Sling TV Reality Takeover
Digging In On The Duggars! A Comprehensive Guide To Reality TV's Famous Family
March 23 2020, Updated 2:22 p.m. ET
The Duggar family’s tireless patriarch Jim Bob Duggar and matriarch Michelle Duggar might have stopped producing babies of their own (you bet they did, they have 19 (!) children), but beware of the next generation of the Duggars. Jim Bob and Michelle’s children are getting married and having children of their own. With that many offspring it's unsurprising how often the Duggars appear in the headlines revolving around pregnancy, childbirth, engagement, marriage news and, yes, even scandals.
MORE: Duggar Sex Scandal – Jill May Have Spilled Details Of Josh’s Alleged Molestation
But don't even try to keep up with the Duggars and their drama without consulting this comprehensive guide to the massive reality TV family first. After all, Jim Bob and Michelle have 10 grandkids (at the time of publication), so there are more than 30 Duggars and Duggar descendants to keep track of! Just imagine how crowded their house gets during family gatherings (even your Starbucks line at 8:30AM on Monday would seem laughably small in comparison to those super long lines for the bathroom in the Duggar's house).
MORE: Duggar Family Ripped For Celebrating Molester Josh’s Birthday Two Years After Scandal
But before we get started, here’s a fun fact for you right off the bat: Jim Bob and Michelle’s oldest grandchild, Mackynzie (born October, 8, 2009), is two months older than their own youngest child, Josie (born December 10, 2009).
Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar
Born: Michelle was born on September 13, 1966 as Michelle Annette Ruark; Jim Bob was born on July 18, 1965.
Facts: Michelle and Jim Bob Duggars met as teenagers when Jim Bob, as a devoted member of the Baptist Church, went door to door visiting people who had attended his church. That's how Jim Bob knocked on Michelle's door, and ended up falling in love. The lovebirds dedicated themselves to God and each other (and, obviously, their 19 kids). Jim Bob was a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 until 2002. In 2002, he lost his bid in the Republican primary election for U.S. Senate. The father of 16 (at the time) lost again in 2006 when he sought the Republican nomination for the District 35 seat in the Arkansas State Senate. Oh, and maybe it's no surprise given the size of their family that Michelle Duggar also believes claims of overpopulation in the world are a "lie."
Controversy: Both Jim Bob and his wife are longtime supporters of Republican causes, which earned them both admiration and criticism among TV viewers in America. In 2014, Michelle was a staunch opponent of the proposed state legislation banning discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression. She even recorded a robocall warning Americans of “dangers” of allowing transgender people to use public facilities that correspond to their gender identity. Michelle’s controversial LGBT stance even sparked a Change.org petition demanding TLC cancel the Duggar family’s cult TV show 19 Kids and Counting.
Relationship / married: The two got married on July 21,1984 (Michelle was 17 and Jim Bob was 19 at the time), and waited four years to have their first child, Josh Duggar.
Children: Michelle and Jim Bob Duggars have 19 children and 10 grandchildren (and counting). Michelle and Jim Bob welcomed their children in the following order: Josh, twins Jana and John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace, and Josie (born on December 10, 2009, when Michelle was 43 and her husband was 44).
In 2011, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar received tragic news: their 20th child no longer had a heartbeat and Michelle suffered a miscarriage. This was not the first time Michelle had suffered a miscarriage, as the reality TV star lost her who would have been her second child (after Josh) due to taking oral birth control. After their first miscarriage, matriarch and patriarch decided to let God “bless them with as many children as he saw fit.” Ever since then and until their miscarriage in 2011, the duo welcomed babies roughly every year and a half.
Josh Duggar
Born: On March 3, 1988
Facts: Josh, like the rest of the Duggar kids, was home-schooled. He served as the face of the Family Research Council (FRC), which spearheaded anti-LGBT rallies across the United States. As part of the FRC, Josh Duggar lobbied against LGBT equality, same-sex marriage, same-sex civil unions, LGBT adoptions, abortion, divorce and pornography. But it all came crashing down when the media dug up records disclosing ugly details about Josh…
Controversy: In 2015, Josh was embroiled in two controversies: child molestation and a cheating scandal, which prompted him to quit the Family Council and led to the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting. It was revealed in May 2015 that Josh had allegedly molested five girls, including his own sisters Jessa and Jill. Josh was a teenager when he allegedly committed the deplorable acts. When his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, found out that their son had molested five minor females, they chose to discipline him at home and sent him to what they called a “Christian work camp” for a few months as his punishment. But controversies kept piling up that year, when the infamous Ashley Madison data breach exposed married cheaters across the world. Among them, there was the name of Josh Duggar, who set up an account on the website that allowed people to engage in extramarital affairs. At the time of the Ashley Madison hack, Josh and wife Anna Duggar had been married for seven years. Josh was quick to say in his defense that he had never actually met up with anybody through the infidelity site. He did, however, eventually admit to cheating on his wife and being addicted to porn. Josh also called himself “the biggest hypocrite ever.” A few months later, his wife Anna hinted at her divorce from husband with whom she shared four children at the time. But as the dust has settled, Josh and Anna Duggar never actually filed for a divorce, and even conceived their fifth child who was born in September 2017.
