Josh Duggar wants to get back in the spotlight so that he can start making money again, but he’s also seemingly fearful about facing the public’s wrath. Right now, Josh is so determined to avoid being seen by anyone outside his family that he won’t leave home for couples therapy. Luckily, he and Anna Duggar have found a therapist who is willing to meet with them in their home, but the same can’t be said about all of Josh’s family members. A few of his relatives have reportedly decided that they don’t want their kids to be around Josh.
Josh Duggar admitted to cheating on Anna last August, and he decided that the best way to save his marriage was to spend six months away from his wife in a Christian recovery facility. Anna was tasked with providing for their four children while Josh was gone, and she lucked out when an opportunity to bring home the bacon fell into her lap. Anna is a stay-at-home mom with no college degree or work experience, so finding a job would have been difficult for her. This might be why she agreed to move in with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and star on the Duggar family’s new TLC series, Jill & Jessa: Counting On .
On the set #selfie with @TLC @EricaRHill & @duggarfam #19Kids @JessaSeewald @BenSeewald @SiDuggar ! pic.twitter.com/7Oyhk27H19
— Josh Duggar (@joshduggar) May 20, 2015
According to the print edition of Life & Style (as reported by Hollywood Life ), now Josh Duggar is back home and ready to resume his headship role. This means he needs to be his family’s breadwinner, and he hopes to make a living doing what he was doing before his sex scandals: talking about his religious beliefs.
“He’s considering going on a public speaking circuit,” an insider revealed.
“He has to make money and this could be very lucrative for him. It’s likely Josh will travel the world to talk at Christian fundamentalist events this year.”
Before the world found out about the skeletons in his closet, Josh Duggar temporarily made a living speaking out against gay marriage. He was the executive director of Family Research Council Action , a Christian lobbying organization, until May of last year. As People reports, Josh was forced to resign from his position after In Touch Weekly discovered that he had sexually molested four younger siblings and another young girl as a teenager. Below you can see Josh hard at work defining marriage as “the union of one man and one woman.”
Because Josh Duggar isn’t exactly a popular guy right now, it might be hard for some to imagine any organization paying him to speak at an event. However, his parents are still scoring speaking gigs. As In Touch Weekly points out, Josh’s parents failed to take appropriate action to stop Josh from molesting his sisters even though he came to them multiple times to confess what he was doing. His behavior worsened, and his victim list eventually grew to include his then-5-year-old sister.
Knowing Jim Bob and Michelle’s dark secret didn’t deter the owners of the Fort Rock Family Camp and Retreat Center in Combs, Arkansas, from inviting them to speak at Fort Rock’s 8th Annual Spring Marriage Retreat next month.
“God has blessed us with the opportunity to have special speakers Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, as well as, Pastor Mike Stanley,” a post on the Fort Rock Family Camp Facebook page reads.
The event is scheduled for April 1-3.
There’s no word on whether Josh and Anna Duggar plan on attending the marriage retreat as they continue trying to rebuild their marriage, but it sounds like it could be a while before Josh begins to feel comfortable showing his face anywhere. Before Josh can start spending time around large groups of people and speaking in front of them, he has to find the courage to leave his house.
Anna Duggar previously said that she was relying on God to save her marriage, but now she’s allegedly realized that her faith isn’t enough. A source told Hollywood Life that Anna and Josh decided that they need “more than spiritual guidance if they have a shot at keeping their marriage together,” so they’ve asked a couples therapist to meet with them at their new home in Arkansas.
“Anna is afraid of what Josh could do next,” the source revealed. “Josh being back home doesn’t mean Anna is going to stay with him. The therapist is helping them figure out, can their marriage be saved?”
A few of Josh Duggar’s relatives reportedly share Anna Duggar’s mistrust of Josh, but while Anna’s main concern is seemingly her husband’s infidelity, these family members are more worried about Josh’s past sexual molestation confessions. An unnamed member of the Duggar family told In Touch Weekly that a few of Josh’s relatives are making sure that they keep their children far away from the former reality show star.
“There are people in the extended family who definitely won’t bring their children near Josh,” the family member revealed.
“Who would want their kids around him after all he’s done?”
Josh Duggar has a backup plan if he can’t score any speaking gigs: His family members are reportedly “certain” that TLC will eventually start paying him to appear on Jill & Jessa: Counting On . Perhaps the TLC cameras will follow Josh and Anna Duggar as they work on repairing their relationship at a certain marriage retreat.
[Image via Duggar Family Official Facebook ]