Josh Duggar's parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, speak out after son's arrest for child pornography - Fox News

Josh Duggar's family has spoken out.

The former reality star, 33, was arrested in Arkansas on Thursday. The charges against him were not immediately made clear, but on Friday, it was revealed that he is facing charges of possession of child pornography, which he has pleaded not guilty to.

Now, his parents and fellow "19 Kids and Counting" stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have issued a statement on the matter.

"We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious," they said in a statement obtained by People magazine. "It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner."

JOSH DUGGAR ARRESTED IN ARKANSAS

They added: "We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family."

Josh Dugger, former star of '19 Kids and Counting,' has been arrested in Arkansas on child pornography charges. (Washington County Police Department)

The Duggar family did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

"19 Kids and Counting" was canceled in 2015 after Josh was accused of molesting multiple young girls, including several of his own sisters.

Josh's sister Jill and her husband Derek have also spoken out. The couple previously revealed that they've distanced themselves from the famous family.

JOSH DUGGAR PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES FOLLOWING ARREST

"We just found out this information yesterday," they told the outlet. "It is very sad."

In a Friday hearing, Josh pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of possession of child pornography.

Michelle Duggar and Jim Bob Duggar have spoken out about their son's arrest. (Photo by Peter Kramer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

Duggar is accused of using "the internet to download child sexual abuse material. Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019," a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office states.

Duggar is charged by indictment. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and fines up to $250,000 on each count.

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 A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

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The hearing, which was held virtually over Zoom in the Western District of Arkansas, began at 11 a.m. CT. Duggar appeared from jail and was seen smiling before the hearing kicked off. He was represented by Arkansas attorney Travis W. Story.

Fox News' Melissa Roberto contributed to this report

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Jennifer Lopez spotted with former beau Ben Affleck after splitting from ex-Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez - NJ.com

From J-Rod to ... Bennifer?

The New York Post’s Page Six reports actress/singer Jennifer Lopez has been seen hanging out with former fiancee Ben Affleck, less than two weeks after officially splitting from former New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez.

Affleck has been spotted multiple times going to J.Lo’s home during the day, we hear. ... Affleck, 48, has allegedly visited Lopez, 51, three times since she returned to Los Angeles from shooting her new film, “Shotgun Wedding,” in the Dominican Republic.

However Page Six reports the reunion between Lopez and Affleck, who were engaged from 2002 to 2004, is “just friendly.”

An insider said: “They are friends … they’ve never not been.”

Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

This news comes just days after US Weekly reported Rodriguez is hoping for one more turn at the plate with Lopez.

“A-Rod will not give up on his and J. Lo’s relationship,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “He is willing to do anything to make it work.”

But according to US Weekly, “J. Lo still doesn’t trust A-Rod all the way. She’s very skeptical, but she heard him out because she still has a lot of love for him.”

The now-ex couple officially announced the end of their relationship on April 15 with a statement provided to the “Today” show:

We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so. We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects. We wish the best for each other and one another’s children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support.

Despite that announcement, Page Six reported Rodriguez and Lopez had dinner last week at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.

It’s the same ritzy restaurant where they went on their first date back in 2017. Lopez also reportedly owns a $28 million mansion in the neighborhood. ... It’s unclear what the friendly Oscar weekend dinner was about. ... Insiders said the pair was amicable during the meeting and “there still seemed to be love and respect there.”

And how’s this for irony? Page Six reports that’s the same hotel Affleck used this week as home base while visiting Lopez.

But the only thing worse than Rodriguez watching Lopez, to whom he proposed in 2019, return to Affleck? Knowing that Affleck always has been ... and always will be ... a die-hard Red Sox fan.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck watch the pregame introductions before Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.SL

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Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.

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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck hang out after Alex Rodriguez split - Page Six

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have been spending time together in Los Angeles after her split from Alex Rodriguez, sources exclusively tell Page Six.

The Oscar winner has been spotted multiple times going to J.Lo’s California home during the day, we hear, after having been picked up in a white Escalade SUV that allegedly belongs to Lopez and then taken to her nearby mansion.

While the pair have not been spotted together, a source told Page Six, “Security picks him up at a nearby location and drops him off after spending a few hours at her house.”

Jennifer Lopez pictured in her white Escalade on April 29.

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Jennifer Lopez driving away in her white Escalade SUV on April 29.

BACKGRID

Affleck, 48, has allegedly visited Lopez, 51, three times since she returned to Los Angeles from shooting her new film, “Shotgun Wedding,” in the Dominican Republic.

But sources close to the stars tell us they are just friendly and have remained so over the years.

An insider said: “They are friends … they’ve never not been.”

Ben Affleck gets dropped off at Bel-Air Hotel on April 29.

