Jinger Duggar has always seemed like a pretty popular gal to us, but we had no idea she was this popular. In her new book, Becoming Free Indeed, Jinger revealed that 26 men tried to court her before she ended up with husband Jeremy Vuolo, and her dad, Jim Bob, said no to every one of them.
Jinger writes that 26 men asked her father to court her.
Jinger didn't know most of them, though, and it doesn't sound like she was going on dates with these men to see if they were compatible. Through courtship, Jim Bob would have to approve anyone first.
"I hadn’t shared more than a passing hello with any of them," she says in the book, according to The Hollywood Gossip. "I’m guessing a few confused me with one of my sisters."
The show added to Jinger's popularity.
Between 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On, fans of the shows had plenty of opportunities to see the Duggar daughters in action … and decide that maybe they might like to marry into their family, apparently.
"Several had seen the show and decided they wanted to court a Duggar girl," she said. "A similar number of guys were interested in each of my sisters."
Finally, Jinger ended up with Jeremy.
Jinger's sister, Jessa, and her husband, Ben Seewald, are the ones who set up the couple. And though we already know that Jim Bob had his reservations about Jeremy, he ultimately ended up approving him (but not before Jeremy filled out the lengthy questionnaire his future father-in-law provided, of course).
Courtship is how all the married Duggars left the nest (so far, at least).
The process for the Duggar daughters to date and get married includes heavy involvement from their dad, who is the one who gets the final say about who can court his daughters.
Even then, it's not like they're set free. There are very strict rules about what they can and cannot do while courting (kissing before marriage and even holding hands before engagement are both prohibited) and their dates must include the presence of a chaperone.
In the end, it all worked out.
Though we're sure Jinger was flattered by the number of men who were interested in her, it appears she took a pretty realistic approach to the whole thing: She knew most of them were attracted by fame and not who she is as a person.
Fortunately, that led her to the right marriage, and so far, it sounds like she has no regrets.
