Kelly File: Duggar Interview Part 2 2015.06.05

[frenchtoast]

The second and (hopefully) final interview with the Duggar family, including Jill and Jessa, is tonight at 9:00 PM EST. The topic will be locked until it airs on the East Coast. It is our hope as with the previous Kelly File it will air simultaneously again.

In light of the previous interview, we're modifying the guidelines a bit:

• Please be careful of victim bashing. Their forgiveness, memories and feelings are theirs.
• No posting legal opinion as fact. This includes whether the report was released illegally/legally and whether what Josh did was a crime or a mistake as it is likely his sisters will call it a mistake.
• In general please be aware you are posting your opinion and that may differ with others. Avoid stating opinion as fact.
• No politics talk
• No bashing of religion
• DO NOT LECTURE OR ADMONISH YOUR FELLOW POSTERS

This interview, and situation, may be a trigger for many of your fellow posters who have shared their stories of abuse. As has been demonstrated since this has been revealed, please continue to show compassion and support when you post and try to be temperate.

 

Thanks on behalf of your exhausted mods,

Rhondinella, Bella, bigskygirl, AmandaPanda, aethera, stacey, WendyCR72, photofox, and radishcake.

[Seashell Lover]

Jess reminded me of her mom as she kept looking at Jill afraid she would say something wrong.

[Morgalisa]

If the girls didn't know they had been inappropriately touched, how were' they able to give statements about what happened to them.

[IndianPaintbrush]

I'd really like to know where Jill got the statistic that 2/3 of all families have experienced this.  

[BitterApple]

It made me sad that Jessa didn't reach out to comfort Jill after she broke down crying. You'd think she would have held her hand or put an arm around her but she didn't move a muscle.

It annoyed me when Megyn kept interrupting them. It also annoyed me when Jill and Jessa said they didn't care whether or not the show continued. I call shenanigans on that one.

Edited June 6, 2015 by BitterApple

[dillpickles]

Welp. Guess JessaBlessa did some research on intouch.

thewrap.com/touch-tabloid-publisher-mired-tom-cruise-lawsuit-trades-nazis-porn-and-sometimes-both-exclus/

She said the parent company delt with porn. And, she's also a lawyer. Jill's tears broke my heart though.



[sigmaforce86]

Went to the DVR and it's not there.....something got screwed up. Anyone know if it's going to be repeated and is it even worth trying to watch. (vs getting filled in from here and news stories)

[debbie311]

They must all be EXTREMELY sound sleepers.  Also, no mention of the "inappropriate touching" under the clothes.

[HumblePi]

I am so ashamed of Megyn Kelly. No wonder I never watch FOX. This was ridiculous. These girls, yes girls were coached. They didn't know they were touched or what was happening? Come on!  How can four girls be 'touched' whether over clothes or under and not know it? This is not washing with me, no way.

 

Jess commented about seeing their faces on magazines and on the news and how upsetting that is, but their faces and images and names have been on magazines and books since 2002 actually. Was that upsetting too?

 

Josh was told he wasn't allowed to hold hands with Anna while 'courting'. Is that bizarre since he'd been touching more than a hand for 16 months? This goes right back to the misogynistic minds of their cult.

 

Edited June 6, 2015 by HumblePi

[VioletNevermind]

I really don't even know what to say at this point.  That interview was brutal to watch.  If I wasn't sure if Megyn Kelly/FOX was throwing softballs at the Duggars before, I'm absolutely convinced of it now.  Each and every question was geared specifically toward validating their parents' interview on Wednesday night.  She played right into their hands.  I don't know why I expected any different, honestly.

 

Why has no one admitted that some of the girls were awake during some of the "inappropriate touching" incidents?!  Jim Bob, Michelle, AND the girls are still maintaining that Josh touched sleeping, unaware girls.  They basically insinuated that no harm was done.  These poor young women!  You know they were coached and prepped within an inch of their lives before this interview.  I was struck by the fact that Jessa sat there watching Jill sobbing and did nothing.  How can you not even extend a hand to a crying person, especially if it's your own sibling who shares your experiences?  For a so-called loving, Christian family, they sure don't walk the walk.  Why, why, why were the girls not questioned about any teachings they might have received re: Josh's conduct being partly their fault?  That crap is in the first chapter of the Gothard indoctrination materials.  

