What to Know
When Josh Duggar began his 151 month sentence in 2022 for possessing child sexual abuse material, he apparently had several juicy email exchanged with his parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and his wife, Anna Duggar. The emails, which were leaked and posted on Reddit, paint a picture of the family dynamic at that time.
And, in one email Josh wrote to his parents, he called out his siblings for not reaching out to him. He mentioned receiving messages with two of his siblings, but that the other 16 did not reach out to him or share support with him. The emails also show how Anna was allegedly treated by her in-laws while her husband was serving the beginning of his sentence in federal prison.
Josh called out his siblings for not contacting him while in prison.
In the emails, Josh wrote to his parents about taking care of Anna and about how most of his siblings failed to contact him in the early days of his incarceration. He wrote that Jed Duggar sent Anna a text, but for him, he only heard from two siblings. According to Josh, Jessa Duggar sent a message to him and John David Duggar had a video visit with Josh.
“I really don’t care what anyone thinks about me at this point…but I would expect at least a little bit of respect as a human being — which I feel like I haven’t even received from any of my own siblings,” Josh wrote in 2022.
He also said “shame on you” directed toward his 16 siblings who did not reach out to him at that time. He also accused his siblings of forgetting lessons their parents taught them early on about treating others how you might expect to be treated. Apparently, Josh thought a guilt trip might sweeten the pot for some of his siblings to get in contact with him.
Anna said she was mistreated by his parents.
In another leaked email from the early years of Josh’s incarceration, Anna wrote to him about staying with his parents, taking care of their seven kids, and cleaning and cooking for Jim Bob, Michelle, and the children who still lived at home at the time.
“I’m responsible to get it all done. And if it’s not perfect they’re going to chew me out and let me know, judge me, being forbidden from the house if [I] have a less than perfect reaction,” Anna wrote. “They can say and do whatever they want, they can hurt over and over and over again and are never held accountable. I’m just want to be done. Done being hurt. Done being judged. Done with being pounded on for everything [I] do. The constant judging, the constant critiquing all happens while I’m making their dinner, washing their laundry, mopping their floors and doing their dishes.”
The Duggars’ image is a lot different in public.
Users on the Reddit thread about the emails shared not only surprise at the tea about Anna, Josh, and Jim Bob and Michelle, but also opinions on how different the family acted in public at the time of the emails. Publicly, Jim Bob and Michelle put up a united front and shared support for their oldest son. But, per the emails, it was different behind the scenes.
“That whole family universe is trash,” someone commented on Reddit. “They have zero accountability and although they portray the perfect Christian vision, they all seem hateful and rude. They are getting what they deserve. Anna and Josh are the worst. Jim Bob and Michelle are probably the worst of the worst. They’ve created monsters.”
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