Scott Enlow/DiscoveryJosh Duggar has taken to Instagram for the first time since it was revealed he inappropriately touched young girls, including his two sisters Jessa Duggar and Jill Duggar, nearly 10 years ago.
The embattled 19 Kids and Counting star broke his social media silence earlier today to wish his son Michael a happy birthday, despite all the controversy surrounding the conservative reality star's family.
"Happy 4th Birthday Michael James! #Big4 #HappyBirthday #Michael," Josh shared Tuesday along with a cute pic of little Michael.
Josh's wife Anna Duggar also posted an Instagram pic with the caption, "So glad to be in Arkansas celebrating Michael's 4th birthday -- we love you Mikey!"
The family birthday wishes come a week and a half since Jill and Jessa's shocking sit-down interview in which they told their stories as two of Josh's victims.
"Well, I think in the case of what Josh did, it was very wrong," Jessa said. "I'm not going to justify anything that he did or say it was ok, not permissible, but I do want to speak up in his defense against people who are calling him a child molester or a pedophile or a rapist, some people are saying. I'm like that is so overboard and a lie really, I mean people get mad at me for saying that but I can say this because I was one of the victims. So I can speak out and I can say this and set the record straight here. Like in Josh's case, he was a boy, a young boy in puberty and a little too curious about girls. And that got him into to some trouble. And he made some bad choices, but really the extent of it was mild, inappropriate touching, on fully clothed victims, most of it while girls were sleeping."
"I was scared," Jill added. "I [was] sad because this is my older brother, who I love a lot, and so it's like, conflicting there."
When the scandal first broke last month, Josh released a statement addressing the molestation accusations. "Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret," the 27-year-old said. "I hurt others, including my family and close friends. 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."