu and a number of advertisers have walked away from the series.
"They very much understand their show and reputation are on the line," Kelly told Deadline of the interview. But, she added, the Duggars also believe the show "has a chance still. It's not totally done."
A portion of the Duggars' interview will air on "The Kelly File" at 9 p.m. ET, and a full one-hour special is set for Friday at 9 p.m. ET.