 

I plan to watch again at midnight to see if my perceptions change, but I doubt that they will.  I am sickened all over again.

Edited June 6, 2015 by SuzyLee

[dillpickles]

It made me sad that Jessa didn't reach out to comfort Jill after she broke down crying. You'd think she would have held her hand or put an arm around her but she didn't move a muscle.

I said it on freejinger, and ill say it here. That is absolutely not in the script at all! Gotta keep re-hashing the lines, no time for distractions.

[syracusejean]

Very difficult to watch. For all the years of being out there and having minutiae of their lives filmed, they really are quite limited in their speaking abilities.

[bluebonnet]

I really don't even know what to say.  I felt really sick for them when their story was exactly the same one that we watched Michelle and Jim Bob tell two days ago.  EXACTLY the same.  No matter the topic, four people aren't going to have the exact same story told in the exact same way.  It was also very distressing to see Jill crying about how she's a victim and this story being told in the media made her feel even more victimized because this reaction did not at all match with the story she and Jessa were telling.  

 

I just, I feel really sick.  

[venusnv80]

They are odd. I also have to wonder myself how you can give a statement on anything, if you had no idea what happened? Very rehearsed to me.

But the kicker was when one of the J's said that as a mom, they hope that they can put up those safeguards in their own home? Excuse me...why would you need these safeguards if you don't have a child molester living with you?

Also, what are they victims of exactly? If Josh is not a molester (in their eyes) then what are they victims of?

[spidermiss2426]

It is difficult to respond to this one.  It is hard to say what is original what Jill and Jessa think and what they were told to think/feel/say.  Certainly I do feel that their anger towards the media is real, and understandable.  However, I honestly think Jill's tears are proof that even after all these years she hasn't moved on.  Or maybe she thought she had, and really she hadn't? 

 

I have a lot more to say.  I'm not sure how to say it.

[Morgalisa]

They were able to get most of the same talking points in as Jim Bob did. It almost sounded as if the parents coached them as to what happened to them and the girls were led to believe they were asleep and didn't know.

[fliptopbox]

Gawker's got an article up about this already. http://gawker.com/duggar-daughters-our-brother-josh-was-a-very-sly-mol-1709444345

 

Jill and Jessa's interview was better than JB and M's, but not by much. Jessa was acting very similar to her mother, staring blankly at Jill while she was speaking....and both kept looking off to the sides, as if they're trying to remember what to say next. Makes me wonder who or what was right off camera. Was it me or did Jill have a paper on her lap? Probably a cheat sheet of points to make.. At least Jill's emotions and tears were real. But for the most part it was like JB was up there speaking through Jill & Jessa, because they were saying the exact same things he said....which completely contradicts what the police report stated about how the molestation (I refuse to use "inappropriate touching") was found out. Plus they're all still maintaining it was "Really quick, over clothes, and very subtle...while we were asleep."....and at the time none of them had any idea what had happened until later when M and JB told them about it. Really?? They're still insisting to us that Josh went to his parents and confessed (numerous times!!!) about fondling his sisters? Sorry but as a teenage boy I doubt he was quick to confess anything regarding sexual urges or intentions to his parents, who obviously want their kids to repress all their sexual urges until marriage.

 

The only thing I did agree with was Jill saying how the media publicizing the story was traumatic all over again. I can completely understand that. Nobody wants the entire world to suddenly find out they were molested by a family member. That's just not the kind of private info you want printed in a tabloid, regardless of how long ago it happened. Beyond that, this would have been the perfect opportunity for them both to express their real feelings on what happened..sadly, nope. They're just parroting what mom and dad tell them to.

Edited June 6, 2015 by fliptopbox

[Anastasia]

wow. The girls do present themselves better than their parents, but they are saying the exact same things that their parents said the other night. Sometimes they are repeating their parents words verbatim, in contradiction with what is in the police reports. This seems so clearly rehearsed, and the story they are telling is just not believable.

I think their denial and minimization of the molestation could be dangerous for other victims, because it could encourage other victims to minimalize and rationalize abuse.

I'm confused at the reasoning for Jessa to say this: "Bauer Media, the parent company of the tabloid is a major porn provider".

