Last week, several media outlets reported that Anna Duggar had met with a divorce lawyer after years of standing by husband Josh throughout numerous humiliating sex scandals.
Fans had been imploring Anna to leave Josh for years, and it was beginning to look like they would finally get their wish.
As the rumors continued to spread, new details emerged, including one that held that the divorce was triggered by fears of Josh’s secrets being exposed in a damaging new lawsuit.
Now, however, the couple is finally responding to the rumors, and their response will come as no surprise to those familiar with the Duggar methods of avoiding bad press.
“The report is absolutely not true,” a spokesperson for the family tells Fox News.
The statement comes on the heels of a report from In Touch that “confirmed” Josh and Anna had called it quits.
The smart bet would be that Josh and Anna are not breaking up, as divorce is strictly forbidden in their world, but there are a number of complicating factors at play here.
For one thing, it’s difficult gauge how Josh and Anna are doing as a couple, as they’re almost never seen in public together.
Josh has made few appearances since leaving rehab after six months of sex addiction treatment, and each time he was only photographed once or twice before disappearing back into hiding.
While he and Anna reportedly appeared to get along at events like Jinger Duggar’s wedding, it’s tough to determine if a couple is getting along based on their willingness to smile for a few wedding photos.
Adding to the complexity is the fact that the Duggars aren’t even permitted to discuss divorce as an option when they’re determining how to go forward in a troubled marriage.
If a separation were to take place, it would likely be all Anna’s idea, and the Duggars would likely do everything they could to keep news of it out of the tabloids.
That would include, of course, issuing a denial like the statement they just gave to Fox.
We’re not saying that the Duggars are lying, necessarily.
But we are saying that if the situation is playing out the way In Touch claims, they most likely would lie in order to protect the family’s already tarnished reputation.
We’ll have updates on this situation as more information becomes available.