Hidden True Crime - BREAKING: Joseph Duggar DENIED Unsupervised Access to His Children

Episode Date: June 17, 2026

BREAKING: Joseph Duggar has been denied unsupervised access to his children—and the reason why may be even more significant than the ruling itself. In a brief but revealing Florida hearing, the judge repeatedly referenced ongoing Arkansas criminal proceedings, child welfare investigations, and active supervision plans involving Joseph and Kendra Duggar's family. What started as a request for unsupervised contact quickly became a discussion about child safety, reunification, parental rights, and the future of the Duggar family. In this episode, Lauren breaks down the key moments from court, why prosecutors fought back so aggressively, what the ruling means for Joseph's marriage to Kendra, the surprising second motion involving his real estate properties, and why July 14 could become one of the most important dates yet in this rapidly evolving case. Sponsor: Mint Mobile- Get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month at https://mintmobile.com/HIDDEN (new customers, 3-month plan, $45 upfront). About Hidden True Crime What started as a simple conversation at their dinner table became a captivating podcast. Join the dynamic duo of Dr. John Matthias, a criminal psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, an investigative journalist, as they delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes every week. Their unique perspectives and in-depth analysis offer a fresh take on true crime storytelling. Thank you for your support through sponsorships, subscribing, listening, and becoming a Patreon member at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/HiddenTrueCrime⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This show is supported by Odu. When you buy business software from lots of vendors, the costs add up, and it gets complicated and confusing. Odu solves this. It's a single company that sells a suite of enterprise apps that handles everything from accounting to inventory to sales. Odu is all connected on a single platform in a simple and affordable way. You can save money without missing out on features you need. Check out O-D-O-O-O-O-O-com. That's O-D-O-O-O-com.

Summers always make me rethink what I'm reaching for every day to wear. I want clothes that feel effortless, lightweight, comfortable, timeless. That's a word I love, especially during busy filming days or running around with family. And that is why I keep going back to Quince. I have especially been loving their dresses, lately as the weather gets warmer. I had this beautiful yellow V-neck middy dress from them that I recently wore with their Italian leather sandals

and it has become one of those outfits I keep reaching for because it feels polished without trying too hard. The quality honestly surprised me. Quince uses really beautiful materials like European linen and organic cotton, but without the huge luxury markup, they're made so well these clothes. I also love that they've expanded beyond clothing

and they are now into home, betting, and other elevated everyday essentials too. Elevate your summer wardrobe. Head to quince.com slash hidden true crime for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. They're now available in Canada too because we know that mini jams have been asking. Yes, Canada too. That's Quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash hidden true crime for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com slash hidden true crime. I could certainly order no unsupervised contact with any minor children.

Did you hear that? When I heard the judge say that, I knew. I absolutely knew where this ruling was headed. We have breaking news. Joseph Dugger has been denied unsupervised access to his children. Florida Judge Clark made it clear, but keyword unsupervised. So again, to be clear, the reality TV star, Joseph Dugger, He has not been denied all access to his young children,

but he has been denied unsupervised access. So he cannot be with his children alone. Thank goodness. I am very grateful for Judge Clark's ruling today because it shocked a lot of us, I think that Joseph Dugger's attorneys were even asking for unsupervised access, especially when he's facing the charges he's facing child sex abuse charges. But hey, duggers are going to dugger.

We know this. And since his wife, Kendra and mother, too, their children seems to be standing by her man after these charges came down. Unsupervised access would be a lot easier if they want to reunite as a family under one roof. Well, Joseph is out on bond awaiting trial. So Joseph was, I guess you could say, asking to be alone with his kids, just realizing he loses 100% of the shots he doesn't take. but taking that shot shocked a lot of us that he even asked. It made me a bit sick to my stomach, honestly. It was our last episode on this case that we had been following from the very beginning.

