Josh Duggar’s In-Laws See Baby Announcement As Redemption; Victims Remain Silent

After Josh Duggar’s announcement that he and wife Anna are expecting another child, there was static silence from his siblings. Since the family has developed the habit of releasing videos to congratulate one another on life events like starting to date, the silence was particularly notable.

Not only is it typical for Josh’s parents and siblings to post videos to announce courtships, share birthday wishes, and congratulate one another on finding a boyfriend or girlfriend, we’ve seen videos of the younger Duggar children guessing the sex of an unborn niece or nephew.

For Josh, though, there are no videos of little aunts and uncles saying they can’t wait to hold a new baby. One tiny announcement from the parents and a quiet mention from the grandparents has been the extent of the public presentation.

Now some of Josh’s relatives have finally responded to his announcement. However, the family in question is Josh’s in-laws. Anna Duggar’s sister, Priscilla Waller, shares an Instagram account with her husband David, and it is here that Josh and Anna received public congratulations.

Using photos of their own children and Josh and Anna’s kids, David and Priscilla made this announcement, declaring the cousins excited to meet the baby too.

It’s a BOY! Paul, Davia and Phillip are excited to be welcoming a new cousin! Josh and Anna Duggar are expecting their 5th baby! We are so happy for them and excited to have another nephew in our lives!

On the set #selfie with @TLC @EricaRHill & @duggarfam #19Kids @JessaSeewald @BenSeewald @SiDuggar! pic.twitter.com/7Oyhk27H19

— Josh Duggar (@joshduggar) May 20, 2015

Anna Duggar’s sister and brother-in-law did not expound upon any feelings they may have about the events of the past two years, but they did ‘like’ some of the comments from visitors to their page, perhaps giving a hint as to their sentiments.

Comments the couple ‘liked’ include

What a beautiful testimony their marriage is of God’s love and forgiveness

What a beautiful way to wrap up such a tough couple of years! J&A have such a powerful testimony.

Praise God in all his glory! He has restored there[sic] marriage by blessing them with another baby!

Comments Josh Duggar’s in-laws ignored included those announcing a hope that Josh doesn’t cheat on his wife while she’s pregnant, concerns that bringing a baby into a marriage that is already struggling can be difficult, and those explicitly calling Josh a ‘perv’ or pedophile.

Of course, not every ‘like’ translates into an expression of agreement, but the appearance given by Priscilla and David’s response here certainly leaves an impression that they believe the baby is a sign of Josh and Anna’s marriage being ‘fixed’ or ‘restored’ after two years of trouble.

What do Josh’s victims feel about the situation? It’s hard to say.

Other than the shared announcement with Josh (which centered on the work to restore the marriage, and rebuild trust, all couched in ‘we’ phrases), Anna Duggar has not expressed any feelings about the pregnancy, the upcoming birth and new baby, or how she feels about her marriage.

As for Jill Duggar Dillard and Jessa Duggar Seewald, Josh’s two sisters who spoke publicly on The Kelly File about Josh’s victimization of them as underage children, the two of them continue to remain silent. Since Josh and Anna’s announcement, Jill has published a long blog post about missionary activities, and Jessa has Instagrammed photos of her own children.

Neither has spoken a public word of congratulations for their brother and sister-in-law. If they are as excited for Josh and Anna as Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar claim on the family page, they’re keeping it private.

Viewers have expressed concern that the new baby will fast-track Josh Duggar back onto Counting On or into a spin-off of his own. Jill and Jessa would, of course, be privy to more inside information on the Duggar family’s reality tv careers than viewers would, but if Josh’s possible return to fame (as opposed to infamy) alongside them is a concern, they just aren’t saying at this point.

[Featured Image by Josh Duggar/Twitter]