The Duggar Family has announced that yet another one of its daughters is on her way to getting married! Joy Duggar, the 19-year-old daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, announced on Tuesday’s episode of Counting On that she is now in a courtship with Austin Forsyth.
In a video aired on TV and posted online, Joy introduced fans to Austin, whose family has been friends with the Duggars for years. Joy and Austin stated that they have known each other for about 15 years.
Joy did not actually reveal Austin’s last name in the video, but most Duggar fans know who the Forsyths are so he was easily recognizable.
Austin, 22, told the cameras that he asked Joy to court him while on a hike under the stars with friends. Joy commented that she was “not expecting” Austin’s courting proposal.
Austin’s family is, like the Duggar clan, very religious. They run the Fort Rock Christian Family Camp in Arkansas, where Joy has spent time working, and the Duggar parents have spent time working on their marriage. The Forsyths follow the same religious practices as the Duggars, and believe in modesty, homeschooling and saving physical affection for marriage. Unlike the Duggars, though, the Forsyths are a relatively small-sized family, with Austin only having one sibling.
Austin and Joy’s courtship will be a big focus of the upcoming third season of ‘Counting On.’ This will, not, however, be the first time Austin has appeared on reality TV. In 2009, Austin and his family were featured on an episode of CMT’s show World’s Strictest Parents.
Joy is the fourth Duggar daughter to enter a courtship. Her sisters Jill, Jessa and Jinger are all married now, making eldest Duggar daughter Jana the only female Duggar of courting age to still be single. All but one of Joy’s older brothers, though, are single.
The third season of ‘Counting On’ is set to premiere in early 2017.
Watch the courting announcement below:
23 Responses
Poor Jana. She really needs a man who will get her out of the craziness
Ok did anyone else watch the wedding? Did anyone else notice when they were walking out that’s jill’a husband elbowed the groomsman out of the way, dipped her/kissed her, then walked out with her & groomsman had to walk out alone? How tacky. I feel like Ben did the same thing with Jessa, minus the kiss at Jill’s wedding. Just seems really off to me, like possessive & creepy. Also, anyone else think Jill looks preggers?
Maybe it’s a family tradition. Josh & Ben did it at Jill’s wedding so Derick did it at Jinger’s. I hope Jeremy has enough decency not to pull off the same on what seems as inevitable Joy’s wedding. (We know no woman ever ended a courtship in this family and I don’t believe Joy will start, they know each other since forever)
Engaged and possibly an arranged marriage at 19 with so little knowledge of relationships and the real world, poor kids. It is painful to see so much freedom, chances and personal development taken away from children who were just born at the wrong house.
I agree that young people need guidance but this is going to far. Their freedom and free will, even emotional well being is not respected.
Don’t tell me Anna Duggar is really happy again, she is just keeping sweet.
I got married at 22 with no knowledge about life but we are still married and happy nearly 14 years later.
Aw! They seem like a really cute couple!
They can say no to a courtship, but after courting starts, marriage is expected. Jim Bob has said that he had many requests from male suitors for Jana but she has shot them all down. GO JANA!
Not really. Josiah and Marjorie had a failed courtship, also two Bates’ kids.
But also there was at least one guy that Jana really liked that Jim Bob shot down. Probably 1-2 more. That’s the sad part.
Maybe Jana’s not all that into guys…
RUN JANA RUN! Or “Daddy” should find her a guy. As sad as it is, she will be the only older girl to take care of her younger siblings, if she marries, her brothers (GASP!) will have to help!
Yeah but the youngest girls range in age from 6-11 so they aren’t needing constant care anymore like when Michelle was having a baby every year and a half. I really am so perplexed by the Jana situation. She is pretty and sweet so it seems hard to believe that there haven’t been lots of guys interested in her and that there wouldn’t be one that she would also find attractive. Secondly given that their mission is to create an army of children for God I don’t know how they aren’t freaking out about her most fertile years being thrown away.
all the dugger girl so far have a quick courting before becoming engaged & getting married.guess they can’t wait to get that first kiss & sex. so they can start having babies.
Most girls can’t wait to have their first kiss. That’s normal. What’s not normal are the standards these people are forced to live by.
I love the show and in reality. The show should go on every family has things that they don’t want others to know. But they are very close family. They can make it all work. Even Josh can make it all work.
“Every” family has a child molester son? I don’t think so…
Pedophiles and molesters cannot “make it work”, they cannot “be fixed”, they will forever be tarnished by their heinous crimes…as they should be.
Are they allowed to say no to a courtship proposal?
Since courtship is basically getting to know each other in the real world (but here it leads to marriage), I would assume no.
I’m fairly certain that both are on the same page and talk about getting married…so when proposal time happens I’m sure it’s a yes. They can walk away from a courtship as we have seen happen. I doubt it would get to the proposal part if they weren’t happy in the courtship.
What’s going on that all the girls are going but the boys (minus josh….yikes) are still single?
Who would want their daughter to go under the thumb of the Fertile Boob? Look at how poor Anna is treated
Man, they are really trying to keep this gravy train chugging along, aren’t they?