Prison will be home longer than expected for Josh Duggar.
The former reality star got his time extended once again, pushing his release date to a new year entirely. This is not the first extension he has gotten since the beginning of his 12-year sentence. His first jail time extension came after he was caught with a contraband cell phone.
Josh Duggar was convicted on child pornography charges in 2021 and was sentenced to serve time for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material in 2022. Over the years, the former TV star has made several attempts to be released early, including filing an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Josh Duggar Will Spend More Time In His Prison Uniform
Duggar’s release date has been pushed back once again. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, he will be spending an additional two months behind bars. The extension was added to his sentence last week, bringing his release date from FCI Seagoville in Texas to February 2, 2033.
His cousin, Amy Duggar King, revealed via a social media post that the disgraced reality TV star was “again in solitary confinement” for a “rules violation” that resulted in the additional time being added to his sentence.
Josh’s attorney, Beau Brindley, told PEOPLE that “there is no way to know the basis of a deviation of this limited magnitude.” Speaking further, he noted that it could “be the result of program availability, which is wholly out of the inmate’s control.”
This marks the third time the former TV personality’s prison sentence has been extended. After his conviction in 2021, Duggar was ordered to serve 151 months in federal prison, and his initial release date was August 2032.
The ’19 Kids And Counting’ Star Is On Legal Track To Vacate His Sentence
The extension of his sentence comes at the same time that his fourth and final appeal is ongoing. He is appealing his case in the U.S District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, requesting a new trial or to have his 2021 child pornography conviction vacated.
Duggar’s legal team first filed for a request for an acquittal in 2022, which a federal court denied. The U.S. Court of Appeals also denied his second appeal in August 2023, upholding his conviction, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal in June 2024.
In his new filing, the father of seven has presented eight arguments to support his reason for an appeal. The court docs show that he included his previous attorneys’ failure to question an individual who had access to the computer where the illegal images were discovered.
Duggar also argued that the release of a police report filed after he allegedly molested four of his sisters made the trial unfair. In addition to these, the former TV star called out a Department of Justice expert for allegedly lying under oath during the trial and another DOJ expert claiming they presented “prejudicial information.”
The Former Reality TV Star’s First Appeal Was Denied
Duggar’s lawyer, Justin Gelfand, filed an appeal months after he went into jail in October 2022, asking for the court to overturn the guilty conviction given to his client and grant them a new trial. It was not until October 2023 that the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied their request.
According to The Blast, Gelfand argued that federal agents seized his client’s phone when he tried to contact his legal counsel during a car raid before telling him “he was free to go.” The prosecution doubled down on the claims, arguing that during the said raid, Duggar was not informed that he was in custody, so he had the right to leave the venue and call his lawyer at any time.
The court ruled that Gelfand’s claim about agents obstructing the former TLC star’s access to his lawyers at that time was not a strong basis for a new trial. The court further stressed that Duggar “voluntarily acquiesced” to an interview with the agents and was not arrested after the questioning, meaning that he was not in any way in custody.
The Disgraced Star Previously Asked For Free Legal Services
Last year, Duggar requested for a free legal team from the court, claiming that he lacked the financial wherewithal to have his case handled by private representation.
“I seek the Court’s assistance in appointing counsel to help evaluate my case and, if appropriate, prepare a motion to vacate, set aside, or correct my conviction and sentence,” he wrote in a letter to an Arkansas judge, Judge Timothy L. Brooks.
He added that there were a number of “significant issues” in his case that should be reviewed. The following month, he called his ex-girlfriend’s mother, Bobye Holt, out for her testimony, which he claimed was “prejudicial,” tagging her as “bitter.”
As shared by The Blast, the disgraced reality TV star noted that Holt’s motivation to testify against him was biased and, as such, trampled on his constitutional right to a fair trial.
A federal judge denied his request for a court-appointed lawyer on June 9, 2025, likely because there is no constitutional right to a free attorney for post-conviction civil motions, such as a motion to vacate, in the same way there is for an initial trial.
Josh Duggar Stood Behind His Brother Joseph
The convicted Duggar’s younger brother, Joseph, was recently arrested based on allegations of an incident of sexual assault with a 9-year-old girl in 2020 during a family vacation in Panama City Beach. Joseph reportedly admitted to the crimes before officials and offered apologies, but must face the law.
Duggar, however, says he does not believe the widespread claims about his brother. Through his attorney, the father of seven dismissed the allegations as “sensationalized fiction,” stressing that the situation had been misrepresented.
The Duggar brothers have not been in regular contact, and Joseph even spoke up against his brother’s crimes after his conviction. However, The Blast reported that even while in federal prison, the disgraced TV star “hopes and prays for his brother’s well-being in this difficult time,” because he understands the stigma of being accused.