Amy Duggar King details scary Josh Duggar encounter before prison

Amy Duggar-King is still haunted by a terrifying encounter with her cousin Josh Duggar.

The new book for “19 Kids and Counting” graduates, “Holy obstructionist” It chronicles her experiences within an Arkansas family known outside of reality television. In it, she details the scandal that shattered their once-healthy image.

In 2015, TLC canceled the series after reports surfaced that Duggar, 37, had molested four of his younger sisters and a babysitter. Weeks after the allegations became public, Duggar King, 39, headed to her uncle’s house to demand answers.

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TLC canceled “19 Kids and Counting” in 2015 following allegations that Josh Duggar (pictured here) had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter years earlier. (D Depasopil/Getty Images for more)

“He was very passive and unresponsive,” Duggar King told Fox News Digital about what it was like face-to-face with her cousin.

“[He was] He looked at the ground for the longest time, and didn’t have much to say at all. “I was angry, red in the face, crying, and my heart was beating out of my chest.”

“He looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘I knew better,'” Duggar-King said. “And that was the most horrific smile I’ve ever seen.”

Amy Duggar-King told Fox News Digital that she wants to confront Josh Duggar head-on about the allegations. She wasn’t expecting his reaction. (© Amazon/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Authorities began investigating the violations after receiving a report from a family friend. Associated Press I mentioned. They concluded that the statute of limitations on any potential charges had expired.

“As I continued to stare directly into his eyes, a slow smile spread across his face,” Duggar King recalled in the book. “It was that smile that sent shivers down my spine, a crooked smile that opened up a world of chaos, suffering and pain yet to come for my family.”

WATCH: Amy Duggar-King recalls a chilling moment confronting Josh Duggar

The Duggar King claimed that “when the tension reached its peak, her uncle Jim Bob Duggar stormed in and said in a condescending tone, ‘Now, Amy, let’s not raise a snub.’” This angered her.

After the scandal broke, Josh Duggar resigned from his job as a lobbyist for the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group. (Chris Connor/Getty Images)

“His son was ravenous, yet he was more concerned about my language and tone of voice,” she wrote.

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Amy Duggar-King told Fox News Digital that she wishes her uncle Jim Bob Duggar (right) had done more about his son, Josh Duggar. (D Depasopil/Getty Images for more)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Jim Bob, 60, for comment.

“This is just my opinion, we’ll put it here.” [but] I think the reality was too much,” Duggar King told Fox News Digital about how her uncle handled the scandal.

TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” followed the growing Duggar family from Arkansas. It was first shown in 2008. (Peter Kramer/NBCU Image Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

“I think the harsh reality was heartbreaking, and it was too much. … But I don’t know what was going through his mind. I can’t really speak for my uncle, and I wouldn’t, but I just know that if I were in that situation, I would have been raised completely differently“.

Amy Duggar-King’s memoir, Holy Disruptor: Shattering the Shiny Facade by Getting Louder with the Truth, is out now. (Zondervan)

Duggar-King said she and her mother first learned of these accusations when they made headlines.

“We didn’t know,” she said. “It came out on the news, and we had no idea. So we were shocked. It’s very heartbreaking to learn what happened in my family, but I’m not afraid to be bold when it comes to my cousins. I’ve always been really protective of them. I love them, and I want what’s best for them.”

Amy Duggar King was known as “Crazy Cousin Amy” on “19 Kids and Counting” because she was so different from her relatives. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for WE TV)

“So, when I found out that the girls were being violated in such a hard way, I was like a mama bear. I was like, ‘That’s it. I’m done not knowing anything. I wasn’t told anything and no one was giving me any answers. And if no one talks to me or tells me what’s going on, I’m going to find out for myself.’

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Amy Duggar-King, shown here with her husband Dillon King, spoke about Bill Gothard’s controversial teachings in the “Shiny Happy People” docu-series. (© Amazon/Courtesy Everett Collection)

“I’m not afraid to ask the tough questions,” she said. “And it’s not about me being a martyr, like, ‘Why didn’t you touch me?’ It’s not about me. But if he had tried, I could have gotten help for the girls. I just feel like I could have done more if I had known more at the time. And it’s really crazy to think that I was on the program for so long, and I had no idea. It’s not evidence.”

