The Devastating Thought Jill Duggar Had When Josh's Abuse Against Her Became Public

Jill Duggar is opening up in her new book, "Counting the Cost." The "Counting On" star announced the memoir in May 2023 on Instagram and said the inside pages detail "our painful journey as part of the reality-show-filming Duggar family." The List obtained a copy of the book, which was released on September 12, 2023. Jill did not hold back when discussing some of the traumatic things that happened to her and her family over the years and wrote candidly about her older brother, Josh Duggar, who has been accused of molesting four of his younger sisters, including Jill (per the Daily Mail). Jill shared a bit about how she felt the moment that information became public — when her name appeared in the headlines for something that she always hoped would never be revealed. 

Jill recalled getting a call from her father while she was headed to a doctor's appointment. She was with her sister, Jessa Duggar, at the time. "They promised us secrecy," Jill said on the phone, referring to conversations that she had with a Child Safety Center years prior. "They said it was private. That it was a safe place. How could this happen?" she wondered. Jill admitted that she was in shock, but forced herself to read the story, which was published by InTouch. "The most graphic, the most scandalous, the most painful parts of the story had received the greatest prominence. It was written with one aim and one aim only: entertainment," she wrote. What she said next, however, is truly heartbreaking.