[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Buckle up, this one’s a doozy.
If you’ve never heard the name Josh Stapleton, you’re lucky. He’s a TikToker known more for his legal issues. He was charged with 15 counts of possession of child pornography in 2020 and indicted on 40 counts of sexual exploitation of children. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the Cartersville Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division partnered with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the US Department of Homeland Security and discovered Josh downloaded numerous images of prepubescent minors being sexually abused. SO sickening.
The news outlet reported that he pleaded guilty to 20 counts of sexual exploitation — the other 20 were dropped as part of a plea deal. He was reportedly dealt a 20-year sentence: just five of which to be spent behind bars before the remaining 15 are spent on probation — years during which he’ll be ordered to follow strict “sex offender” conditions.
Mind-boggling that he ONLY has to spend five years in prison. Even more mind-boggling? This man is married, and his wife is still in his corner!
Related: 16 & Pregnant Star Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter After Son’s Death!
Josh and his wife Brittani run a TikTok page called the Gulfcoast Stapletons which has 88.8k followers. There, the Georgia-based couple document their vacation adventures.
@gulfcoast_stapletons Soakin’ up the sun in Perdido Key, FL
You know that’s crazier? They got married in 2023 — three years after he was charged! This woman married into the situation! And she’s tired of hearing all the speculation about it online. So she’s addressing things head on.
In a TikTok posted last week, Brittani claimed there are a number of lies circulating around the web relating to Josh’s case and plea deal. And that her intention was to “set the record straight.” The first claim she defended Josh from was that she “didn’t know” anything about his charges prior to his plea deal:
“Absolutely I knew. Josh and I were friends way before we ever started dating. When the charges occurred, we were friends, you better believe I hit him up. As soon as I saw it, I’m a really good judge of character and something was up. That was not Josh. Josh was absolutely upfront with me about everything in the charges, there were no secrets.”
“That was not Josh”? So… she believes he’s innocent? Actually it doesn’t sound like it.
The next claim she defended her husband from was that his “ex-wife” had “set him up.” Brittani says he doesn’t have an ex-wife — she’s his first. So that couldn’t possibly be true. She also claimed that Josh has never blamed any of his exes for his legal situation. OK…
The TikToker also denied claims that Josh told her he purchased a used laptop from Facebook Marketplace and that the photos were already on them:
“Josh has never told me that, nor have I ever been around him telling anyone that.”
So if we’re getting this right, she wants everyone to know she knows all about it? And that he’s guilty???
Brittani also addressed a major elephant in the room: how do friends feel about Josh’s charges? Do they even know? She explained:
“Absolutely. A, it’s been all over the internet. If you didn’t know, you just didn’t know. But B, we have never in our lives been in someone’s house, around children, and not let them know ahead of time. We don’t want anything to ever look sketchy. Guess what? A lot of these people have our backs because they have personally seen Josh around their children and know there’s no issue.”
The fired-up wife also pushed back against claims that Josh “had child images on his work laptop,” claiming that wouldn’t have been possible with how “secure” company tech generally is. She also denied claims they’re “living fake lives” on TikTok:
“There was nothing fake about it. We were just living like we always do. We are still happy. He and I have no issues. He has been fully transparent and honest with me. I know everything. I have been to court, I know everything.”
Brittani also denied they live a “lavish” lifestyle that they’re “funding from child images.” She also shot down claims that she doesn’t want to have children because of Josh’s past:
“Since age 12, I have never wanted children. Not interested in having children, never have been.”
The influencer concluded her lengthy video by sharing a message about her husband’s plea deal:
“It is not the best thing in the world to profit off someone else’s worst moment. I am one of the most mentally tough people you’ll ever meet … not everyone is. So I’m glad you guys chose me for this and to give me hell, like I didn’t just go through the worst week of my life, like I did not just lose my best friend. But I would say, think about that, think really hard. It would be really difficult to sleep at night if you were the cause for someone not to be on this earth.”
We’re still not sure what she’s trying to say here tbh. But she’s definitely on Josh’s side, that much is clear. You can watch her full video below:
@gulfcoast_stapletons Let’s address the false statements.
What are your thoughts here, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down below.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org
[Images via Gulfcoast Stapletons/TikTok & Bartow County Sheriff’s Office]
The post TikTok Star’s Husband Pleads Guilty To Sexual Exploitation Of Children — And She’s DEFENDING HIM! appeared first on Perez Hilton.