Duggar cousin: Photo extortion plot was ‘laughable’

>>> back now at 8:22 with a victim of an alleged extortion plot targeting tlc 's show "19 kids and counting." amy duggar is a cousin to the duggar family and earlier this month a woman claimed to have racy photographs of her with an older man and threatened to release them if she wasn't paid $10,000 by tlc 's parent company discovery communications . with the fbi's assistance the woman was arrested and charged and now amy joins us exclusively to talk about this.

>> good morning.

>> this was in february. how did you hear about it?

>> the publicist of the show contacted me to say, you know, we received some disheartening news. i don't know. it was just one of those things that came out of thin air.

>> the woman accused of this is identified as tracy hunt. do you know her personally?

>> i have never met her. i don't really know anything about her at all.

>> teresa, i'm sorry. she does know the man you're in the photographs with.

>> she does. apparently she was taking photographs of -- branson, missouri.

>> are these the photographs?

>> yes, ma'am, they are. those are from my facebook account.

>> you're saying you posted the photographs.

>> i posted those. my grandma is the one that took the photos.

>> the man in the photograph is james garrett.

>> yes.

>> how would you describe his relationship to you?

>> he's a great guy, a family friend. he's known the duggars for a long time and has always been supportive of my music career . there's never been any kind of intimate relationship . he's a friend of the family. it's just completely laughable.

>> when this emerged and became something that was reported about.

>> yes.

>> what was your reaction and are you glad now to put this to rest?

>> yeah. well, i mean, we were all just shocked and like, are you kidding me? like someone would do this? take pictures and send it to the network and demand money? i think it has to do with being part of a reality show . people think if you're in the public eye people know you. it's just one of those things that's negative. i'm here to set the record straight that there is no pictures like that. there is no nothing like that. nothing was ever coming out about that.

>> i know you want to be able to establish a music career .

>> yes.

>> has this made you second think the idea of being famous?

>> goodness. being in the public eye , you don't realize everybody is watching. so you have to be a really good role model. you do. i think if god allows it to happen then i will continue to do that.

>> amy duggar, thank you very much for doing this. by the way, "19 kids and counting" airs tonight on tlc . back with more after your local news.