Duggar child porn case: Will Josh Duggar's wife Anna be vilified like Soon Yi Previn?
In 2017, after more than 80 women accused disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and misconduct, his wife of a decade, Georgina Chapman filed for divorce within days of the accusations breaking out. Fifteen years ago, another incident that was equally sensational was Woody Allen's adopted daughter Dylan Farrow, then seven, accusing the filmmaker of touching her 'private parts'. Allen had just begun a relationship with the then 21-year-old Soon-Yi Previn, another adopted daughter he shared custody with his long-term partner Mia Farrow.
To the general public, it all seemed abhorrent; Farrow depicted Previn as a manipulated child Allen preyed on. However, ever since 1992, Previn has also been seen by Allen's side, providing constant albeit quiet support. By being with him as the controversy raged, she showed her solidarity with her husband of almost 25 years rather than her adopted mother Mia Farrow and siblings. By the time she finally spoke up in a 2018 tell-all for Vulture, Previn was already seen as an accomplice. But she was unbendable - something she has in common with Anna Duggar - the wife of former reality star Josh Duggar, who's been charged with receiving and possessing child pornography, and is currently awaiting trial.
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Previn's near-devotional support for her husband has lasted throughout the three decades that they have been together. During this time, Dylan accused her adopted father of inappropriately touching her, calling out the sexual abuse she suffered several times - both in court, and to the media alike. After Dylan's recent four-part docuseries entitled 'Allen v. Farrow' came out, Previn called it a "hatchet job" in a joint statement, once again showing support and solidarity for her husband.
But before she became vocal about her distaste towards her estranged family, before she was considered as somewhat of an accomplice in Allen's alleged charade, she was called the "dim" daughter by Mia Farrow.
"People think that I was Soon-Yi’s father, that I raped and married my underaged, retarded daughter," Allen told Vulture in the same interview at the couple's Upper East Side townhouse, where Previn gave a detailed account of the abuse she allegedly endured at the hands of her adopted mother.
Previn, vocalizing her support for her husband, has garnered her even more infamy. There has also been no recognition that there might be an ounce of truth in her claims of abuse against Mia Farrow. Her estranged siblings - all adopted and some biological children of Farrow are in support of their mother. So Previn became the apple that fell really far from the tree - her narrative has been vividly discussed in the media and dissected to the very last inch.
Anna Duggar, too, has resiliently stood by her husband and the father of her children, Josh, who was indicted on child pornography charges in late April. The Duggars had just revealed to millions of their followers on Instagram that they were expecting another girl soon, which would be their seventh baby. Less than a week later, Josh was arrested and after making bail, has been living in confinement with a third party with limited privileges. His family however never misses a chance to visit. The conditions of Josh's bail ban him from being around minors, but he can see his six children provided Anna is present during the visit.
Anna, according to neighbours, hasn't been irregular in checking up on Josh. But she is yet to release a single statement about her husband's arrest. It has always been this way. The couple met way back in 2006, at a home-schooling convention, and they married in 2008, the same year that Josh's family were kicked off their reality TV show on TLC, called '19 Kids and Counting'. In seven years, tragedy hit the show when in 2015, the extra-marital dating website Ashley Madison's leak revealed Josh's cheating scandals. The same year, InTouch Weekly published a redacted police report from 2012 where Josh's father and show-patriarch Jim Bob Duggar told cops Josh had molested several minors, including two of his sisters.
Josh Duggar opened up about having a porn addiction. His two younger sisters who were abused by him, also addressed the controversy claiming they had forgiven their brother. Anna was yet to say a word, despite Josh telling the media he was going into a porn-rehab program of sorts. TLC decided to can their family show but soon revived a spin-off featuring the older Duggar siblings and their respective families. Josh was never once featured in this spin-off. He also lost his job as an executive director of one of the organisations under the Family Research Council, and the couple had to shift to a run-down warehouse at the far end of the Duggar family's estate.
In the wake of his recent arrest, it's been reported that Josh's computer had a porn monitor program installed, that would send an alert to Anna's phone if pornographic websites were accessed. In due course of the investigation, it was also reported that Josh had allegedly "received and possessed child porn" just weeks after he and his wife announced their sixth pregnancy in 2020. But Anna has remained mum on the issue, not even so much as sharing anything on her highly active Instagram, where the last post is five days before Josh was arrested on April 29.
Anna has always been silent, the only words coming from her end being insiders' accounts in Reddit threads and tabloids. One Reddit entry answered in a 2017 'ask me anything' session that after the 2015 cheating and porn addiction scandals, Anna had planned to leave Josh. Her mother-in-law Michelle Duggar had apparently confided in the Reddit insider that after she considered moving away from Arkansas, Anna had decided to stay and help Josh on his way back to his faith.
A family insider from their church had also told Radar Online at one point that Anna and Josh's marriage was set up by Jim Bob after he found out about Josh molesting his sisters. The couple married quite early, just months after Josh proposed to Anna on her 20th birthday. And ever since, the only public domain she has addressed her controversial husband in was a TLC snippet from 'Counting On' where she calls the infidelity "such a betrayal for a spouse." Why she decided to stay, continues to be the question. Anna Duggar has maintained her support and silence for her husband the same way Previn has. But it remains uncertain why Anna hasn't opened up yet. But social media users and fans still keep her in their prayers, regardless. How long before she too is painted as an accomplice, is something the future will tell.