And honestly, I'm personally relieved today that this was the judge's ruling. No unsupervised access while Joseph Dugger awaits trial for his alleged crimes. But also, honestly, this five-minute hearing ended up revealing so much more about family dynamics and gave us so much more than just the fact that Joseph cannot be alone with any of his kids. It's really helping to process a question that many of us have had ever since this reality star's arrest. How will this affect Joseph and Kendra Dugger's family? Well, all of these criminal cases continue moving forward, right? Joseph and Kendra and their children.

Today, a Florida judge, Judge Clark answered at least part of that question, right? So to break it down, Joseph asked the court. again, to modify his release conditions so he could have unsupervised contact with his biological children, never mind, again, his serious crimes against a child. His attorneys argued that Joseph's children, his children, are not the alleged victims in this Florida case and that preventing him from being alone with them was creating a hardship for the family. Yeah. And the judge, though, said no, denied. Again, thank goodness. But what made this hearing so interesting wasn't just the ruling itself.

It was the reason for the ruling. Because during today's hearing, the court repeatedly referenced the ongoing Arkansas criminal case involving Joseph and Kendra Dugger, the child welfare proceedings involving their children. And the fact that supervised visitation is already reportedly available through Arkansas authorities. So in other words, again, this is in Florida happening. That's where his major charges are. but this wasn't simply a discussion in Florida. This was about parental rights where they live in Arkansas. It became a discussion about child safety, about reunification,

criminal allegations in two different states, two different jurisdictions. So what the future of this family may actually be looking like moving forward is kind of a little bit answered here. If you've been following our coverage, you'll know this has become one of the most complicated dugger-related legal situations we've covered. So in this episode, we're going to break down exactly what happened in court. Why the judge denied both motions Joseph brought before the court, because there's another big motion we're going to talk about. There's more. And what this means for his children, what this could mean for his marriage to Kendra, and why July 14th is suddenly

becoming a very important date to watch for a couple of reasons. My name is Lauren Matthias, and this is hidden true crime. So to remind everyone how we even got to today's hearing, a quick refresher, because there are a lot of moving parts here, and now two different states are involved. As most of you know, Joseph Dugger is facing extremely serious allegations in Florida, stemming from an alleged incident involving a child during a family vacation in 2020. Prosecutors allege that victim was just nine years old at the time of this alleged crime. According to investigators, the alleged victim disclose the allegations years later, that is very typical of children coming forward years later.

A court document further claims that Joseph made statements to both the victim's father and investigators that prosecutors are likely to characterize as admissions, aka confessions. So Joseph has pleaded not guilty. He is currently facing a life felony charge, a life felony charge in Florida. along with an additional felony count. So at the same time, though, that that Florida thing is happening, thing, it's a thing, it's a charge, it's major crimes, it's felony counts. At the same time, Joseph and his wife Kendra are also dealing with a separate criminal case in Arkansas involving allegations of false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of minors connected to conditions inside the family home. So both have pleaded not guilty in that case as well. So over the past several months, we have watched the Arkansas case and the Florida case

become intertwined as one. And we've also seen Kendra's legal path begin to look a lot different from her husband Joseph's legal path. So earlier this year, Arkansas approved efforts aimed at reunification between Kendra and the children. Restrictions involving Kendra were loosened. Meanwhile, her husband Joseph remained under conditions prohibiting unsupervised contact with minors. And that includes his own children.

So that brings us to today's hearing. And honestly, I think there were three really important takeaways. First is that despite this being a Florida ruling, again, the judge did not treat this Florida cases that would exist all alone in its own little island. Take a listen. It gets a little complicated because Mr. Dugger is the defendant where his children are the victims in cases out of Arkansas. Boom, right there. That's really the moment where Arkansas enters the room. The prosecution is essentially saying we cannot pretend Arkansas doesn't exist.

