On Sunday night’s episode of Jill & Jessa: Counting On, Anna Duggar spoke publicly for the first time about the Josh Duggar sex scandals that nearly destroyed her marriage.
While many were shocked by the depth of her commitment to a man who repeatedly put her through hell, many praised Anna for her devotion to her troubled husband, even going so far as to call her a role model for other young wives and mothers:
“I hope when I get married I am half the wife Anna Duggar is,” one fan tweeted.
“Anna Duggar is so so strong. Love her words regarding her broken marriage,” wrote another.
Some fans were even more effusive in their praise of Anna:
“Anna Duggar has got to be the strongest woman in the world,” a woman named Natalie Norton. “She is truly shining the light of the Lord through this time.”
“Anna Duggar honestly is one of the strongest people ever I think,” wrote Jessie Craig.
However, not all fans were convinced by Anna’s impassioned defense of her own marriage.
In a Facebook post that wound up going viral, a woman named Jessica Krammes Kirkland pointed out that Anna may feel that she has no choice but to stay with Josh, as a result of her strict religious upbringing:
“Anna Duggar was crippled by her parents by receiving no education, having no work experience (or life experience, for that matter) and then was shackled to this loser because his family was famous in their religious circle,” Kirkland wrote.
“Anna Duggar was taught that her sole purpose in life, the most meaningful thing she could do, was to be chaste and proper, a devout wife, and a mother.”
Clearly, the question of whether Anna is a devoted wife whom other should look to for strength or a victim of a patricarchal system that’s left her with no choice but to stand by her man has left fans divided.
Whatever the case, one thing is clear: Anna won’t be leaving Josh any time soon.
