With a reality TV family who has been around as long as the Duggars (especially with their extensive social media presence), 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On fans are bound to form their opinions over the years — and with those opinions have come a lot of theories. After all, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have given us the feeling that there's more going on behind the scenes than what they're showing us. And it only makes sense that, as fans, we'd want to try to figure out what they might be hiding.
Between rumors about the Duggar kids' relationship statuses and what really goes on in their marriages to theories that fans have about Josh Duggar and his ongoing scandals, some of this is seriously juicy stuff. Sure, certain theories do give us tinfoil hat vibes, but others actually make a lot of sense.
Ready to judge for yourself which theories are true and which might be a little far-fetched? Read on. Hopefully, we'll have answers for some of these one day — but something tells us that many of them will forever remain a mystery.
The Family Wasn't Blindsided by Josh's Arrest
Though people were certainly shocked when Josh Duggar was arrested on child pornography charges in April 2021, fans on Reddit have a theory that the family knew more than they were letting on. As this theory goes, in late 2020, they found out what was really going on, causing several members to pull away from social media (including Josiah and Lauren) and splitting the family up into factions depending on whether or not they supported Josh.
Jim Bob & Michelle Aren't James' Parents
Some Duggar fans believe that one of Jim Bob and Michelle's middle children isn't actually their biological child. Instead, they think that cousin Amy Duggar actually gave birth to James, but she was so young at the time that her aunt and uncle stepped up to raise him.
The holes in that theory? Amy would have been 14 when he was born, and we've never actually seen any evidence that shows Michelle didn't give birth to James just like she did the rest of her kids.
Jana Duggar's Sexual Orientation
As fans tried to piece together why Jana made it to her 30s without getting married while her sisters all walked down the aisle in their early 20s, a popular theory is that it's because she's interested in women — her best friend, Laura DeMasie, in particular. But they've both denied these claims.
Anna Duggar Once Thought About Leaving Josh
Despite what we've all seen that Josh is capable of, Anna has never appeared to do anything other than stand by her man — but what if that's not the full story? According to what a source posted on Reddit in 2020, Anna did originally plan to leave him when she found out he'd been part of the Ashley Madison scandal in 2015, but then she later changed her mind.
"The very next time my mom spoke to her the tune had changed, and Anna was going to help navigate Josh back to the Lord and the family would come out better than ever," wrote the insider. "So I don't know exactly what changed, but something did. Maybe they were just panicked at first."
Jana's Courtship Trauma
Another theory behind Jana's lack of a courtship is that she had been courting behind the scenes, but it ended badly, which has put her off of dating in general. According to one fan, she was about to announce a courtship when Josh's 2015 scandals became public, and that made her relationship fall apart.
"Jana was going to announce a courtship when the scandals broke and it ended because of them. No other guy will ever measure up, so she'll stay single forever," one fan on Reddit wrote.
Jim Bob's Courtship Meddling
In 2020, Kendra Caldwell's younger sister, Lauren, mysteriously ended her courtship with Titus Hall. Later, a report came out stating that Jim Bob may have forced her to end it so that she would court one of his sons instead. But nothing has ever materialized of this theory — as far as we know, Lauren isn't courting anyone, let alone one of the Duggar boys.
Some Duggar Sisters Hope Josh Gets Locked Up
A blind item on a gossip website detailed a big reality TV family where there was a bit of tension because certain members of the family were hoping that an oldest brother would have to go to prison to pay for his sins. It definitely sounded like the Duggars — and it wouldn't be surprising at all if Josh's alleged molestation victims wanted him to get what he deserved.
Josiah & Lauren Are Avoiding Public Life
It's no surprise that some fans believe that Lauren and Josiah are intentionally keeping themselves out of the spotlight — and honestly, this theory might be right. They haven't posted on Instagram since November 2020, so it certainly seems like they're trying to distance themselves from public life.
Jinger & Jeremy Are Unhappy
Though this Duggar couple is constantly posting photos from their date nights, fans aren't buying it. There are always rumors that Jinger is unhappy in her marriage to Jeremy Vuolo, and that Jeremy doesn't treat Jinger the way that she deserves (especially after people have heard him repeatedly interrupt her on their podcast).
Jinger Isn't Ben Seewald's Biggest Fan
Though Jinger and Jessa have always been super close, it seems like Jinger might feel some type of way about Jessa's husband, Ben Seewald. On a podcast, Jinger pointedly spoke about men who suddenly appeared at their church and were interested in her and her sisters — and that's exactly how Ben met Jessa.
Jessa Was Originally Into Jinger's Husband
Speaking of Jessa, Jinger, and their husbands, looking back at old clips from Counting On, fans thought they saw chemistry between Jessa and Jinger's husband, Jeremy. Could it be that he married the wrong Duggar sister? Some people are definitely convinced.
Why Justin Got Married So Young
Some people believe that Justin Duggar got married to Claire Spivey just months after turning 18 because he was trying to escape Jim Bob and Michelle's house. Though they courted for longer than they let on publicly, they did tie the knot just a few months after getting engaged, making it one of the family's shorter engagements.
Bad Blood Between Jinger & Jill
Fans have had a feeling that Jill and Jinger haven't been getting along for a while — especially after how publicly Jill has spoken out against her family. Sources have claimed that Jinger isn't impressed with Jill disrespecting their parents, and it's driven a wedge in their sisterly relationship.
Lauren & Josiah Are Distancing Themselves From the Duggars
It's not just public life that Josiah and Lauren apparently don't want to be a part of — it's the Duggar family in general. According to fans, the two may not agree with Jim Bob and Michelle's beliefs, so they're staying away from the Duggars. After all, we have seen Lauren in jeans.
Jim Bob Arranges Marriages
Though the family has denied that this is the case, there are a lot of fan theories out there that speculate that patriarch Jim Bob actually arranges his children's marriages. We do know for sure that he has the ultimate approval over who they end up courting, but is that the full extent of his control?
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