There are ongoing criminal proceedings. There are child welfare proceedings. There are active restrictions involving these same children. And then, I've been in contact with the Arkansas equivalent of the PCF. They're willing to supervise. and they are supervising that as part of their case plan in their case. And that's important because it completely changes a lot of the framing here, essentially. It's important because right there, Arkansas is stepping in and saying,

we're willing to work with Florida. But here we are, yeah, whatever you need. So Joseph's attorneys are arguing that his biological children are not alleged victims in this Florida case and therefore he should be allowed unsupervised. access to them. Meaning because they're not victims in the Florida case, Joseph gets to see his minor children alone. Mr. Dugger is an individual who's the father of his own biological children, and this is causing an issue with him being able to have unsupervised contact. Neither of his biological children are alleged victims in this Florida matter. And honestly, that was really

the entire foundation of the defense's argument. Essentially, these children are not the alleged victims in Florida, so why should Florida be restricting his ability to be alone with them in his home state of Arkansas? But prosecutors and ultimately the judge, prosecutors and the judge, so out very differently because throughout the hearing, the Arkansas proceedings kept coming up. The state reminded the court that Joseph's children are involved in ongoing proceedings in Arkansas. There are still criminal matters. There are child welfare proceedings. There is reportedly an active supervision plan already in place. So in other words, the judge, again, he's not looking at a defendant charged simply in the

judge's state of Florida. He is very aware of Arkansas. And I personally think this is super significant because while the defense attempted to separate the Florida allegations from what's happening in Arkansas or essentially minimizing what's happening in Arkansas, the Florida court appears very aware that there is. there is an overlap here. They're saying in real life, this overlap exists. Even if they exist in separate jurisdictions and separate states with separate charges, overlap.

And I think that overlap, if I'm going to be honest, is the fact that a child was harmed. You know, whatever state he's in doesn't change that fact, no matter how much his attorneys want to argue it. Does anybody else notice how that a lot of us can spend hours comparing prices on flights, hotels, even groceries? but then we just accept whatever shows up on our phone bill every month. That's one reason that I have liked Mint Mobile. They took what's wrong with wireless and made it simple, premium wireless service for just 15 bucks a month. No complicated bundles, no paying for things you don't need.

You can keep your current phone. You can keep your number. You can choose from three, six, or 12 month plans and sign up online in just a few minutes. Honestly, it's one of those rare situations where spending less doesn't feel like you're giving something up. To get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month, head to mintmobile.com slash hidden. That's mintmobile.com slash hidden. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com slash hidden. That's that's it. There is no catch. $45 upfront payment required. It's an equivalent to $15 a month. New customers on first three month plan only, speed slower above 40

gigabytes on unlimited plan. Additional taxes, fees, and restrictions apply. See Mint Mobile for detail. This episode is brought to you by Activia. You might already be eating yogurt, but not all yogurts are created equal. Activia contains over one billion probiotics per serving to survive and reach the gut alive. When it comes to gut health, Activia is the number one family doctor recommended probiotic yogurt brand. Choose Activia. Feel good from the inside out. Visitactivia.ca for more details. The second major takeaway is of this hearing. Ultimately, it's not about if Joseph could see his kids again.

It's for weeks. I have seen people chatting online about whether Joseph is being prevented from seeing his children altogether. But again, the state's position is essentially Joseph can see his children. Again, issue is whether he should be allowed alone with his children. So according to the state, supervised contact is already available. through the Arkansas process. That's already happening. Again, Florida is relying on Arkansas, and Arkansas is saying he can absolutely have supervised contact. So again, the question before

