Josh Duggar was officially sentenced to 12.5 years in prison in May 2022, and he remains behind bars to this day. He has a long history of disturbing behavior. Many people are surprised that Josh’s wife, Anna Duggar, has remained loyal to him throughout the controversies, especially since they have seven children together.With Josh serving his time, many people are wondering what Anna is doing nowadays. There were reports that she and her kids were bouncing around between living situations during his trial, which begs the question if they’ve found a more permanent arrangement since then.
Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar Want Anna To Stay With Them
After Josh’s sentencing, reports said that his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, wanted Anna and their seven kids to live with them while he remains incarcerated.
A source told In Touch, "It will be interesting to see what she decides to do. Now comes the hard decision, whether to stay and wait for Josh to come out or start her life over without him."
The insider added, “Some of her kids will be grown with possibly children of their own by the time their dad gets out.”
It’s likely that Anna is living with her in-laws at the moment. She stayed with them during the majority of Josh’s trial. In December 2021, it was reported she was living in a “rundown warehouse” on Jim Bob and Michelle’s property.
Additionally, Josh’s listed address in jail records is the same warehouse on his parents’ compound that Anna was reportedly staying in with their seven children.
Anna Left Her Kids To Live With Josh Temporarily
Anna hasn’t only been staying with her in-laws. She also reportedly lived with her husband’s guardians, LaCount and Maria Reber, for a brief period during his trial. Since Josh isn’t allowed to have contact with minors (even his own kids), their children reportedly stayed with family when Anna stayed in with the Rebers
"Anna is spending most of her time with Josh at the Rebers, and her family has stepped in to help raise all their kids,” a source said in August 2021. "She takes them to visit him or they are looked after while she's there alone, despite what he's been charged with she refuses to believe he's guilty,” they continued.
The same insider said that Anna had a strained relationship with Josh’s parents, and at the time was trying to distance her and her kids from them. She was reportedly relying on her family for help caring for her six kids (she was pregnant with her and Josh’s 7th at the time).
"Her family have been helping with the kids, especially her sister Priscilla and her husband David," the source explained.
Though the living situation came to an end when Josh was sentenced, the insider said it was never a good set-up to begin with. The female guardian, Maria Reber, reportedly felt uncomfortable.
"Anna has pretty much moved in, but she's still not on good terms with Mrs Reber. She's disappointed she said in his bail hearing she didn't feel safe around Josh alone,” they explained. "Mrs. Reber doesn't really want her there because they don't get along."
Anna Wants To Move The Kids To Texas, But Josh Disagrees
Josh is currently serving his time in a federal prison in Texas, which is a ways away from the Duggar’s home state of Arkansas. It takes approximately 10 hours to drive between the two states. Despite the distance, Anna has been making frequent visits to her jailed husband.
In fact, a report from early October 2022 says that Anna is seriously considering moving to Texas to be closer to Josh, even though he disagrees. Josh believes his sentence will be overturned, so he thinks a move would be unnecessary.
“He thinks he is going to beat his appeal and feels his wife’s move is unnecessary. He tends to think they are going to reverse his case,” a source told The Ashley. “Josh and Anna had a dispute on the phone and Josh went two days without talking to her, which is big because he calls every day,” they added.
The source described Anna as “tired, broken and worn out” over the conflict. “His actions appear to have really affected her,” they continued.
Even if Anna moves closer to Josh, it will be a long time before they can live under one roof as a family, if ever. Not only has he been sentenced to a decade behind bars, but the terms of his probation won’t allow him to live with children once he’s released.
“Josh has been barred from unsupervised visits with all minors, including his children,” Nicki Swift reports. He’s expected to serve at least 20 years of probation upon his release.
Even though many of Josh’s family members (even his own siblings) have spoken out against him, Anna continues to remain loyal. But it remains to be seen if she’ll actually relocate her entire family, especially since Josh even agrees it's a bad idea.