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Page Six reported that Lopez was spotted out to dinner with Rodriguez on April 23 at the Hotel Bel-Air, the same spot where the exes went on their first date back in 2017. She owns a $28 million mansion nearby.

But A-Rod wasn’t the only former fiancé Lopez has allegedly seen since she got back in town.

Sources told us that Affleck was spotted at the same hotel a day before J.Lo saw A-Rod, on April 22, being dropped off by a white SUV — which later drove Lopez and a business associate to a business meeting.

Ben Affleck walks up to the Bel-Air Hotel after being dropped off by a car that allegedly belongs to Jennifer Lopez on April 29.

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Days later, on April 28, Affleck was allegedly seen coming out of Lopez’s Bel Air home, sources said.

He was spotted again the next day, April 29, dropping his car at the Hotel Bel-Air in the morning and being picked up by the same white Escalade to go to J.Lo’s home. About 3½ hours later, the same white SUV dropped him back at the hotel’s valet, sources said.

Affleck was photographed exiting the white SUV in a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, with a green backpack. He was also photographed leaving his car at the hotel.

Affleck and Lopez were engaged in 2002, and famously dubbed “Bennifer” by the media. But they postponed their wedding in 2003. They split months later in January 2004. Lopez has called the breakup with Affleck “probably my first big heartbreak.”

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, pictured here in the early ’00s, broke up in 2004.

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J.Lo has been seeing famous friends after her breakup with Rodriguez. “When you’re that famous, who are you going to talk to? People who you know, other famous people,” a source said.

Lopez has reportedly been leaning on another ex, Marc Anthony, in the wake of the split, and has also seen her longtime friend Leah Remini.

Reps for Affleck and Lopez did not comment.

Page Six exclusively reported in March that J.Lo and A-Rod were breaking up — though they subsequently said they were “working through some things” before eventually pulling the plug. They’d been engaged since 2019.

Lopez has been rehearsing for “Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World,” hosted by Selena Gomez and also featuring Eddie Vedder, J Balvin and Foo Fighters.

Affleck praised Lopez’s work ethic in a recent InStyle cover story on the pop star.

He told the mag: “I thought I had a good work ethic, but I was completely humbled and blown away by what she was committed to doing day in and day out, the seriousness in which she took her work, the quiet and dedicated way she went about accomplishing her goals, and then how she would go back and redouble her efforts.”

Affleck also said, “Where are you keeping the fountain of youth? Why do you look the same as you did in 2003 and it kind of looks like I’m in my 40s … at best?”

Lopez shares 13-year-old twins, Max and Emme, with ex-husband Anthony, while Affleck shares three children, Violet, 15, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner. Affleck recently spent quarantine shacked up with Ana de Armas. The couple split in January.

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Disneyland’s Back! Bob Iger Snaps Photos, Guests Sob With Joy, Cast Members Line Main Street Waving, City Of Anaheim Exults - Deadline

It seems hard to overstate. Disneyland and California Adventure reopened Friday after 13 months, a tangible sign of a return to normalcy and an upbeat revival at an iconic site – albeit at 25% capacity, for California residents only, and with social distancing and mask wearing.

A line formed outside the gate before the 9 am opening time and park goers were active on social media sharing and tearing up. Disney’s executive chairman Bob Iger was there snapping pictures. Some fans snapped pics of him, others caught glimpses of CEO Bob Chapek, who gave a speech to staffers this morning before opening. Cast members lined Main Street waving at guests. Outlets reported some park goers sobbing and others whooping with joy.

“A truly happy day at the happiest place on earth,” tweeted Iger. He and Disney had lobbied hard for an earlier opening and against tiered restrictions set by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

This is awesome. #Disneyland pic.twitter.com/L1OPM9Jukz

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) April 30, 2021

“The reopening of Disneyland, which was shut down in March of last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “is a monumental day for Anaheim,” tweeted a gleeful city spokesman Mike Lyster.

California theme parks are a big source of state and local tax revenue and general economic booster. They’re also key to Disney’s bottom line. Parks have been the entertainment segment about the hardest hit by the global pandemic besides movie theaters and live events. Park closures have cost both Walt Disney and NBUniversal parent Comcast billions of dollars.

Over the past year, California amusement parks have taken issue with Governor Gavin Newsom’s strict closure rules for their properties. In fact, Newsom revealed Iger quit the state task force for economic recovery over their disagreements about reopenings.

Even more recently, there has been confusion over whether fully-vaccinated out-of-state visitors are allowed at parks. Certainly they represent significant revenue for California’s beleaguered parks.

State and local guidelines are confusing — if not contradictory — and while Sea World in San Diego has begun allowing such visitors, most of the big California parks have not. Disneyland has said outright that it will not allow out-of-state visits until the rules are clearer.