Judge Clark was whether the court should remove the supervision requirement. Again, yikes, I can't believe this is even being asked after we see what charges he has in Florida. But again, Judge Clark declined to do that. And again, thank goodness. The motion was denied. This absolutely tells us where the court is currently drawing the line, drawing a hard line. The court appears willing to allow contact with safeguards, but it is not willing, at least right now, to remove those safeguards. And then there was this second motion. I mentioned to you guys, there was a second motion involving Joseph's real estate properties. Yeah, this was interesting, guys. Honestly, I did not expect this in today's hearing. This is one of those issues that maybe sounds small at first until you really think

about it. And I want to talk about this with you. Joseph's attorneys argued that he owns multiple properties. He's a real estate guy, this Joseph Ducker. They explained the existing restrictions from the state of Florida. They're interfering with his ability to maintain the properties to that those, that means landscaping or overseeing sort of all these aspects of his booming real estate business. Joseph's attorneys, the defense team, they also actually pointed out that the victim's family had moved from the residence at issue, meaning one of Joseph's properties, Joseph Dugger, the real estate guy's properties, that the victim's family had moved from a residence. remember from our previous episodes, Kendra did tell Joseph on the jailhouse calls that we obtained

and released here at Hidden True Crime that they were kicking Kendra's family out of their home. And Kendra explained to Joseph, they were holding her family to that moveout date. And yeah, yeah, the internet has been speculating and speculating with an incredible amount of evidence backing this speculation up that the alleged victim is someone related to Kendra Dugger, Joseph's wife. So yes, the victim's family moving from their residence, it does make sense. So I quickly wondered, honestly, if there was a reason they had forced Kendra's family out of their home during this difficult time. Was it so that Joseph could have access to the property once he was bailed out and back home to work on all his business prospects and be the real estate guy he is?

But prosecutors pushed back on this argument, and they pushed back hard. I loved it. They argued that the victim's family, they absolutely still have ties to the property and the surrounding properties that they continue to return there and that allowing Joseph unrestricted access could effectively limit the victim's family's ability to comfortably access their own property. It would limit the victims being able to go back to the property to stay. And I think that's really what persuaded the judge here was this argument. This then, the focus completely changed away from Joseph's business interests and his real estate and directly back to the victim and her family because that's what matters here.

It was a moment. The state also pointed out something else that Joseph already has alternatives that he can rely on. Joseph has agents. He has employees. He has property managers. I mean, again, a booming real estate business, right? And the judge appeared persuaded by that argument. And so was I. Based on that, I'll deny the motion. But there's not an objection to him having people, is having employees or agents to go and do that, do that maintenance on the property, long as it's not him. I don't believe I have a basis to. All right. So he can have, he can have someone else. He can have an employee or or or a agent to maintain the property. The motion was

denied again. So no, Joseph cannot access these properties even if he owns them to give the alleged victim who was now a young teen space. So once again, the court prioritized preventing potential contact with the victim and her family over Joseph's personal convenience or his business interests. It was honestly, it was very refreshing. It was good to hear. Now, if only Kendra might consider the same, prioritizing the victim over her husband's personal interests, right? Wouldn't that be nice?

At Volvo, safety is not a feature. It's our purpose. Rigorous crash testing. Decades of learning from real accidents. Innovations that help prevent accidents before they happen and help protect you when they occur. Going above and beyond industry standards. A vision of zero collision.

Volvo's legacy revolves around you because safety is about helping to keep you and everyone around you safe for life. Learn more at balvocars.caps.caps.caps slash safety. This spring, denim gets a softer, lighter update. Introducing Old Navy's drapey denim wide leg, a new fit that moves with you. It's everything you want denim to feel like for summer. Easy, breathable, and effortlessly cool. with a fit that creates natural movement and a wide leg that feels modern, not overwhelming. Plus, that signature, wait, for this price, moment.

Old Navy's drapeed denim wide leg. But after everything I have seen and heard so far, I'm not holding my breath, that Kendra will do that anytime soon. And that brings me to something I kept thinking about while listening to this hearing today. Honestly, I kept thinking about Kendra. because every time one of these hearings happens, the judge and the prosecution, they keep reminding us that there is a real victim, a child victim here, and real children sitting in the middle of really all of this, this entire case. It's heartbreaking. But then, you know, what's Kendra thinking? And then for a second, take away this emotional aspect that I just mentioned for a second. It's hard to do. I know. But simply. look at this from a legal standpoint. Okay. So Kendra and Joseph, they increasingly appear to me moving down to very different legal roads. Okay, let's just look at this from, let's look at this legally.

