Josh Duggar Police Report: Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios Was Tipped Off About Molestation Accusations, Family Interview Never Happened

Harpo then alerted the Arkansas State Police Child Abuse Hotline about an email sent to the studio in which the sender claimed the 19 Kids and Counting family wasn't as it seemed

By Natalie Finn May 23, 2015 12:57 AMTags
19 Kids and Counting, The Duggar FamilyScott Enlow/TLC

Is this the reason why Oprah Winfrey has never interviewed any member of the Duggar family of 19 Kids and Counting fame?

The 2006 police report unearthed by In Touch this week, in which now 27-year-old Josh Duggar was accused of molesting underage girls in 2002 and 2003, states that it was a fax from Oprah Winfrey-owned Harpo Studios that tipped local authorities off to a possible crime having been committed.

A source also confirms to E! News' Harpo's involvement as relayed in the police report, but no further details were forthcoming.

An Oprah Winfrey Show interview with some of the Duggars was apparently in the planning stages when, per the report, Harpo received an email on Dec. 7, 2006, in which the sender claimed that Josh (whose name was blacked out by authorities wherever mentioned throughout the report) had molested certain minor victims (whose names were also blacked out throughout) and the Duggars were "not what they seem to be."

"I think that you should know the truth before they make a complete fool of you and your show," read the tip, as included in the report.

Harpo alerted the Arkansas State Police Child Abuse Hotline and the Springdale Police Department received a copy of the email at 9 a.m. on Dec. 12, 2006, according to the police report.

James (Jim Bob) Duggar and wife Michelle Duggar then brought Josh to the Children's Safety Center in Springdale on Dec. 12 to be questioned with regard to the allegations; the report further states that James told police that Josh had admitted to multiple instances of molestation, said to have occurred in 2002 and 2003, and had subsequently spent four months in a counseling program in 2003.

Josh Duggar issued a public apology yesterday after the decade-old allegations came to light, admitting to acting "inexcusably."

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"I hurt others, including my family and close friends," Josh, who also yesterday resigned from his position at the D.C.-based Family Research Council, said in his statement. "I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life."

He also stated, "I would do anything to go back to those teen years and take different actions. In my life today, I am so very thankful for God's grace, mercy and redemption."


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Wife Anna Duggar, who's pregnant with the couple's fourth child, also told People that Josh confessed to her as well, two years before they got engaged.

"I can imagine the shock many of you are going through reading this. I remember feeling that same shock," she told People. "When my family and I first visited the Duggar home, Josh shared his past teenage mistakes. I was surprised at his openness and humility and at the same time didn't know why he was sharing it. For Josh, he wanted not just me but my parents to know who he really was—even every difficult past mistake."

Harpo has not returned E! News' requests for further comment. A judge this week, meanwhile, ordered that the entire report be expunged to protect the identity of a minor child named as a victim of a sex crime in the report.

TLC announced today that it had pulled 19 Kids and Counting from its schedule.

"We are deeply saddened and troubled by this heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and victims at this difficult time," the network said in a statement.