I don't think she understands that pornography is legal, but child molestation is not legal.

I feel sorry for the girls, but I would hate for them to be featured in a spinoff, for fear that little girls would see them as role models.

[Spencer Hastings]

This was kind of difficult to watch because I was watching wearing a few different hats and wasn't sure how to reconcile them. Here's what I took from this:

As a regular Duggar viewer, I am sad for these girls. I believe that they believe what they are saying. They believe that this situation is no longer an issue and that their parents did everything right. They believe that they forgive him and they very well may. I can't discredit what they are saying from the outside looking in but I can say that I'm sad for them because I don't think they had much of a choice in what to say or believe. I feel like there has been a lot of repression and they kept removing themselves by saying "the girls" and "the victims" rather than "we" or "I". But if that's how they've dealt with it and choose to move forward, then that's on them. I can't discredit that because people process things as a way to self-preserve.

There was a stark difference between Jessa and Jill. Jill's emotions felt real but I could also see her snapping herself out of it to keep sweet and on script. Jessa went for the jugular a few times ("I can speak for them!") and she seems to have chosen to be angry that this has happened more than anything.

As a conservative Christian myself, I understand where they are coming from when they speak on the point of forgiveness and trust. I do so unapologetically. I can see their viewpoint on that and I think it's a healthy resolution IF you have been able to go through the healthy steps that lead to that. I'm not seeing that here but again, outside looking in.

I was really sad to see Jill so upset and see Jessa kind of recoil and state blankly. My sister hates any physical contact and she still would have comforted me.

Edited June 6, 2015 by Spencer Hastings

[Beth64]

I thought he touched one girl on his lap when he was reading to her? Surely she was awake. And how did they make statements to the police if hey didn't know what happened? It's the Fox way: if something is said often enough, it magically becomes true!

Edited June 6, 2015 by Beth64

[bencr]

Well, Jessa and Jill's response to being sexually abused is very different from the responses of the people I know who have been sexually abused and those who have posted of their experiences on this site. 

Edited June 6, 2015 by bencr

[truthtalk2014]

I’m glad the girls seemed to have moved on.   Move on from the show as well.

 

Jill saying that 2/3 of families deal with something like this.  Is she serious?  Maybe in the churches they were involved in- but really?  (please tell me that I heard this wrong.)

 

I’m really skeptical that they won’t be upset if TLC cancels. 

 

I’m happy that Kelly used the word molest in the interview.  I was surprised.

 

The girls have such a limited vocabulary thanks to the SOTDRT.  If I had to count how many times they used the word LIKE in the interview, it would be insane.

 

I think they need to move on and not be on TV.    Give Iz and Jessa’s baby a chance at a real life.    I get that you love your film crew.  Have a little get together once a year.  Call and write each other.

[Marigny]

I'd really like to know where Jill got the statistic that 2/3 of all families have experienced this.  

Huckabee's PR dude, of course. 

 

 

Those girls read from the same script as their parents. Line by friggin line. And I can't quite put my finger on it but for some reason Jessa came across extremely smug to me. She also showed just how undereducated she really is. 

 

In Touch and the rest of the press are going to light them up like a Christmas tree tomorrow. Part II just made things go from bad to worse. 

[mythoughtis]

Jill's emotions seemed off to me, but it could still be postpartum issues. I did notice she said I called my husband, never using his name. Think maybe Derick is distancing himself from this madness, wondering if maybe his step-dad was right?

[graefin]

The bit on Hannity right after the show with Keith Ablow arguing with that pastor from Texas was more interesting than this interview. Not surprisingly, Jessa and Jill parroted a lot of what their parents already said and were inconsistent with the police report (and at times with their parents' account). Jill, as usual, was cringingly inarticulate, and it was also hard to understand everything they were saying because they often talked over each other.

[andromeda331]

I thought that Megyn was leading the expert at the end. She wouldn't let her get a word in. I had to turn it off.

 

So did I.

[BitterApple]

Here's my take: Jessa and Jill were the two victims who were molested in their sleep, while the "other two" were involved in the lap and laundry room incidents. Therefore telling Megyn they weren't aware of the molestation wasn't exactly a lie, but it was a creative way to omit the more salacious parts of the story.

