Josh Duggar Admits Porn Addiction, Being 'Unfaithful' in the Wake of Ashley Madison Data Dump
He says he was addicted to porn, unfaithful to his wife.
— -- Amid reports that former reality star Josh Duggar had an account with a service that helps people cheat on their spouses, the 27-year-old responded, saying "I have been the biggest hypocrite ever."
On his family's official website, Duggar wrote about what he calls an addiction to porn, following reports on Wednesday that he had an Ashley Madison account.
"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," he wrote. "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."
Duggar, who has four children with wife Anna, has been in the news all summer for actions he called "inexcusable" that happened more than 12 years ago, beginning when he was 14 years old. According to police reports that surfaced years later, Duggar inappropriately touched minor girls, including his sisters, who also came forward and spoke about the past incidents.
"Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends," Duggar wrote on Facebook back in May.
In the wake of his past actions, TLC cancelled the show that made Duggar and his family famous, "19 Kids and Counting."
In today's statement, he continued, "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."
He closed with, "I humbly ask for your forgiveness. Please pray for my precious wife Anna and our family during this time."
Meanwhile, Duggar's parents Jim Bob and Michelle added to Thursday's statement, writing, "When we learned of this late last night our hearts were broken. As we continue to place our trust in God we ask for your prayers for Josh, Anna, our grandchildren and our entire family."
Duggar has been married since 2008 and is father to Mackynzie, 5, Michael, 4, Marcus, 2, and Meredith Grace, who was born in July.