In a surprising new move from prison, the convicted reality TV star Josh Duggar is trying to get his child pornography conviction thrown out. He is trying to go after a key witness, who is the mother of one of the children he is accused of harming years ago.
Duggar, who is currently serving a 12-year federal prison sentence, has filed legal papers claiming he did not get a fair trial because of what he calls “uncorroborated and prejudicial testimony.”
The testimony in question came from Bobye Holt, a longtime family friend who spoke in court during Duggar’s 2021 trial about a disturbing incident from his past. Holt’s testimony focused on an alleged confession Duggar made when he was 15 years old. According to her, Duggar admitted to “inappropriately touching” four of her daughters in their private areas, with the youngest being just four years old.
Now, in his request for a new trial, Duggar is aggressively attacking Holt’s credibility. According to The Sun, Duggar argues that her testimony about the crimes from 2003 was biased and should not have been allowed in court. In a shocking claim, Duggar says Holt is a “bitter ex” who lied under oath because he married his wife, Anna, instead of her daughter, Kaeleigh, whom he was supposedly “courting” at the time of the incident.
Josh Duggar is trying to put blame on his victim’s mother
Holt said this was a separate incident from when Duggar was accused of molesting his own sisters, which had already been made public. Holt claimed the assault on her daughters only came to light because one of her young daughters “woke up and hit him.” She also said Duggar’s confession did not seem remorseful, recalling that he told her, “He told me she snitched on him.”
Duggar’s legal filing, which he is reportedly handling himself, also claims that prosecutors did not tell the jury about “key facts undermining her credibility.” These supposed “key facts” include Holt’s social media posts criticizing the Duggar family and her involvement in the Amazon documentary series Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. Duggar says these actions prove she has a “pattern of hostility and bias” and a “deep-rooted desire to destroy the Duggar family.”
It gets worse. He also orchestrated the interview where Jill & Jessa downplayed Josh’s incestuous sexual abuse to defend their brother. pic.twitter.com/Qu5IMUwSWG
— shelby (@thetrueshelby) July 26, 2025
He argues that this hatred was her real reason for testifying and that the jury should have known about it. Duggar’s strategy is to paint Holt as a woman who was rejected and is now seeking revenge. By calling her a “bitter ex,” he is trying to dismiss her testimony and downplay the serious accusations of child abuse she brought forward. However, as legal experts point out, being angry about someone allegedly hurting your children and then testifying about it is not “bias,” it’s just what a witness does.
Duggar was found guilty in 2021 of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. He has tried to appeal his conviction before, but his requests have been denied.
