Shocking Love Secrets of the Duggar Family: From Jim Bob and Michelle’s Bold Romance to Justin and Claire’s Surprise Marriage – What’s Hidden Behind These Unique Relationships?
Shocking Love Secrets of the Duggar Family: From Jim Bob and Michelle’s Bold Romance to Justin and Claire’s Surprise Marriage – What’s Hidden Behind These Unique Relationships?
The Duggar family has been captivating viewers with their unique courtship process since 2008 — and have kept the tradition going strong ever since.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar share 19 children: sons Joshua, John-David, Joseph, Josiah, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, Justin and Jackson, and daughters Jana, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joy-Anna, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace and Josie.
The family’s first reality series, 19 Kids and Counting, quickly became one of the most popular shows on TLC from 2008 to 2015. They later returned for a spinoff, Counting On, which ran for 11 seasons before the network canceled it in June 2021.
Due to their conservative Christian background, the family enforces a number of strict rules when it comes to courting. Kissing, hand-holding and other physical markers of affection aren’t allowed until a couple’s wedding day. Early in the courtship process, partners must have a chaperone present on their dates. For many of the Duggar daughters, their brothers have been by their sides when getting to know their suitors.
“Having that accountability really keeps things from going in the wrong direction,” Jim Bob told Today in 2014.
Scroll down to learn more about the Duggar family’s courtship beginnings:
Credit: Courtesy of The Duggar Family/Instagram
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar
The longtime couple met in the ’80s when a mutual friend invited Michelle to her future husband’s church. Some time later, Michelle found a job at the yogurt shop that was managed by Jim Bob’s mother. The two hit it off and bonded over their love for the Bible. “I remember when he left … I looked up and said, ‘Father, I can’t imagine anyone better than this that you have planned for me,” she told the website Love to Know. “From there, we believe our hearts were knit together.” They wed in 1984 and share 19 children.
Josh and Anna Duggar
Josh, the eldest Duggar, met his now-wife in 2006 at a Christian homeschooling event and began courting soon after. They exchanged their vows in September 2008 near Anna’s hometown in Florida, and their nuptials were featured on the second season of 19 Kids and Counting. Josh and Anna welcomed six children between 2009 and 2019: Mackynzie, Michael, Marcus, Meredith, Mason and Maryella.
Anna announced in April 2021 that the couple were expecting their seventh child, just days before Josh was arrested in Arkansas. Josh pleaded not guilty after being charged with receiving and possessing child pornography, which could result in up to 20 years in prison per count. His trial began in July 2021 and he was sentenced to 151 months behind bars the following May.
The duo welcomed baby No. 7, daughter Madyson Lily, in November 2021.
John-David and Abbie Duggar
In June 2018, the Duggars announced that their second son, John-David, was courting Abbie Burnett. While they’d “known of each other for several years” before making their relationship official, they didn’t meet until John flew to Oklahoma for a church event in early 2018. “We fell in love very quickly,” he said in a video on the TLC website. “And it’s been a wonderful journey thus far and taking the next step to move onto a courtship.”
They tied the knot in November 2018 and welcomed a daughter, Grace, in early 2020. Baby No. 2, son Charlie, arrived in September 2022.
Jill and Derick Dillard
While on a mission trip to Nepal in 2012, Derick’s future father-in-law was one of his “prayer partners.” They would discuss their faith and “Jill’s dad would also mention periodically the work Jill was doing in her studies as a student midwife,” according to a post on the Dillard family blog. “Being that we had similar life goals, she caught my attention,” Derick wrote. The pair first spoke on the phone in March 2013 and began courting that November. By June 2014, they were married.
They share three sons: Israel, Samuel and Freddy. In 2021, Jill suffered a miscarriage, revealing that the couple had chosen the name River for the baby they lost. Jill suffered another stillbirth in April 2024, naming her late daughter Isla.
Jessa and Ben Seewald
The pair, who tied the knot in November 2014, began their formal courtship one year earlier. “Jessa and I met at her church while on a mini vacation in Northwest Arkansas,” Ben wrote on their family’s blog in March 2015. “Jessa and I only exchanged a few words our first meeting. … I didn’t want to say too much and make a fool of myself or look like I was wild about her (though I was on the inside).”
The couple courted for 11 months before their engagement and now share five children: sons Spurgeon, Henry and George, as well as daughters Ivy and Fern.
Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo
Jinger met the former professional athlete while on a mission trip to Central America in 2015 and the two were married in November 2016. Two years later, they welcomed their first child together, daughter Felicity. The pair announced in May 2020 that they were expecting another daughter after suffering a miscarriage the year before. The duo welcomed daughter Evangeline Jo six months later. In October 2024, Jinger announced that she was pregnant with the pair’s third child.
