Navigating the storm. Anna Duggar is reconsidering her path forward amid Josh Duggar’s imprisonment, as a “future life” with her husband does not seem “attainable,” an insider exclusively tells In Touch.  

“Anna wishes this nightmare was behind her, but it’s not,” the source reveals. “Josh changed her life in many ways. He gave her a beautiful family, but he also ruined their family dynamic.”  

The mom of seven, 34, has been in a harsh spotlight since Josh, 34, was found guilty of receiving and possessing child pornography in December 2021. Originally sentenced to about 13 years behind bars at Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Seagoville in Seagoville, Texas, the 19 Kids and Counting alum is set to be released on August 12, 2032; he will have served just over a decade in prison. 

Since the disgraced reality star’s conviction, Anna has stayed under the radar, seldom making statements about Josh’s charges and her new role as a single mom to children Mackynzie, Maryella, Marcus, Mason, Michael, Meredith and Madyson. While she has considered moving from Arkansas to Texas to be nearer the facility in which Josh currently presides, a separate source told In Touch in October that she simply wants to “check out.”  

Anna Duggar Plans to Spend Christmas With In-Laws Amid Josh Duggar’s Imprisonment
Courtesy of Anna Duggar/Instagram

 

“She’s devoted to her children, that’s her only certainty,” the family insider tells In Touch of Anna’s future. “Josh has done terrible things. She’s still dealing with that.”  

Adding more uncertainty to Anna’s life during her husband’s prison stay is the growing distance between her and the Duggars. While the family insider tells In Touch that she plans to spend Christmas with her in-laws, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Anna’s holiday season has been “difficult,” and the widening gap between her and Josh’s sisters is not making things easier. 

“It started after some family members spoke out about Josh’s arrest,” an inside source told In Touch in October. “Anna took it as a betrayal, and she’s still not ready to fully forgive some family members.”   

Although Anna is not prepared to forgive and forget, the source told In Touch that Josh does not want her to move away from his parents, fearing a “disconnection” between his children and the extended Duggar family.  

“He doesn’t want anyone but Anna and his immediate family to guide his children,” the source explained. “He also fears that if Anna is distanced from his family, she might be influenced to leave him.”