Edited June 6, 2015 by BitterApple

[BradandJanet]

Wow. This was a worse hit than the pinched Michelle/JimBob interview for the Duggar agenda. I do feel sorry for these young women, but Jessa nervously reciting the party line while Jill welled up with tears was just sad. Megyn tried to spin this to the liberal media attack agenda, but she must have realized that Jill and Jessa were not up to this interview. I despise JB and Michelle even more because they must have encouraged J & J to take one for the team and protect their future with TLC. This piece of television was a holy mess.

[auntieminem]

I feel bad that anyone who doesn't say what the public wants them to say is wrong, coached, brainwashed.  I am going to believe them for what they said. If they put it past them I believe them.  If they forgave, I believe them.  They don't have to prove that to anyone.  They did touch on the underclothes incident but said it was so subtle they didn't really understand what happened.  Jill also said she could not speak for the other victims or tell their story.  Jessa did say she knew the other victims had forgiven Josh.  

 

Josh needs to speak for himself instead of letting his family bear that burden.  

 

I still don't like their cult like religion or their judgement of others but I don't hate them and hope all the family learn from this.  

[HumblePi]

Very difficult to watch. For all the years of being out there and having minutiae of their lives filmed, they really are quite limited in their speaking abilities.

Having conversation skills takes more than just conversing with siblings, parents and TV crew. It also takes a little more education and interaction with peers to develop.  They never had any of that and it sure show. They can never be accused of being astute and articulate.

[ChicksDigScars]

Man, Jessa seems to have inherited Michelle's cold fish, emotionless personality (minus the Kewpie doll voice). Yo, Michelle. Check out what Jill's doing. Those are called TEARS.

 

And yeah, I kept the channel on long enough to hear that Texas pastor absolutely lose his shit with Ablow on Hannity. His voice keeps getting higher and higher.

 

Josh needs to speak for himself instead of letting his family bear that burden.

 

He's a gutless swine.

Edited June 6, 2015 by ChicksDigScars

[truthtalk2014]

 

Why has no one admitted that some of the girls were awake during some of the "inappropriate touching" incidents?!  Jim Bob, Michelle, AND the girls are still maintaining that Josh touched sleeping, unaware girls.  They basically insinuated that no harm was done.  These poor young women!  You know they were coached and prepped within an inch of their lives before this interview.  I was struck by the fact that Jessa sat there watching Jill sobbing and did nothing.  How can you not even extend a hand to a crying person, especially if it's your own sibling who shares your experiences?  

This really bothered me.  A normal person would grab the person and give them a hug and tell them it is okay.  

 

Maybe they have been taught that it is all inappropriate. 

[andromeda331]

I have a lot more to say.  I'm not sure how to say it.

 

So am I. I kept writing and then erasing what I've said. I'm not sure how to put into words.

[dillpickles]

I feel bad that anyone who doesn't say what the public wants them to say is wrong, coached, brainwashed. I am going to believe them for what they said. If they put it past them I believe them. If they forgave, I believe them. They don't have to prove that to anyone. They did touch on the underclothes incident but said it was so subtle they didn't really understand what happened. Jill also said she could not speak for the other victims or tell their story. Jessa did say she knew the other victims had forgiven Josh.

Josh needs to speak for himself instead of letting his family bear that burden.

I still don't like their cult like religion or their judgement of others but I don't hate them and hope all the family learn from this.

Josh speaking for himself would be a disaster though.

[Churchhoney]

Very difficult to watch. For all the years of being out there and having minutiae of their lives filmed, they really are quite limited in their speaking abilities.

 

Yeah, but boy howdy, they deserve their own tv show.

[RazzleberryPie]

I thought he touched one girl on his lap when he was reading to her? Surely she was awake. And how did they make statements to the police if hey didn't know what happened? It's the Fox way: if something is said often enough, it magically becomes true!

That one and the one in the laundry room were both awake. They were not interviewed. 

[StaceyNotStacie]

I noticed how the girls kept on looking at each other while the other was speaking similar to how Michelle looks at JB when he talks.  