Joseph and Kendra Duggar
Joseph met his future wife while attending Lighthouse Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where Kendra’s father is a pastor. They announced their courtship in March 2017 and got engaged two months later at Joy-Anna’s wedding reception. In September 2017, the pair exchanged their vows in Arkansas and jetted off to Greece for their honeymoon. They share kids Garrett, Addison, Brooklyn and Justus.
Josiah and Lauren Duggar
The eighth Duggar child confirmed his courtship in January 2018. “I came up behind her at a meal while she was hanging out with some of my siblings and surprised her,” Josiah said of the moment he decided to take his friendship with Lauren to the next level. Lauren, for her part, was “shocked” to see him. “He wasn’t supposed to be there,” she said. “It was a girls’ night out.”
They wed in June 2018 and welcomed their first child together, daughter Bella, in November 2019.
Joy-Anna and Austin Forsyth
In November 2016, the then-19-year-old announced that she was being courted by her close friend of 15 years, Austin Forsyth. At the time, Austin chose a sentimental place to propose his courtship. “I picked this spot because last time we were here together was August 1, 2015,” he said in a video announcement at the time. “It’s a place that I’ve come many times to just get away and spend time with the Lord. I just knew that this was the place that I wanted to ask her.”
They tied the knot in May 2017 and share son Gideon and daughter Evelyn. In October 2022, the couple announced they were expecting baby No. 3. Son Gunner arrived in May 2023.
Justin and Claire Duggar
Us exclusively confirmed in September 2020 that Justin had begun a courtship with Claire Spivey. “God brought Claire in my life and I wasn’t really expecting it, but he brought her along right when I needed her. Ever since then, I just knew that she was the one,” Justin gushed in the pair’s video announcement. The Duggars and the Spiveys “have known each other for over 20 years” and connected their children in 2019. “I’m really looking forward to the memories to come spent with him. I’m excited to see what the Lord holds for us in the near future,” Claire said.
The couple tied the knot in February 2021 after getting engaged three months prior.
Jedidiah Duggar and Katey Nakatsu
Jed broke from tradition by not announcing his engagement to Katey Nakatsu. The couple surprised many when they tied the knot in April 2021, after an under-the-radar romance. “For a long time, I have prayed for my future spouse, not knowing who that person would be. God answered my prayers far beyond what I could have ever imagined in Katey,” Jed wrote via Instagram, revealing that he was a married man. “We have enjoyed quietly developing our relationship over the past year and every moment together has been amazing!”
He continued: “I’m so grateful God brought Katey into my life and excited to share with you all that today she became my wife! Katey, the thought of sharing the rest of my life with you makes me the happiest man in the world! I love you so much!!”
The pair announced in September 2021 that they were expecting baby No. 1. Their firstborn child, son Truett Oliver, arrived in May 2022. Daughter Nora Kate arrived in May 2023. They announced in July 2024 that Katey is pregnant with twins.
Jeremiah and Hannah Duggar
The flight instructor announced via Instagram in October 2021 that he’d “never been so happy” or “felt so blessed” while dating Hannah.
“Getting to know each other has been one of the greatest joys of our lives,” Jeremiah captioned an Instagram photo of the couple. “We are excited to start sharing our story with all of you and to see what God has in store for our future. 🤍 #mygirlfriend.”
The couple confirmed their engagement via social media the following January, with Jeremiah calling his fiancée “the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Jeremiah and Hannah said “I do” in March 2022 at First Baptist Church in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. They exclusively told Us Weekly that their wedding was “a perfect day,” adding, “It was such a beautiful culmination of so many prayers, dreams & desires! As we’ve seen God’s gracious hand in bringing our lives together, we are excited to see how He will continue to direct our paths. We are looking forward to sharing our married journey with you. Thank you for sharing our joy!”
The twosome welcomed daughters Brynley and Brielle in December 2022 and February 2024, respectively.
Jana Duggar and Stephen Wissmann
Jana and Stephen — whose sister Hannah Wissmann is married to Jeremiah Duggar — tied the knot the same day news broke that the pair were engaged and had applied for a marriage license in August 2024. The couple initially met through their families in 2011 and briefly dated between 2020 to 2022 before romantically reconnecting in early 2024.
Jason Duggar and Maddie
Jason debuted his relationship with Maddie in May 2024, sharing a photo carousel via Instagram of the pair holding hands on the beach. The couple got engaged days after Maddie joined Jason at his sister Jana’s wedding in August 2024. Two months after getting engaged, Jason and Maddie wed in October 2024.