Kendra has seen reunification efforts move forward in her Arkansas case. So what does that mean for this marriage? Kendra and Joseph's marriage? I don't know. Again, I'm not holding my breath after everything we've publicly seen. But at the same time, we aren't privy to everything that is happening. behind closed doors. We don't know what conversations are taking place between husband and wife. We don't know what Kendra ultimately believes in things, even if we listen to the jailhouse calls. That's just a glimpse. We don't know what decisions this family is making. But again, legally speaking, the systems involved appear to be treating Kendra and Joseph differently, very differently right now. And that is not going to help in keeping them united physically. It's a reality that has consequences.

It makes things a lot more complex for their marriage if they want to be a family under one roof. How do they keep the kids from completely being away from Joseph alone? He's in a room alone, reading a book, a kid wanders in, and then he's not following the rules of his release. I really do not see how the couple can live together at all right now. It feels impossible to me, but that's just me. But this does make things more complicated for the couple who might want to show the world they are together as a family, because the judge's ruling is affecting where Joseph can go and who can visit what locations. At the same time, I'm also going to speculate that not much will change.

I mean, look, the Dugger family, Jim Bob and Michelle Dugger, they have stepped up to help their daughter-in-law and surround her with, well, they would say love and support. That's what they'd call it. They're surrounding Kendra with love and support. I personally, and I've admitted to this before, I'll say it again, I personally more so see this as surrounding her with control. And I know I'm not alone in seeing that. The Dugger family surrounding Kendra with control cloaked in love and support. So even if the judge's message today was essentially, look, if maintenance needs to be done on one of your properties, send someone else Joseph Dugger, if business needs to be handled, use an agent, use an employee, use a property,

manager, even if Joseph remains, you know, prohibited from having unsupervised contact with minors, including his own children, which makes living as husband and wife and kids under one roof a lot more complicated. Kendra's not going to be alone to sort through her thoughts, right? She will be surrounded by the duggers of all sorts. And so will her children. But again, I want to reiterate, we do not know what Kendra is thinking or where her mind is right. now. I just know that she's not surrounded by her own family and her own mom and dad. She is surrounded by Joseph's family and Joseph's mom and dad. And that just might play into her thoughts and feelings, ultimately. With that being said, all eyes now turn to July 14th, 26, which is, I really think

going to be a very important day in this case when all eyes will be back on Florida. Also, interestingly, July 14th is also a very significant date in another case we're following closely, the missing Michael Vaughn case or the missing, also known as Monkey, Monkey Vaughn investigation, where the man accused of kidnapping and murdering little Michael Vaughn, his name is Stacey Wundra, he has a status hearing that day. That's also scheduled that same day in Idaho. Nobody yet found in that case, by the way. Monkey's family still wants to bring. bring him home desperately. And also, I want to remind people not all suspects have been charged in that case either. But nonetheless, a heartbreaking case, and we are following it closely,

we hope you will too, and that you can check out our playlists on Monke's case and get caught up. So July 14th is shaping up to be a very busy day for us here at Hidden Chew Crime. Also, it's Dr. John's birthday. It's also our 10-year anniversary, but these cases matter to us, and we will be following along on July 14th and bringing you everything. As always, thank you for being here. Thank you for supporting independent journalism and thoughtful analysis. Thank you for supporting hidden true crime, where we delve into the hidden motives behind unimaginable crimes and cases. And if you're new here, thank you for subscribing. Thank you for supporting our work. Thank you for hyping our videos if you're watching on YouTube. Check out our full Joseph Dugger playlist

to get caught up. And let us know your thoughts below in comments. We will continue. following every filing, every hearing, and every major development as these cases unfold. And we'll see you next time. May justice be served.