Joseph Duggar spent part of his time in jail in the gym.
“I started working out,” Joseph, 31, told wife Kendra Duggar in a phone call from his recent stay at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Arkansas, according to audio obtained by Us Weekly. “I’m doing my burn bootcamp-style workout now.”
Joseph further explained that he was staying in a “seven by 11-style” cell and wanted to keep busy.
“I figured I might as well do something,” the Counting On alum told Kendra, 27, during the call. “I’m doing squats and push-ups. I can do dips off the edge of the bed.”
In addition to his daily workout, Joseph also tried to avoid eating “junk” food.
“I’m not eating, like, hardly any of the bready stuff. I’m trying not to eat junk, mostly just eat the veggies and the protein stuff,” he told Kendra. “There was this chicken sandwich thing that was breaded, but I ate the bread and the breaded chicken. I’m trying to focus on just doing that, and hopefully I’ll trim up some in the process.”
He added, “I feel better. Don’t feel as bloated as I was before.”
As for Kendra, she revealed that she has also been “trimming up.”
“I haven’t gotten on the scale, but I feel a lot trimmer now,” Kendra told her husband. “I’m not bloated either. I’m gonna be ‘skinny mini. I cannot eat. Mama keeps trying to get me to eat, but unless it’s liquid, it doesn’t really go down. It’s been a battle.”
Joseph, who is one of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 children, was arrested in Arkansas on March 18 on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior after allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl in Florida in 2020. The victim, now 14, told police that Joseph “eventually apologized for his actions” at the time before “the incidents stopped.”
News broke two days later that Joseph is also facing four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, second-degree, and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. Kendra was arrested on the same charges and released on bond within hours. In a separate jail conversation with Joseph, Kendra revealed that she doesn’t presently have custody of their four children.
A source told Us Weekly that Kendra’s arrest is unrelated to Joseph’s incarceration.
“Kendra’s arrest has nothing to do with Joseph’s — although one precipitated another,” the insider with knowledge of the case told Us last month. “After his charge, they automatically do a home study if minors live there. They came to her house. Apparently, they had two rooms where the lock of the doorknob was on the outside instead of inside. They arrested her and took her kids for that, saying it’s evidence that she wrongly detains her kids.”
Joseph was extradited to Florida earlier this week, where he pleaded not guilty to the accusations. He was released on a $600,000 bond.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