Relationship / married: Joshua Duggar married Anna Keller on September 26, 2008. More than a year later, their first child was born.
Children: Josh and Anna Duggar welcomed their first child, daughter Mackynzie, on October 8, 2009. Then the couple welcomed two sons into the expanding Duggar clan, Michael and Marcus, on June 15, 2011 and June 2, 2013 respectively. More than two years after the cheating scandal involving Josh Duggar made headlines, the duo welcomed their baby number five, Mason Garett Duggar, born on September 12, 2017.
Twins John-David & Jana Duggar
Born: On January 12, 1990 (John-David Duggar was born three minutes after his twin sister).
Facts: Jana Duggar, the Duggars’ eldest daughter, plays the piano, violin and harp. Her twin brother, meanwhile, is obsessed with fast cars, and has his own business, Duggar Towing, where he tows and fixes cars. Jana is also known as Cinderella Duggar. The second eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar also has his pilot license and was even seen flying the family’s plane in one of the episodes of 19 Kids and Counting.
Relationship / married: Neither Jana Duggar nor her twin brother John-David Duggar married anyone at the time of publication, and news of their courtship or dating life have been rather scarce, though John-David was in the center of dating rumors in 2014 after he was spotted with a mystery brunette. His twin sister, Jana Duggar, AKA Cinderella Duggar, has been quite picky over finding her potential husband. It was reported by RadarOnline.com in 2017 that her rumored boyfriend, Caleb, was allegedly “liberal” and not following courtship rules, a major turn off for the Duggar family. In 2017, Jana also received a gigantic vase full of flowers, sparking courtship and dating rumors in the media.
Jill Duggar
Born: On May 17, 1991
Facts: Jill Duggar became the first Duggar daughter to get married, in June 2014. At her wedding, five Duggar sisters were bridesmaids and two brothers were groomsmen. She and her husband, Derick Dillard, kissed for the first time only after their large and posh wedding. Jill was one of the alleged victims in the child molestation scandal involving her older brother, Josh Duggar.
Controversy: Derick Dillard was booted off from the Duggar family reality show Counting On after his intolerant transgender attacks on social media targeting fellow TLC star, Jazz Jennings, who is transgender. In 2018, Jill Duggar and her husband were caught red-handed allegedly breaking their family’s strict anti-alcohol policy. On Valentine’s Day, Jill shared a snap of her hubby holding what appears to be wine. Some conservative commenters also criticized Jill for her choice of outfits in 2018, lambasting the mother-of-two for challenging her family’s strict modesty rules. The woman was spotted wearing tight jeans, short dresses and sexy high heels on several occasions (instead of her usual long skirts and modest ensembles).
Relationship / married: But saving their first kiss for last was not the only thing Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard did the old-fashioned way. Before popping the question, Derick asked Jill’s father, Jim Bob, for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Shortly after Derick met Jill while out caroling with his church group on Christmas 2011, he embarked on a Christian mission to Nepal. Jim Bob played matchmaker and helped his daughter and Derick keep in touch through email and Skype, which helped them fall for each other.
Children: Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard welcomed their first son Israel David—nicknamed Baby Dilly—on April 6, 2015. Jill further expanded their clan on July 8, 2017, giving birth to son Samuel. In February 2018, Jill Duggar sparked pregnancy rumors, sending fans into a frenzy and reigniting speculation that baby number three was on the way. Jill has yet to confirm or deny the pregnancy rumors.
Jessa Duggar
Born: On November 4, 1992
Facts: Jessa Duggar was the second Duggar sister allegedly molested by their older brother Josh. Shortly after 19 Kids and Counting was cancelled following the molestation scandal, Jessa and Jill joined forces and starred in a special episode of Counting On educating viewers on the subject of sexual abuse and child molestation. Jill and Jessa Duggars then went on to become stars of their own show, Jill and Jessa: Counting On, which eventually evolved to become Counting On and included other members of the Duggar family.
Controversy: One of the most controversial statements made by Jessa Duggar post the child molestation scandal involving Josh Duggar was speaking up in defense of her brother, who allegedly inappropriate touched her when he was a teenager. In her interview with Fox News, Jessa called it “so overboard and a lie” that people are calling her brother “a child molester or a pedophile or a rapist.” She added, “I mean people get mad at me for saying that, but I can say this because I was one of the victims.”