 

While I feel bad for the girls, Jill's tears seemed a bit calculated.  She was calm for the first part of the interview and then all of a sudden she talked about how she called her husband in tears and the tears started flowing.  And then they kept on replaying the scene of her in tears after each commercial break.  

 

I thought they were supposed to talk to the other kids.  Didn't they have some sort of scene with the kids sitting around the table?

[galax-arena]

Jessa says: "Life will go on…we're not a TV family."

Good. Prove it. 

[HumblePi]

I’m glad the girls seemed to have moved on.   Move on from the show as well.

 

Jill saying that 2/3 of families deal with something like this.  Is she serious?  Maybe in the churches they were involved in- but really?  (please tell me that I heard this wrong.)

The girls have such a limited vocabulary thanks to the SOTDRT.  If I had to count how many times they used the word LIKE in the interview, it would be insane.

 

I think they need to move on and not be on TV.    Give Iz and Jessa’s baby a chance at a real life.    I get that you love your film crew.  Have a little get together once a year.  Call and write each other.

I almost fell down when Jessa said that '2/3rds of all families deal with something like this"  SAY WHAT??  See, this is where her air of knowledge and credibility crumbles, she just pulled that number out of thin air.

[Churchhoney]

Gawker's got an article up about this already. http://gawker.com/duggar-daughters-our-brother-josh-was-a-very-sly-mol-1709444345

 

Jill and Jessa's interview was better than JB and M's, but not by much. Jessa was acting very similar to her mother, staring at Jill while she was speaking....and both kept looking off to the sides. Makes me wonder who or what was right off camera. At least Jill's emotions and tears were real. But for the most part it was like JB was up there speaking through Jill/Jessa, because they were saying the exact same things he said....which completely contradicts what the police report stated about how the molestation (I refuse to use "inappropriate touching") was found out. Plus they're all still maintaining it was "really quick, over clothes, and very subtle...while we were asleep"....and at the time none of them had any idea until later when M and JB told them about it. Really?? They're still insisting to us that Josh went to his parents and confessed (numerous times!!!) about fondling his sisters? Sorry but as a teenage boy I doubt he was quick to confess anything regarding sexual urges or intentions to his parents, ones who obviously want their kids to repress all sexual urges until marriage.

 

The only thing I did agree with was Jill saying how the media publicizing the story was traumatic all over again. I can completely understand that. Nobody wants the entire world were to suddenly find out they were molested by a family member. That's just not the kind of info you want printed in a tabloid, regardless of how long ago it happened. But beyond that, this would have been the perfect opportunity to get their real feelings on it...sadly, nope. They're just parroting what mom and dad tell them to.

 

Really quick, over their clothes and kind of subtle pretty much makes a hash of the "he was curious" defense as well, in my opinion. What the heck could he have observed or found out that way? Seems to me that the "sexual assault is a power play" explanation is a lot more likely with these kinds of touches. Josh was in some kind of tumult and he needed to comfort his own ego so he touched those little girls because he could.

 

One after another, on and on, becoming more aggressive and possibly trying to groom them to accept his future touches. Curious, my ass.

[sleekandchic]

It is difficult to respond to this one.  It is hard to say what is original what Jill and Jessa think and what they were told to think/feel/say.  Certainly I do feel that their anger towards the media is real, and understandable.  However, I honestly think Jill's tears are proof that even after all these years she hasn't moved on.  Or maybe she thought she had, and really she hadn't? 

 

I have a lot more to say.  I'm not sure how to say it.

its okay, spidermiss. I know what you want to say.

I admire and support you. I am thinking of you.

[bencr]

What are the odds that two women who were not coached in their answers would be in lockstep with respect to their emotional responses to such a traumatic incidence in their lives?

[SpottedCoachDog]

I feel for the girls...they never stood a chance growing up in that circus. But you cannot minimize what was done as no big deal and claim it was behind you then cry at being revictimized. It clearly WAS and IS a big deal. And the deal was never dealt with, I don't care what they say. Childhood sexual abuse leave a permanent mark.

But by far and away the award for most WTF moment is Megyn Kelly blasting the evil media for exploiting this. YOU are the one getting the ratings interviewing the admitted victims you fucking hypocrite!!!!!

[whydoiwatch]

 

 

 

One after another, on and on, becoming more aggressive and possibly trying to groom them to accept his future touches. Curious, my ass.

