Over the weekend, the Duggar learned that Joy-Anna Duggar is expecting a baby boy.
It’s exciting news, especially in a family where women and girls have very few rights, and men and boys get to do pretty much whatever they want.
The family learned that Joy’s having a boy at a big gender reveal party that was attended by the entire family.
Well, almost the entire family …
Joy posted videos of the party on her YouTube page, and fans were quick to notice that Anna Duggar did not seem to be in attendance.
“We got the results back from our ultrasound last week. And so, we were kind of like, should we go ahead and throw the gender reveal party or should we wait until the new year?” she said in a YouTube video posted on Friday.
“But it ended up working out for most of the people that we wanted to come to just go ahead and do it the week before Thanksgiving.”
Joy-Anna Duggar shared the news of her baby’s gender with her family and fans. (Photo via YouTube)
So clearly, Joy wanted the party to be attended by as many members of the extended Duggar clan as possible.
And yet Anna — who, let’s not forget, is unemployed and lives on Jim Bob and Michelle’s property — wasn’t able to make it.
Obviously, it’s possible that Anna had some sort of prior engagement, like making a pie, or waiting for a pie she had made to cool.
Anna Duggar has suffered mightily as a result of her husband’s crimes. (Photo via TLC)
(Duggar women aren’t permitted to do a whole lot.)
But the most likely explanation is that Anna made a conscious decision not to attend.
Just last week, Anna was on hand for the Duggars’ annual Family Fall Festival, but she may have decided to skip the gender reveal after taking a look at the guest list.
Seen here on TLC, Anna Duggar is Josh’s maligned, long-suffering wife and the mother of his seven children. (Photo via TLC)
It’s long been known that Anna does not get along with the entire Duggar family.
The main source of discord seems to be the fact that several family members are not convinced of the innocence of Anna’s convicted sex offender husband, Josh, who’s currently serving a 12-year sentence in federal prison,
“It started after some family members spoke out about Josh’s arrest,” a source recently told In Touch.
Josh and Anna Duggar in happier times. (Photo via Instagram)
“It was a nightmare navigating all that. Yes, it was horrible what Josh was accused of, but she needed unconditional support. Anna took it as a betrayal and she’s still not ready to fully forgive some family members.”
None of the Duggars who publicly condemned Josh — such as Jill and Amy Duggar — would have been in attendance at the gender reveal.
But it’s likely that others have been privately skeptical with regard to Josh’s innocence, and therefore do not meet Anna’s approval.
Anna Duggar and Josh Duggar are featured in this photo, from way back in the day on the show 19 Kids and Counting.
J
“The Duggar family fully supports Anna, but it’s complicated. There are a lot of hurt feelings over what Josh did,” the insider added.
“She still attends family functions because her kids love their cousins, aunts and uncles, but it’s not the same for Anna.”
Josh, of course, is 100 percent guilty, but it’s possible that the Duggars have decided that Anna’s not ready for that conversation yet.