It certainly sounded like the state was open for such business yesterday when Newsom held a press conference to sign into law a $6.2 billion tax cut benefitting the hardest hit small businesses in the state.

“We want to see tourism, but we want to see people hear vaccinated,” said the governor Thursday. “So as it relates to time parks that will be reopening, I’ll be down at Universal tomorrow, as an example, visiting with their employees. We want to make sure that visitors to Universal, Disneyland that come from out of the state are vaccinated [so that] we keep everybody safe, we keep this disease at bay.”

Deadline confirmed today with a California Department of Public Health spokesperson that state guidelines permit fully vaccinated people from out of state to participate in activities restricted to in-state visitors. This includes theme parks.

Only four months ago, California was fighting hard to contain a new Covid wave that overran hospitals and was killing hundreds of people a day. The rapid vaccine rollout and waning cases across the U.S. have many states fully open or setting dates to do it.

At Disneyland today, fans headed happily to attractions from Haunted Mansion to Pirates of the Caribbean. “Inside The Magic” fan blog noted only one glitch, a brief closure of the Indiana Jones Adventure just after the gates opened.

Universal Studios Hollywood opened April 16.

“Tell the guards to open up the gates!”
🎶🎵🎶#Disneyland 💕💜 pic.twitter.com/FjwVq0Ip30

— DisneyDoItAll! (@HippyDisneyGuy) April 30, 2021

Bob Chapek is among the high ranking executives welcoming guests to the grand re-opening of #Disneyland! https://t.co/9FSpp6bm5f

— Theme Park Shark 🎢🦈 (@ThemeParkShark) April 30, 2021

REPOST from Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Disney family, join us as we welcome back Cast Members and guests to @Disneyland on this historic reopening day, April 30, 2021! #magicishere #disneyland pic.twitter.com/uPJFnKI3VQ

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) April 30, 2021

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Josh Duggar, "19 Kids and Counting" star, facing child pornography charges in Arkansas - CBS News

Josh Duggar, who appeared alongside his parents and 18 siblings on the reality show "19 Kids and Counting," faces charges of downloading and possessing child pornography, according to a federal indictment unsealed Friday.

The news comes just days after Duggar, 33, and his wife Anna Duggar, announced they are expecting their seventh child.

According to court documents, in May 2019, Duggar allegedly used the internet to download child pornography, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12. He is charged with receiving and possessing child pornography.

He faces up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000 on each count, if convicted.

Duggar's case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative that combats the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 

In 2015, In Touch magazine published a 2006 police report that claimed Duggar sexually molested five girls as far back as 2002. The incidents were not reported to police until 2006 and authorities could not pursue charges because the statute of limitations had passed.

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Duggar, the oldest of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's 19 children, resigned from his position at the Family Research Council in Washington, a nongovernmental organization that says its mission is to "advance faith, family and freedom in public policy and the culture from a Christian worldview."

At the time, Duggar posted a statement on the family's Facebook page, writing: "Twelve years ago, as a young teenager I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret." 

"I hurt others, including my family and close friends. I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation," he said. 

His wife, Anna, also released a statement, revealing that her husband admitted his past wrongdoings to her two years before they got engaged. At the time, the couple only had two children.

The family's reality show was cancelled by TLC in July 2015. In a statement, the company said: "The recent attention around the Duggars has sparked a critical and important conversation about child protection. Over these past weeks, TLC has consulted regularly with leading victims' rights and advocacy organizations in the U.S., including RAINN and Darkness to Light, to discuss how to use this moment to address the issue and make a positive impact. Unfortunately, child sexual abuse is not an isolated issue; it affects many children and families around the world."

That same year, Duggar was accused of having an account on Ashley Madison, a popular website dedicated to discreet encounters and extramarital affairs.

Although Duggar didn't address the dating site directly, the former reality TV star released a statement, saying: "I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife."

He later changed the statement to read: "I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have been unfaithful to my wife."

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Marilyn Manson Hit With Rape & Abuse Suit By ‘Game Of Thrones’ Vet Esmé Bianco - Deadline

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BAFTA Rescinds Award for Actor Noel Clarke - The New York Times

The British actor and director has been accused of sexual assault, harassment and bullying by 20 women in a published report.

LONDON — The body that awards Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars has suspended a prominent actor and director weeks after he received one of its top awards, following accusations of sexual assault, sexual harassment and bullying from 20 women.

Producers, actresses and production assistants said the actor, Noel Clarke, secretly filmed auditions in which they were naked, groped or forcibly kissed them, and sent unsolicited intimate pictures. The testimonies were detailed in a lengthy exposé published by The Guardian on Thursday evening.

