Joseph Duggar has pleaded not guilty to charges of child molestation.

March 31 2026, Published 11:24 a.m. ET

Joseph Duggar entered a "not guilty" plea moments before he made his first court appearance in Florida on charges he sexually molested a nine-year-old girl in 2020, RadarOnline.com can report.

The former 19 Kids and Counting star made his first court appearance in Bay County, Florida, where he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

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Joseph bonded out of jail on Tuesday, March 31.

Joseph appeared in court via Zoom in a traditional gray striped inmate uniform.

A judge set his bond at $600,000 – $100,000 for the charge of "lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by an individual 18 years of age or older", and a whopping $500,000 on the charge of "lewd and lascivious behavior, molesting a victim 12 years or under by an offender 18 years or older."

The second charge could lead to life in prison for the 31-year-old, due to the age of the victim at the time.

Joseph was also ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim, and must have supervised contact around any other minors – including his own children.

His next court appearance is scheduled for April 20.

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Kendra Duggar can see her children again after pleading not guilty to criminal charges.

As Radar reported, the alleged victim, who is now 14, told officers the reality star "groomed her" for days before sexually molesting her during a family vacation to Florida's panhandle, and detailed "several incidents of sexual abuse" she suffered at the hands of Joseph.

The teen told a detective with Arkansas's Tontitown Police Department that the more the television star interacted with her, the worse his behavior became.

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She alleged that while together, Joseph would repeatedly ask her to "sit on his lap." He then reportedly progressed to asking her to sit next to him on a couch, while he "covered them with a blanket." During that time, the 31-year-old would allegedly "touch the top portions of her thighs and would inch higher and higher, closer to the victim's waistline."

She told investigators that these encounters happened multiple times, and "the defendant's hand grazed the victim's v-----" during each incident, leaving her feeling "uncomfortable and confused."

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Joseph allegedly admitted to the teen's accusations.

The victim told investigators that Joseph later apologized for his actions and the alleged molestation stopped after that.

The alleged incident remained a secret for years, until earlier this month, when Joseph confessed to inappropriate contact during a conversation with the girl’s father on March 17, according to police.

Authorities instructed the detective and the victim's father to call Joseph again while law enforcement listened in. During that call, Joseph reportedly "admitted his actions," again, telling them "he touched the victim over her clothing," and acknowledged that "his intentions were not pure."

Joseph and wife Kendra both face child endangerment charges.

But the accusations against Joseph aren't over, as he and wife Kendra both face child endangerment charges after a routine inspection found the couple had allegedly placed locks on the outside of their children's bedroom doors.

Following the discovery, officials with the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) removed the children from the couple's care.

According to Jamie E. Wright, Los Angeles lawyer and the founder of Wright Law Firm, Child Protective Services (CPS) and law enforcement agencies will now "scrutinize the environment, supervisory actions, [and] previous knowledge," from the adults in the family as they determine whether or not anyone else close to the kids "had a duty to report their suspicions of abuse."

"Generally speaking, CPS and law enforcement will examine who knew what, when did they know it, and did the adult(s) take any action to protect the child?" Wright told Radar. "Additionally, CPS will investigate if there are additional victims or witnesses that have not yet made themselves known."