And then, he just stopped - hmmmmmm..............

[Churchhoney]

wow. The girls do present themselves better than their parents, but they are saying the exact same things that their parents said the other night. Sometimes they are repeating their parents words verbatim, in contradiction with what is in the police reports. This seems so clearly rehearsed, and the story they are telling is just not believable.

I think their denial and minimization of the molestation could be dangerous for other victims, because it could encourage other victims to minimalize and rationalize abuse.

I'm confused at the reasoning for Jessa to say this: "Bauer Media, the parent company of the tabloid is a major porn provider".

I don't think she understands that pornography is legal, but child molestation is not legal.

I feel sorry for the girls, but I would hate for them to be featured in a spinoff, for fear that little girls would see them as role models.

 

They have been urged, prodded, encouraged and even required to grow up as ignoramuses. I suppose because that's the only way anyone could swallow the mental swill that their parents feed them. And part of that swill has been the idea that everything sexual except JimBoob dry-humping Michelle on a miniature golf course is a sexual sin and a sexual sin of the exact same order. That's left those kids, now adults, knowing exactly nothing and incapable of making accurate judgments of nearly any kind.

 

I never thought about their being role models to young girls, especially in a spinoff. But that's exactly what would happen, obviously. Awful thought.

[graefin]

I did notice she said I called my husband, never using his name. Think maybe Derick is distancing himself from this madness, wondering if maybe his step-dad was right?

Nah, that was for the media's benefit. Some people who don't watch the show won't know who "Derick" is, and verbally highlighting that she's married would be consistent with the wedding-ring tactic an astute poster commented on earlier.

[Skittl1321]

I almost fell down when Jessa said that '2/3rds of all families deal with something like this"  SAY WHAT??  See, this is where her air of knowledge and credibility crumbles, she just pulled that number out of thin air.

I think media will skewer them less than their parents, because it would be inappropriate. But I really hope someone touches on this.

 

NO, this is not normal.  I think Erin Merynn had some statistics that said something like 2% of families experience sexual assault by siblings.  Of course, the number of women who are at some point sexually violated was very high (men lower, but still too high.)  But this is -NOT- a normal thing Jessa.  This is even more unusual than not wearing pants. 

[berly57]

I know it's been said already but seriously think it bears repeating -- WTF is that coward Josh? A grown-ass man who supposedly committed some bad mistakes when he was just a kid lets his Mama & Papa & then two of his sisters who he molested speak for him -- I can't even express the disgust I feel for him right now.

 

The girls, at times, repeated verbatim what their parents had said . . . sad, just really, really sad.

 

And I also thought it was very strange that Jessa did absolutely nothing to comfort Jill when she was crying -- maybe I'm wrong and thinking of the wrong sisters but I thought they had been physically affectionate with each other -- here, Jessa did nothing, not even a hand out to her sister . . .

 

I've been thinking about this issue a lot (as I know a lot of us have) lately & I think the point the Duggars, Fox, etc., are missing is part of the reason -- and a big reason for me, personally -- this has upset so many and triggered such a strong reaction is that they took it upon themselves to judge other people's lifestyles, i.e., Michele's robocalls, Josh's position with FRC, etc. -- who the hell do they think they are, seriously!!!!

 

But we should all, including the media, just forget all about the fact that their son committed unspeakable acts on their daughters -- talk about glass houses . . .

 

And just one more thing -- it's seems very strange to me how they were not aware of anything happening at all yet could give statements about what happened and knew that it was subtle.

Edited June 6, 2015 by berly57

[starlightlost]

Went to the DVR and it's not there.....something got screwed up. Anyone know if it's going to be repeated and is it even worth trying to watch. (vs getting filled in from here and news stories)

My dvr did the same thing! I was so mad. I have directv. Anyway it comes on again at 11pm central.

[graefin]

But by far and away the award for most WTF moment is Megyn Kelly blasting the evil media for exploiting this. YOU are the one getting the ratings interviewing the admitted victims you fucking hypocrite!!!!!

I'm surprised she was able to maintain her composure to come off so even-keeled in the interview itself, because in that segment where she's questioning the "experts" directly following, she is practically spitting venom.