Todd DC/Splash News; InstagramJosh Duggar is saying goodbye to Washington, D.C.!
On Tuesday, moving trucks were spotted outside the Oxon Hill, Md., house where the 19 Kids and Counting star lived since 2013. The embattled reality star first moved to the suburb with wife Anna Duggar and their three kids so he would be able to commute to work at the Family Research Council. Less than three weeks ago, however, Josh resigned from his position in the wake of recently resurfaced molestation allegations from 2006.
Earlier this year, E! News confirmed that Josh and Anna purchased a home in Siloam Springs, a small town much closer to the Duggar family's Arkansas homestead. (When asked about Josh's family's purported move back to Arkansas, TLC declined to comment.) Parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar—along with sisters Jill and Jessa, who were named publicly as two of Josh's victims—have been extremely supportive.
During an interview with Fox News' Megyn Kelly, Jill explained how she had been able to forgive her brother. "You forgive someone and then you have boundaries," she explained. "Forgiveness with boundaries and so trust comes later. You know, Josh destroyed that trust at the beginning, and so he had to rebuild that. And so I think when…he asked us to forgive him, that was the point of rebuilding."
Josh, 27, has asked his family's forgiveness and taken responsibility for his past behavior. Last month, he gave a statement to People apologizing for having "acted inexcusably" when he was a young teenager. "I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation," he noted. "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."
Josh's wife Anna, who is currently pregnant with the couple's fourth child, released a statement praising her husband as "someone who had received the help needed to change the direction of his life and do what is right." Parents Jim Bob and Michelle have spoken out in their son's defense as well, telling Fox News that while the "family is trying to regroup from these attacks," their relationships with God have actually been strengthened.
It's not only blood relatives that are standing by Josh, either. Jessa's father-in-law Michael Seewald posted a a 2,160-word post to his family blog confirming "the Seewald family stands with the Duggar family in solidarity."
There's also Steve Neild, Kate Gosselin's bodyguard, who is not related to the Duggar family by blood or by marriage—according to Us Weekly, he's been on hand to help with Josh and the family's move from Maryland.
—Additional reporting by Lindsay Good, Lauren Mendoza & Senta Scarborough