The Duggars might not be on reality TV anymore, but one of our favorite parts of watching 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On was seeing the Duggar children grow up, fall in love, and live happily ever after — so far, anyway. Though their method of dating, or courting, is definitely different than the way most people do it, there's something so sweet about seeing them find the people they're meant to be with.
Courtships come with a lot of rules (and sometimes, those rules are made to be broken), but even so, these couples managed to have a lot of fun. And they got to know each other in a way that didn't involve much physical contact — at least, not before marriage. (That would be far too scandalous.)
Here are all the courtships in the Duggar family, starting with parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, and the stories behind them. It's a lot to keep straight, but it's a fun walk down memory lane, including a few throwback photos from the earliest days of these couples' relationships.
Jim Bob & Michelle
First, let's take it back to where it all began: with Jim Bob and Michelle, of course. When they first met and started dating, they hadn't yet subscribed to the beliefs that they do today, so things looked a little different for them — but they still ended up getting married at a very young age. (He was 19 and she was 17.)
According to their family's website, they began dating when Michelle got a job at a frozen yogurt shop that Jim Bob's mom managed, though they'd already met before when a friend introduced them at Michelle's house. Their first date was to a school dance.
"After Jim Bob left, Michelle stood in the doorway of her family's home, watching him leave," they wrote on their site. "Not knowing that Jim Bob had paused in prayer in that same doorway a year earlier, Michelle stood in the same spot and prayed, 'Lord, if this isn't the one you have for me, I can't imagine anyone better!'"
Josh & Anna
When Josh and Anna first started courting, she lived in Florida and he lived in Arkansas — definitely a long-distance relationship. According to a since-deleted post on their former website (via ET), Anna revealed that she first fell in love with Josh while watching him on one of the Duggars' TLC specials. After meeting at a homeschooling conference in 2011, the Kellers came to visit the Duggars in Arkansas, which is when Josh asked Anna's parents if he could court their daughter.
So far, they've stuck together through thick and thin — and right now, that means Anna still seems to be standing by Josh's side as he serves a decade-long prison sentence
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Jill & Derick
Jill and Derick first met through Jim Bob, who was Derick's prayer partner while he was working in Nepal. The young people started talking long-distance before Jim Bob and Jill finally made the long flight out to meet him in person for the first time, and it was during that visit that they officially began their courtship.
Jill & Derick's Courtship at Home
Jill and Derick continued courting once he made it back to the US two months later, though it didn't last long.
"Derick asked my dad for permission to marry me at the end of February 2014 and then asked me on March 29 of that same year. I said, 'Yes, totally!' We married June 21, 2014, and one month later found out we were expecting our first baby!" Jill shared on her site.
Jessa & Ben
Jessa and Ben courted for a long time, but it was worth it. Because the Seewalds lived quite a bit away from the Duggars, Ben moved into a Duggar property and worked with Jim Bob while he was courting Jessa, and the extra time spent getting to know her and her family certainly seems to have paid off. They courted for 11 months before getting engaged, which is practically a lifetime for the Duggars.
Jinger & Jeremy
Jeremy and Jinger's courtship story comes with a couple of ups and downs — and it almost never happened at all. In their book, The Hope We Hold, Jinger revealed that she almost backed out of the courtship entirely in the beginning because Jim Bob and some of her other friends and family members didn't approve of him.
"There were so many conflicting opinions, and I felt like I would divide my family and friends if I moved forward," she wrote in the book. "If I said yes to Jeremy, I would open the floodgates to other people's opinions and criticism. My heart was hardened. It felt like I wasn't myself and something beyond my control was happening."
Jinger & Jeremy's Continued Courtship
After that bump in the road, they ultimately decided to stick together — and it's a good thing they did because once they were courting, they managed to prove all of the naysayers wrong. Though they did live far apart at first, ultimately they got married and were on the move together, living happily ever after.
Today, they're still going strong. They have two daughters, and Jeremy seems to be standing by Jinger's side as she navigates life after leaving her family's cult-like religion, the Institute in Basic Life Principles.
Joy-Anna & Austin
Joy and Austin had been longtime friends before they ever courted, which has made their romance so much sweeter. The moment on Counting On when he finally asked her if they'd be more than friends and start a courtship was too sweet — she was smiling so big!
Joseph & Kendra
Joseph and Kendra talked for a long time as friends before they decided to officially start courting, and the day he asked her the big question, he planned a fun day for them. They went to a car auction and then to see the house where Joe was born, which was where he asked her if she'd court him, presenting her with a silver promise ring engraved with both of their names.
John David & Abbie
John took his time finding the right person — so long, in fact, that his siblings called him a "bachelor 'til the rapture." But once he met Abbie, everything changed. Since they were in their late 20s at the time, John and Abbie have said that they made their own courtship rules, which means they hugged, held hands, and even went on dates without a chaperone.
Josiah & Lauren
Lauren was actually Josiah's second courtship — first, he courted Marjorie Jackson, though that relationship didn't pan out. With Lauren, things obviously worked out a lot better, though their dating period was a quick one. After just four weeks, they got engaged.
Justin & Claire's Secret Courtship
Before they officially announced that they were courting (while both of them were still young teenagers — Claire was 19 and Justin was 17), these two were actually dating in secret for months. They chose to get to know each other quietly, traveling back and forth from Arkansas and Texas in 2019 and 2020 without the world knowing.
Justin & Claire Go Public
In September 2020, the news was officially out. At the time, these two definitely made some major waves when fans found out they were already engaged just two months later (even though we know now that they'd been courting much longer than that behind the scenes).
Jed & Katey
We don't know anything about Jed's courtship at all — because he didn't announce it until after he was married! There was a lot of speculation about Jed possibly dating Katey, but no confirmation came until he shared their first wedding photo on Instagram in February 2021.
Jeremiah & Hannah
The newest couple in the Duggar family is Jeremiah and Hannah. They announced that they were in a courtship in October 2021, and things moved quickly from there. By January 2022, they were engaged, and they walked down the aisle that spring. In December 2022, they welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Brynley Noelle.
