Conservative reality TV star Josh Duggar on Thursday apologized for being “unfaithful” to his wife, calling himself “the biggest hypocrite ever.”
The apology comes a day after reports emerged that his private data was leaked in the hacking of affair-oriented website Ashley Madison.
“I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him,” Duggar said in a statement.
{mosads}”I have brought hurt and a reproach to my family, close friends and the fans of our show with my actions.”
An earlier version of the apology also made reference to a “secret addiction” to “viewing pornography on the Internet,” but that line was later removed from the statement.
Gawker first reported that Duggar was among those whose information was contained in troves of data dumped online Wednesday by hackers who breached Ashley Madison in July.
Duggar resigned from his role as executive director of the Family Research Council’s lobbying arm in May, amid multiple allegations that he had sexually molested a number of girls during his teenage years, including some of his sisters.
TLC’s “19 and Counting,” which starred Duggar and his family, was canceled at the time.
Hackers leaked troves of data from Ashley Madison on Tuesday evening before issuing a bigger leak Thursday. Their initial info dump earlier this week exposed the adulterous dating profiles and personal information of over 30 million users.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee notably defended Duggar earlier this year amid public outrage over his alleged sexual misconduct.
“Josh’s actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself, ‘inexcusable,’ but that doesn’t mean ‘unforgivable,’ ” the 2016 GOP presidential candidate said.
“No one needs to defend Josh’s actions as teenager,” he added, “but the fact that he confessed his sins to those he harmed, sought help and has gone forward to live a responsible and circumspect life as an adult is a testament to his family’s authenticity and humility.”