Less than 24 hours after his membership to the extramarital dating service Ashley Madison was exposed in a massive data dump, Josh Duggar has confessed to a "secret" addiction to pornography. "I have been been the biggest hypocrite ever," he writes on his family's website. "I brought hurt and a reproach to my family...and now I have rebroken their trust."
The former "19 Kids and Counting" star's admission is only the latest in a series of humiliations. In May, Duggar copped to sexually molesting five underage girls in the early aughts, four of whom are his siblings. Police botched the investigation and the statute of limitations has since expired on criminal charges, but the revelations cost him his executive director position at the Family Research Council, a conservative lobbying group, and his family their reality series. It's difficult to imagine an admitted child molester further damaging his reputation, but the purportedly wholesome Christian television personality has proven he's capable of anything.
The Duggars have expunged his references to pornography, but Josh's original statement can be read below:
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.
I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him.
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.
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.
I humbly ask for your forgiveness. Please pray for my precious wife Anna and our family during this time.
Josh Duggar
H/T Mediaite
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