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WATCH: Josh Duggar's Sisters Say They're 'Angry and Hurt'

WATCH: Josh Duggar's Sisters Say They're 'Angry and Hurt'

Duggar Sisters

The Duggar daughters discuss the sex abuse scandal that rocked all 19 Kids and Counting in a new three-part special set to air on TLC in December. 

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Members of the conservative Christian and deeply antigay Duggar family are apparently still reeling from the revelations of sexual misconduct by eldest brother Josh Duggar, as indicated by a promo clip for a new show featuring two of his sisters.

Jill and Jessa Duggar -- both of whom Josh admitted molesting while in his teens -- star in Jill and Jessa: Counting On, a three-part special premiering on TLC in December. In the promo, they don't specifically mention the sexual abuse, which became public knowledge this year, or the subsequent revelation that Josh had accounts on Ashley Madison, a website that connects people interested in extramarital affairs. But they do note that the family, made famous by the 19 Kids and Counting reality show, has been through some hard times.

"The whole world was shocked," Jessa says in the clip. "We were devastated. We couldn't believe it. You have to wonder, How did this happen?"

Jill (pictured above) says, tearfully, "You're angry and hurt and all those emotions all mixed together. I cry a lot of tears, I still do. I know I'm hurting."

Josh Duggar resigned from the antigay Family Research Council's lobbying arm in May, after InTouch Weekly reported on his sexual abuse of underage girls, incidents that occurred in 2002 and 2003. His parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, also have a history of anti-LGBT activism, including participation in a campaign against an antidiscrimination ordinance in Fayetteville, Ark. The family is from the nearby town of Springdale.

Josh is not back in the family's good graces, Entertainment Tonight reports. "It is going to take a long time before we forgive," a source told the program. "We are all still hurt. ... Nobody is warm and fuzzy to [Josh] yet. It still feels like he is a stranger."

Watch the promo clip below.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.