Mr. Clarke, 45, grew up in London and established himself as an actor in the 2000s with the television series “Doctor Who.” He is well-known in Britain as a filmmaker and performer for his trilogy “The Hood,” about the lives of teenagers in West London, and for the TV police dramas “Bulletproof” and “Viewpoint.” His production company, Unstoppable Film & Television, has made more than 10 movies and television shows.

Mr. Clarke denied the all accusations through his lawyers, according to The Guardian, with the exception of an episode in which he was accused of making inappropriate comments about a woman. He said he later apologized in that case.

A spokesman for the artist management agency 42 M&P said it had stopped representing Mr. Clarke in April. Other efforts to contact Mr. Clarke and his representatives were not immediately successful.

Allegations of sexual harassment in the film industry have poured forth in recent years following revelations about Harvey Weinstein in The New York Times that touched off the #MeToo movement. Mr. Clarke is one of the first prominent actors to face such allegations in Britain.

In a statement provided to The Guardian, Mr. Clarke said, “In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me.”

“If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologize,” Mr. Clarke said, denying any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing, and dismissing the accusations as false.

The extent of the potential consequences for Mr. Clarke became clear on Friday when the television network ITV took the unusual step of saying in a statement that it would not air the finale of “Viewpoint,” a drama starring the actor, on its main channel Friday night because of the accusations against him.

Mr. Clarke was recently honored by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, known commonly as BAFTA, with the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema prize at its annual ceremony earlier this month, even though it was made aware of the accusations nearly two weeks before the ceremony.

BAFTA said in a statement on Friday that in the days following an announcement that Mr. Clarke would be awarded the prize, it received emails accusing him of sexual misconduct.

The allegations, the organization said, were either anonymous or second- or third-hand accounts via intermediaries, adding that it would have responded differently if the testimonies had come directly from the accusers.

“No names, times, dates, productions or other details were ever provided,” BAFTA said. “Had the victims gone on record as they have with The Guardian, the award would have been suspended immediately.”

BAFTA, which had previously honored Mr. Clarke with its rising star award in 2009, said in an earlier statement, released shortly after the article was published, that it had suspended his award and membership of the academy “immediately and until further notice.”

The Guardian report cited nearly two dozen women in the movie industry who said they had been subjected to a range of abuses that include unwanted physical contact, groping and forced kisses, as well as unsolicited sexual behavior on set, including eight on the record.

The Norwegian film producer Synne Seltveit said Mr. Clarke slapped her buttocks in 2015, and later sent an unwanted explicit sexual picture. The actress Gina Powel said Mr. Clarke exposed himself to her in a car and later groped her in an elevator, also in 2015. Anna Avramenko, an assistant film director, said Mr. Clarke had forcibly kissed her on set in 2008 and had tried several times again after the incident.

Helen Atherton, an art director on “Brotherhood,” which is part of “The Hood” trilogy, said Mr. Clarke had violated norms for the ethical filming of sex and nude scenes, including the hiring a nonprofessional actress to perform a scene in which intimate parts of her anatomy were visible.

In recent years, as TV and movie productions grapple with the implications of the #MeToo movement, “intimacy coordinators,” are becoming a common presence on set. Their job is to ensure sex scenes don’t compromise or exploit the performers, and recent British and Irish shows like “It’s a Sin” and “Normal People” have featured intimacy coordinators among their crew.

Onscreen, the plots of some recent British hits, like “Sex Education” and “I May Destroy You,” have turned on questions of sexual consent.

The British actress and writer Michaela Coel, who created “I May Destroy You,” in which she plays a young Londoner who investigates her own rape, said in a statement she supported the women who accused Mr. Clarke.

“Speaking out about these incidents takes a lot of strength because some call them ‘gray areas.’ They are, however, far from gray,” Ms. Coel said.

“These behaviors are unprofessional, violent and can destroy a person’s perception of themselves, their place in the world and their career irreparably.”

In his speech at the BAFTA Awards this month, Mr. Clarke, who is Black, dedicated his award to the “underrepresented, anyone who sits at home believing that they can achieve more.”

“This is particularly for my young Black boys and girls out there who never believed that this could happen to them,” Mr. Clarke said.

He added, “Hopefully people see that I’ve tried to elicit change in the industry.”

The British academy had been repeatedly criticized for its lack of diversity in its list of awards nominees, and last year announced a series of changes in its nomination and prize-giving process.

For this year’s awards, BAFTA’s 6,700 voting members had to undergo unconscious bias training and watch every nominated movie before they could cast their ballots for each category — an attempt to deter voters from focusing on the most hyped films.

In the statement on Friday, BAFTA said it had asked individuals to come forward with their accounts and identify themselves.

“We very much regret that women felt unable to provide us with the kind of firsthand testimony that has now appeared in The Guardian,” it said. “Had we been in receipt of this, we would never have presented the award to Noel Clarke.”

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