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Next week, Josh Duggar will eat Thanksgiving dinner in federal prison.
It will be the first of many such holidays for Josh, who has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM).
Obviously, Josh deserves the misery of sitting down to a tray full of gray mush with a few hundred fellow offenders on Turkey Day.
But what about his wife and children, who will suffer almost as much despite having done nothing wrong themselves?
(Okay, one could argue that Anna continues to enable Josh by denying his guilt, but the kids are innocent!)
Obviously, Anna has some tremendously difficult days ahead of her, and many believe that she deserves better.
Fans have been encouraging Anna to divorce Josh, but as cousin Amy Duggar reminded the world in a new interview with UK tabloid The Sun, it’s unlikely that that will ever happen.
“I don’t see that happening,” Amy said when asked about the possibility of Anna ending her marriage.
“I wish she would, of course, but I just don’t see that happening.”
Amy has been an outspoken critic of Josh since his arrest, and she’s quick to point out that he’s a product of the patriarchal world in which he was raised — a world where divorce is not permitted.
“[They teach] your vows can not be broken, you are making a life decision, and no matter what happens, that is your husband and you have to respect him, love him, walk beside him, and in all honesty be underneath them,” she told The Sun.
“It’s sad – so sad – and it just breaks my heart to think about it,” Amy continued.
“How much more can [Anna] endure, really?” she added.
“I don’t understand how someone can literally go through so much trauma and be like, ‘I think I’m gonna stay for some more.’”
From there, Amy reiterated that she’s tried to convince Anna to leave Josh, but to no avail.
“I’ve tried. I’ve tried to text her. Well, at first it was ‘I love you. I’m here for you. Please let me know how I can like help you through this,’ and I got no response,” she said.
“Then my second one was an ‘I’m speaking out of love to you. I’m trying to get through to you. Your Universe is a safe place. We are a safe place if you need to take your children somewhere.’”
Yes, it seems that Amy even offered Anna a place to stay, but the offer was rebuffed.
“We could’ve helped her, we really could. And still no response,” Amy said.
“There is just so much more for [Anna] than what she’s going through right now.”
Despite the friction between the cousins-in-law, Amy wants the world to know that she still supports Anna, explaining:
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“You’re in a really dark tunnel and maybe she’s in disbelief. It’s going to take her a long time to even understand what the heck is going on.
“What has happened in her life is tragic … she’s a victim of all this too … it’s just tragic all the way around.”
“I don’t expect her to [respond] but I would love for her to,” said Amy.
“I understand she’s probably scared out of her mind, she’s stressed and there are so many things going on right now.”
Amy added that she hopes Anna and her kids are getting the help they need — and not just living in denial.
“I would’ve had a mental breakdown if I were her, so I hope she’s taking care of herself,” she told The Sun.
“And more importantly, I hope that she’s taking care of her children,” Amy added.
“They’re precious children, beautiful kids, and they have so much potential and I just hope that they’re able to reach it.”
Asked if she thinks Anna will move to Texas in order to be closer to Josh’s prison, Amy replied:
“Lord I hope not. I want her to like understand what has happened here … Honestly, I wouldn’t even have married him in the first place.
“Knowing what happened to the sisters,” continued Amy, referencing the fact that Josh molested four of his sisters,
“What has happened in the family that no one ever knows about? I was shocked and literally didn’t know – and don’t marry someone like that.”
At that point in the interview, Amy’s husband, Dillon King chimed in:
“The first red flag for her should’ve been when he cheated on her. She should’ve pulled the plug then,” he said.
“When you’re cheating on your wife with hookers it’s time to leave.”
Dillon concluded with a point that Amy has made many times, noting that Amy is a victim not only of Josh, but of the evangelical community in which she was raised.
“It’s going to take years for her to process what has happened with Josh.
“She’s also heavily influenced by being married into the family early and the standards they set early on.”
Yes, Amy has been brainwashed by Jim Bob just as surely as his own kids have.
It’s nice to imagine that she’ll come to her senses some day — but that seems increasingly unlikely.
