Could Josh Duggar's Scandal Be Featured On 'Law & Order: SVU'? Star Raúl Esparza Weighs In
Josh Duggar's molestation and cheating scandals could be featured on upcoming episodes of NBC's "Law & Order: SVU." The popular series, which has been on for well over a decade, will kick of Season 17 with a lengthy episode based on Robert Durst, the star of HBO's "The Jinx," who was arrested and charged with murder. With "Law & Order: SVU's" long history of borrowing storylines from major events and scandals, many are wondering whether they'll see a Duggar-centric episode in the future.
According to Raúl Esparza, who plays ADA Rafael Barba, fans of the crime series may get just that. E! Online reports that he said there's no way "Law & Order: SVU" writers could pass up an episode about Josh Duggar, formerly of TLC's "19 Kids and Counting." Like always, Esparza, 44, said it wouldn't include all the same details from either scandal, because the show has to stay true to it's roots as a fictional drama in order to keep audiences tuning in. It will, however, be similar enough for viewers to recognize it's real life influences.
"I'm sure they're coming our way," Esparza said. "I don't think there's anyway the writers room will stay away from it, but who know what form it's going to take. It won't be that exact...Ultimately, it's got to stay fiction and got to stay engaging. We don't want to recreate what you just lived through because -- we'll never live up to reality because reality's getting really bizarre."
Peter Scanavino, who plays Detective Carisi on "Law & Order: SVU," also weighed in on the idea. He shared his views on both scandals involving Josh Duggar, 27, calling his entire family a "lunatic fringe family." Despite his strong feelings on the situation he said he would be open to taking on the story simply because it angers him so much.
"With the Duggar one, it was like the double-whammy because it was his sisters and the fact -- I mean, honestly, I feel like we're dealing with some topics this season that feel a bit meatier than some lunatic fringe family...I wouldn't mind doing one just because I have never been so infuriated with someone's level of hypocrisy, and lying, and then displacement of responsibility onto something else," Scanavino, 35, said. "When I think about that guy, it boils my blood, I will say."
After revealing in May that he had molested underage girls, some of his victims including his sisters, as a teenager, Josh came under fire for a second time in August when he admitted to having been unfaithful to his wife, Anna Duggar. The father of four was exposed for having not one, but two accounts on popular cheating site Ashley Madison. He admitted to his infidelity, chalking it up to an addiction to pornography. He has since entered rehabilitation, thought it is unclear whether he is attending Reformers Unanimous in Rockford, Illinois or another program.
New episodes of "Law & Order: SVU" air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Be sure to catch the Season 17 premiere Sept. 23 on NBC.
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