Kendra Duggar spoke with her husband, Joseph Duggar, in a phone call to prison about not having custody of their four children after their respective arrests.
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – MARCH 20: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout photo provided by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Kendra Duggar, 27, of the reality television show ‘19 Kids and Counting’, poses for a police booking photo after being charged alongside her husband Joseph for child endangerment claims on March 20, 2026 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The couple faces charges in relation to an incident that allegedly took place in 2020, when Joseph is accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl while on vacation. (Photo by Washington County Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images)
“I think Friday has probably been my hardest day, but that’s crazy to say because Wednesday was crazy hard,” Kendra told Joseph during a call from the Washington County Detention Facility on March 24, obtained by People magazine.
Wednesday had been the day Joseph was arrested, followed by Kendra on Friday.
“But it’s just like, when you then take my babies from me, they were who I was just going to pour my life into,” she said.
Joseph told her the children are her “purpose right now.”
In an earlier call on March 22, Kendra told Joseph, “From what I hear they are doing good.”
Joseph Garrett Duggar, a 31-year-old known for his appearance on the reality TV show “19 Kids and Counting,” has been arrested and accused of Lewd and Lascivious Behavior involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor. (Washington County Sheriff’s Office){ }
Kendra was with the children on March 20 after her release from jail.
But in another call, with the date not given, Kendra tells Joseph the kids are her “number one priority right now.”
She said, “I just want you to know, through all of this, whatever happens, that’s who’s coming first,” and added “then we’ll just see where the rest of it leads us and try to put the pieces together.”
Kendra and Joseph were charged on March 20 in Arkansas with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, second degree, and four counts of false imprisonment, second degree. She was released on bail that same day and taken to an undisclosed location, per People magazine.
Joseph Duggar on an episode of “19 Kids and Counting.” (Courtesy: TLC)
After her release, a phone call took place where Kendra told Joseph she was at some place “very private” with the kids, while Joseph was awaiting extradition to Florida for unrelated child molestation charges.
Joseph was arrested on March 18 and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older, per the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
The former “19 Kids and Counting” star pled not guilty to the charges and was released on a $600,000 bond. He is set to appear in court on April 20 and until his trial date, he is restricted to no supervised contact with minors, including his own children, per Entertainment Weekly.
Kendra is set to appear in court on April 29.
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