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Josh Duggar’s wife, Anna Duggar, continues to stick by her husband despite the guilty verdict. Josh was found guilty of obtaining child sexual abuse material on his work computer, and he now faces over a decade in jail. Does this put Anna at odds with the Duggar family? According to her childhood friend, she was never too close with the Duggar family women to begin with.

Do the Duggars have arranged marriages? Anna Duggar’s childhood friend weighs in

Duggar family members Anna Duggar and Josh Duggar standing next to each other and smiling
Josh Duggar and Anna Duggar | Kris Connor/Getty Images

Anna Duggar’s childhood friend remains nameless on Reddit, but they’ve been verified as a source and opened themselves up for questions. Many Duggar family followers want to know more about Anna’s relationship with Josh Duggar, his siblings, and his sisters. Additionally, many followers asked the childhood friend about Anna’s courtship.

So, do the Duggars have arranged marriages? The Duggars define courtships as “dating with a purpose,” and their parents typically have a say in who they court. According to the friend, Anna’s parents were totally involved in her courtship with Josh.

“They had a ‘courtship’ if you define courtship as two families having back-and-forth negotiations without the actual input of the girl involved,” the friend wrote. “There was no wooing but several weeks of phone calls with sibling chaperones on another line.”

“Their family wasn’t allowed to court before 20 but the goal was to be engaged at 20 immediately so they had everything prearranged so that at midnight when she turned 20 they could be courting while he drove to Florida to propose,” the friend continued regarding Anna.

Anna Duggar’s childhood friend says Anna was not ‘accepted’ by the Duggar family women

While Anna Duggar has been in Josh Duggar’s life since she was a teenager, the Duggar family sisters allegedly never truly accepted Anna as one of their own.

“No, I don’t think they ever did accept her,” the childhood friend wrote. “I’m not sure what their current dynamic is, but it wasn’t close outside of her and Jill, which now that Jill has sort of distanced herself I can’t imagine they are still close. In this world, you’re supposed to reject your former family and make your husband’s family your new true family.”

Jill Duggar infamously stepped away from the Duggar family and TLC’s Counting On. It makes sense that Anna kept a relationship with Jill if she didn’t become as close with the other sisters.

Does she speak to the Duggar family now that Josh Duggar is in prison?

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Anna Duggar’s Sister Builds House in Texas, Sparks Suspicion of Anna’s Future

Do the Duggars still speak to Anna Duggar with Josh imprisoned? While neither the Duggar family nor Anna speaks out much regarding the situation, it appears Anna remains close. “Anna’s family, the Kellers, have rallied around her, but she’s still close to the Duggars, too,” an insider told In Touch. “She hasn’t turned her back on her in-laws.”

Amy Duggar, the outspoken Duggar family cousin, continues to speak out about Anna. Amy urges Anna to leave Josh via social media. She posted several tweets, TikToks, and Instagram posts asking Anna to “wake up” and move forward from her husband.

How to get help: If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 for free and confidential support.

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