How The Duggars' View Of Anna Has Changed Since Josh's Sentencing
Relationships with in-laws can be sticky to begin with, but when there's a difficult history involved, that makes things even more awkward. Such seems to be the case for Anna Duggar, who is trying to hold it together following husband Josh's prison sentence. The oldest of the famous "19 Kids & Counting" family was arrested and convicted on charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (via Us Weekly), and is currently serving out his 151-month sentence in a Texas federal prison. Meanwhile, Anna is raising her seven children solo while living in a converted warehouse on the property of Josh's parents (via The U.S. Sun).
The senior Duggars, Jim Bob and Michelle, have stood squarely behind their son even as horrific details were revealed in his trial. Michelle even wrote a letter of leniency to the sentencing judge (via People). Anna, too, wrote a letter (via Us Weekly), calling her husband "an engaged dad" who "sees the best in people." Other Duggars feel differently, however. Sister Jinger Duggar Vuolo spoke out about the verdict, condemning Josh as a hypocrite whose very soul was in danger. Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband also slammed her brother on their blog, saying his crimes were "unspeakable."
This family divide has reportedly made life more difficult for Anna as she tries to balance her loyalties while maintaining some semblance of a normal life. Word has it that she's now closer to some of her in-laws than to others.
Anna's relationship with her sisters-in-law has cooled
An anonymous source has told In Touch Weekly that Anna Duggar's bond with her in-laws isn't what it used to be following husband Josh's conviction. "The Duggar family fully supports Anna, but it's complicated," says the insider. "There are a lot of hurt feelings over what Josh did." They add that Anna still attends family functions so that her seven children can see their grandparents and cousins, "but it's not the same for Anna."
Particularly fraught, it seems, is Anna's relationship with her adult sisters-in-law. The source has also told In Touch Weekly that Anna feels betrayed by "some family members [who] spoke out after Josh's arrest" — most likely referring to Jinger Duggar Vuolo, Jill Duggar Dillard, and Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth, who also publicly agreed with Josh's guilty verdict (via Page Six). For that reason, Anna is said to be "distancing herself" from that faction of the family.
But is Anna's own loyalty wavering? Another anonymous source — a childhood friend of Anna Duggar's — has bared some family gossip on the Reddit channel DuggarsSnark. Amidst the tea the friend spilled is that Anna is staying with Josh purely out of a sense of "responsibility." That responsibility may be to her children, to her parents-in-law, or to her fundamentalist faith that frowns on divorce. Whatever the case, the friend thinks there might be a chance that Anna may not want to live in a loveless marriage within a fractured family much longer.