Relationship / married: Jessa Duggar and her future husband, Ben Seewald, met through church in 2013, and Seewald began courting Jessa, which is the practice of two people getting to know each other in a group setting involving both families. In other words, dating is more about sex and physical relationship, while courting is more about establishing the emotional bond, which is evidenced by the fact that Ben waited nearly a year to hold Jessa’s hand for the first time (!) when proposing to her in August 2014. The duo tied the knot on November 1, 2014, at a wedding that had more than 1,000 guests at the First Baptist Church in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Children: Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald welcomed their first child, son Spurgeon Elliot, on November 6, 2017. Spurgeon was named after Charles Spurgeon, a preacher in the 1800s, and a missionary named Jim Elliot. Their second son, Henry Wilberforce, was born on February 6, 2017. Henry was named after minister Matthew Henry and abolitionist William Wilberforce.
Jinger Duggar
Born: December 21, 1993
Facts: One of the most prominent members of the Duggar clan on their reality TV shows 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On. Jinger Duggar was the maid of honor at her sister Jessa’s wedding in 2014. Jinger is also said to be the hairstylist of the Duggar clan, while the Duggar family website describes her as a passionate traveler.
Relationship / married: Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo met doing ministry work in Laredo, Texas in 2016. The duo immediately started romancing, and tied the knot within just months, on November 5 that year. The massive wedding was held in front of 1,000 guests at Cathedral of the Ozarks at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Vuolo is the pastor at Grace Community Church in Laredo.
Children: In early January 2018, Jinger Duggar announced she was pregnant with her first child. Jinger’s due date is July 2018.
Joseph Duggar
Born: On January 20, 1995
Facts: The Duggar family describes Joseph as a “hard worker” and “very focused.” Joseph Duggar works with his sister Jessa’s husband Ben in Tontitown, Arkansas.
Relationship / married: Like the rest of his siblings, Joseph met his significant other through church. After just a few months of courting his wife-to-be Kendra Caldwell, Joseph popped the question at his sister Joy-Anna’s wedding in May 2017. In March 2018, one of the episodes of Counting On showcased the September 2017 nuptials of Joseph Duggar and Kendra, revealing their first-ever kiss on the lips.
Children: In December 2017, Kendra announced she was expecting her first child with husband Joseph.
Josiah Duggar
Born: On August 28, 1996
Facts: Josiah Duggar was courting Marjorie Jackson for four months after he met her while taking Spanish lessons from Marjorie’s mother. But things didn’t work out and the duo called it quits in the summer of 2015 amid child molestation allegations surrounding Josiah’s older brother Josh, and after TLC cancelled 19 Kids and Counting.
Relationship / married: In March 2018, Josiah Duggar proposed to Lauren Swanson after just one month of courtship. Josiah proved that he is a thoughtful gentleman by popping the question at the exact spot where Lauren’s parents got engaged. In January 2018, some of the Duggar family’s fans criticized Josiah after he was spotted hugging and kissing his then-girlfriend Lauren on their trip to New Zealand, possibly breaking his family’s strict no-smooches-before-wedding policy.
Joy-Anna Duggar
Born: On October 28, 1997
Facts: Joy-Anna Duggar plays the violin, piano and mandolin (she even gave an impromptu concert with brother Justin in one of the episodes of 19 Kids and Counting before it was cancelled).
Relationship/married: Joy-Anna and Austin Forsyth knew each other for 15 years as friends before they started courting. Forsyth and Joy-Anna got engaged in February 2017, and the lovebirds held a wedding just three months later, on May 26, 2017, at Cross Church in Rogers, Arkansas. Joy-Anna and her new husband had a rather sexy honeymoon, it was reported.
Children: Joy-Anna and Forsyth welcomed their first child, son Gideon Martin Forsyth, on February 23, 2018. The duo were planning to give birth at home, but eventually delivered their first child in hospital.
Twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah Duggar
Born: Twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah Duggar were born on December 30, 1998, becoming the second set of twins for Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.
Facts: A report in February 2017 revealed that Jedidiah and his sister Joy-Anna were interning in the state capitol working for the Arkansas House of Representatives. Jeremiah loves to draw, sketch, and play chess. Also, Jeremiah wants to be an artist when he grows up. Jeremiah is 5 minutes younger than his twin brother, Jedidiah.
Controversy: Jedidiah sparked controversy in December 2014, when his family’s official Facebook account posted a snap of the 16-year-old holding a shotgun.
Relationship/married: None as far as the media is concerned.
Jason Duggar
Born: On April 21, 2000
Facts: Jason Duggar was hospitalized in 2011 after his family found the boy in a pool of blood following his traumatic 12-foot fall into an orchestra pit in the Duggar family’s music room. In January 2017, it was reported that patriarch Jim Bob allegedly helped Jason buy a $33,000 home in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, which is only a 30-minute drive to his parent’s family home.
James Duggar
Born: On July 7, 2001
Facts: N/A.
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