Duggar’s parents said that after the accusations surfaced again, he confessed and apologized in private, the Associated Press reported. Duggar then publicly apologized for unspecified behavior and resigned from his position as a lobbyist for the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group.

Amy Duggar-King said the scandal involving her cousin Josh Duggar has affected the way she raises her young son. (Courtesy of Amy Duggar-King)

The father of seven is currently serving Imprisonment for approximately 13 years For receiving and possessing child pornography. Investigators testified that images depicting child sexual abuse were downloaded in 2019 to a computer at a car dealership he owned.

Josh Duggar is currently serving a nearly 13-year prison sentence for receiving and possessing child pornography. (Washington County Sheriff’s Office)

“Obviously, after the first scandal, I was distraught and very sad,” Duggar King said. “But it also changed the way I view parenting and how I want to teach my son at a very young age. … Because one day my son will be a young man. … I want him to be prepared for the world, and I want him to know what the word ‘abuse’ is. I want him to know the no-go places.”

“The way I look at people has also changed,” she continued. “I used to trust easily and say to myself, ‘They have a good heart because I do, so they should too.’” [I realized] This is not always the case. So, I’m now very selective about who I allow in my inner circle.”

In 2024, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Josh Duggar, the former reality TV star convicted of downloading images of child sexual abuse. The court did not explain the details of this rejection, as is usual. (Washington County Police Department)

Duggar King wrote in the book that she reached out to her fifth cousin’s victim to tell her how sorry she was about what happened.

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Josh Duggar and his wife, Anna, have seven children. (Chris Connor/Getty Images)

“She told me she was moving somewhere else and that she was ready for a quieter life, and that she was in a much better place now.” Duggar King wrote. “Josh, on the other hand, was hardly responsible for his actions, which is exactly why he was later caught in another heartbreaking scandal.”

The Duggar King admitted that her relationship with her cousins, uncle, and aunt is strained.

In her new book, “Holy Disruptor,” Amy Duggar-King opens up about her family’s dark history. (Joe Johnson Overby)

“I haven’t talked to a lot of them in several years,” she said. “For me, boundaries are key. It’s not about rejection. It’s not that I don’t like them. It’s just one of those things where a lot has happened. … And those are the reasons that my mom and I have pushed back, distanced ourselves and set boundaries. And I think that’s healthy. And because of the boundaries that we have in our lives, we can now live more peaceful lives.”

Amy Duggar King and her mother are estranged from the Duggar family. (Courtesy of Amy Duggar-King)

In her book, Duggar King described her cousins ​​as “happily brainwashed” — not out of spite, but out of frustration at watching them grow up under Bill Gothard’s strict teachings. In the series, She’s been called “Crazy Cousin Amy.” Because he is different from them.

“They couldn’t close the door, they couldn’t listen to the radio, they couldn’t watch a movie,” she explained. “They couldn’t turn on the TV and watch cartoons on Saturday morning. They couldn’t wear jeans or shorts. There were a lot of things they couldn’t do. They couldn’t spend time at the mall with their friends. They couldn’t try on Disney princess clothes or any of that.”

Amy Duggar-King described how her cousins ​​were required to follow strict rules even when the cameras stopped rolling. (D Depasopil/Getty Images for more)

“I am a sinner,” she laughed to herself, “and I think I always have been.” “I’ve always enjoyed wearing jeans and shorts… Why is this all a sin? It’s just blindly following a teaching that they probably never asked any questions about. ‘Happily brainwashing’ is just a way of saying: ‘I hope you think for yourself.’ … [But]”I’m really glad they’re back in their own skin now and a lot of them are wearing jeans and venturing out.”

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Amy Duggar-King told Fox News Digital that she hopes to reconnect with her cousins ​​one day. (Photo by Casey Kenyon)

The Duggar King is still hopeful that any of her cousins, ready to form a new relationship, will reach out.

Amy Duggar-King (shown here with her family) lives in Arkansas with her husband, Dillon, and son, Daxton. (Courtesy of Amy Duggar-King)

“I would tell my cousins ​​if I saw them today that I love them and want the best for them,” she said. “I want them to live a very full life. And I also want them to question what they’ve learned. … If they start asking questions and if they want a different way to live, or if they’re just wondering what they’ve all seen and what they’ve learned, I will always be here for them.”