Jinger Duggar Talks 'Heartbreak' of Brother Joseph's Child Sex Abuse Arrest

Jinger Duggar says her heart breaks for the girl her brother Joseph Duggar allegedly assaulted ... adding there is no way to prepare for receiving news like this.

Jinger addressed Joseph's shocking arrest during an episode of her show "The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast" -- which she co-hosts with her husband, Jeremy Vuolo -- released late Tuesday night ... telling fans this past week has felt like it has dragged on for years.

Jinger says she and Jeremy have felt a ton of pain and heartbreak in the aftermath of Joseph's arrest ... especially when they think of the victim -- whom Jinger commends for bravely coming forward and telling cops her story.

You can't prepare for receiving news like this, Jinger says ... even though she acknowledges the family went through something similar with her other brother, Josh Duggar, who was convicted in 2021 of possessing child pornography.

Jinger says it's hard to know how to move forward ... adding she will feel the weight of the situation for a long time to come.

As you know ... Joseph was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor last week after a 14-year-old girl told cops he touched her inappropriately back in 2020 when she was just 9 years old in Florida.

Days after Joseph was arrested in Arkansas, his wife, Kendra Duggar, was also taken into custody ... and, they were both charged with four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, as well as four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. These Arkansas charges are not related to the alleged Florida sexual assault in 2020.