There were family members everywhere in sight at Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar‘s Christmas gathering of many of their 19 kids and numerous grandchildren at their Tontitown, Arkansas, compound. But conspicuously absent from the family’s holiday celebration was imprisoned Josh Duggar‘s wife, Anna.
Anna, 33, did not appear in the background of any of the videos that Jana Duggar, 31, posted to Instagram, documenting her family’s party. A number of members were seen opening presents, playing with each other’s children and taking the kids out back to enjoy trips down a bouncy castle slide.
It remains unclear where Anna and the seven children she shares with the eldest Duggar son, 33, spent the 2021 holiday. But Josh was where he will be for potentially many more Christmases to come: behind bars. He spent Christmas completely alone in solitary confinement after he was jailed following the December 9 guilty verdicts in his child pornography case.
After a six-day trial, a federal jury in Arkansas convicted Josh following just under seven hours of deliberation on two charges: one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. According to prosecutors, some of those images were of minors under the age of 12.
Josh was truly alone on Christmas, as he wasn’t even allowed out of his cell to dine with other inmates. While the rest of his family was enjoying a home-cooked Christmas feast, Josh reportedly was to receive a traditional holiday meal, albeit prepared for jail inmates.
Josh may not get a home cooked meal for many years to come. He’s facing up to 20 years in prison on each count and will learn his fate when he is sentenced at a date to be determined in 2022. The former reality star will remain behind bars until that time.
Even if Josh hadn’t been locked away, he likely wouldn’t have been welcomed back into the family fold following his conviction. Several of Josh’s siblings and relatives have spoken out against him following the guilty verdicts in his case. His sister, Jinger Duggar Vuolo said she was “thankful to God for exposing Josh’s actions” and “fears for his soul,” calling him a “hypocrite” who brought “dishonor upon Christ’s name.”