Speaker Mike Johnson's Connection To The Duggars Grows With His NSFW Confession

Following Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson's election to Speaker of the House, the internet quickly became abuzz with news and speculation about the unexpected politician. Around the same time X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) users began making very specific comparisons of Mike Johnson's wife, Kelly, to Michelle Duggar, a resurfaced video of the conservative politician offers yet another similarity between the two families: their use of the porn-blocking app Covenant Eyes.

Covenant Eyes is a software that monitors users' online activity on up to ten devices and utilizes accountability partners to discourage access to pornographic material. In the 2022 video posted to X, Johnson said, "Covenant Eyes is the software we've been using a long time in our household." He explained that the program scans the activity on his phone and laptop and sends a report to his accountability partner, who he said is his oldest son, Jack. "I'm proud to tell you he's got a clean slate."

People reported in 2021 that former "19 Kids and Counting" star Josh Duggar and his wife, Anna, used the same program. The findings came years after the son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar confessed to having a pornography addiction on the Duggar family's blog.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said he first learned about Covenant Eyes while attending a Promise Keepers conference, an Evangelical Christian faith organization for men. In the video, which was taken at a "War on Technology" event in Louisiana in October 2022, the politician said the software was pitched as a way to keep faith groups, church members, and fathers and their teenage sons accountable for not viewing porn (via The Guardian).

Josh Duggar, who was arrested in April 2021 on one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, was able to bypass the Covenant Eyes software by using a password-protected network unmonitored by the program. It's important to note that there is no evidence to suggest Representative Johnson has any connection to Duggar's case. Further, the politician has not elaborated on his reasoning for using Covenant Eyes beyond keeping him and his teenage son accountable.

Johnson told ABC News in 2005, "My wife [Kelly] and I both come from traditional Christian households." This traditionalism is reflected not only in Johnson's use of Covenant Eyes but also in his covenant marriage with Kelly. Covenant marriages are Christian-based, heterosexual unions that require counseling and have specific guidelines regarding divorce, per the Louisiana State Legislature.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).