Nightline on Friday delighted in the fall of "conservative" Josh Duggar. Co-anchor Juju Chang even brought on arch-liberal Amanda Marcotte to celebrate the "karma" of Duggar's infidelity.
After noting that the reality TV star's "outspoken public moralizing so blatantly contradicts his now-very public private life," Chang highlighted that Duggar was "lobbying for the Family Research Council, an advocacy group promoting conservative, Christian values." She then featured Marcotte to gloat:
MARCOTTE: [Duggar's] been spending years and years trying to, like, interfere with gay people's right to get married. And so seeing that kind of come back on him and seeing his own marriage get, sort of, taken for a ride, you know, it felt like karma.
How extreme is Marcotte? She once decried the "tyranny" of the "home-cooked meal."
The journalist played a clip of Duggar at a pro-life rally. He declared, "In my lifetime, we are going to end abortion in the United States of America, once and for all." What does abortion possibly have to do with Duggar's hypocritical moralizing on marriage?
Chang then returned to Marcotte:
MARCOTTE: Their marketing specifically targets people that are conservative, often religious, because they know that those are people who may not have had a lot of sexual experimentation in their life or a lot of opportunities.
Though the co-anchor included clips of John Edwards and Bill Clinton, the segment clearly delighted in portraying conservatives as getting what they deserved with the Duggar scandal.
A partial transcript is below.
NL
8/22/15
12:37JUJU CHANG: Tonight, fresh controversy for former reality TV star Josh Duggar, among the millions of Ashley Madison users outed in a hack exposing would be cheaters. Shining a spotlight on that line between private morals and public moralizing. Why would a man who helped build a multimillion dollar TV empire play so fast and loose with family values?
...
CHANG: Former reality show star, Josh Duggar, husband and father of four, often preached his Christian faith and family values at political rallies.
JOSH DUGGAR: Marriage is central to the family.
CHANG: But now the former reality star of "19 Kids And Counting," who just months ago was in the spotlight for bad behavior, again facing public embarrassment. Apologizing after being outed among the 37 million accounts potentially hacked on Ashley Madison. The site known for matching up married cheaters.
ACTRESS: Welcome to the club.
VOICEOVER ACTOR: Isn't it time for ashleymadison.com.
CHANG: In a statement on the Duggar family website, Josh calls himself "The biggest hypocrite ever," saying, "While espousing faith and family values I have been unfaithful to my wife." He even confessed that he has a porn addiction, but later took that admission down. The scandal all the more shocking because it's Josh Duggar, whose outspoken public moralizing so blatantly contradicts his now very public private life.
HOWARD BRAGMAN (REPUTATION.COM): I think if you want to position yourself as a moral leader then you better be willing to put every email, every text, every membership, virtually everything you do out in the public and withstand the scrutiny.
CHANG: According to Gawker, Duggar paid almost $1,000 to maintain two Ashley Madison accounts, under the handles "Josh the man" and "ready for this DC," indicating his preference was for "stylish and classy, naughty partners with a take charge nature." And yet all the while, Josh was lobbying for the Family Research Council, an advocacy group promoting conservative Christian values, rallying against issues like abortion.
DUGGAR: And in my lifetime, we are going to end abortion in the United States of America, once and for all.
CHANG: And against same-sex marriage.
DUGGAR: Every single child deserves a mother and father.
CHANG: Even instagramming out this photo of himself and his wife sharing a drink from Chick-Fil-A, with the caption, "marriage equals man plus woman."
MARCOTTE: He's been spending years and years trying to, like, interfere with gay people's right to get married. And so seeing that kind of come back on him and seeing his own marriage get, sort of, taken for a ride, you know, it felt like karma.
...
CHANG: Of course it was the discreet nature of Ashley Madison that proved to be its biggest selling point, attracting people with secret desires.
MARCOTTE: Their marketing specifically targets people that are conservative, often religious, because they know that those are people who may not have had a lot of sexual experimentation in their life or a lot of opportunities.
CHANG: Some of those seeking anonymity, tonight also seeking revenge to the tune of over $500 million in damages to their reputations through a class action lawsuit. While some say the hack is justice served for infidelity, it's also a rude awakening that online nothing is ever truly private.
