UPDATE! TLC has confirmed Josiah and Lauren’s courtship. Scroll to the bottom to watch their announcement video.
The Duggar Family announced some big news while “on tour” in New Zealand last week: their 21-year-old son Josiah is officially courting family friend Lauren Swanson!
The Counting On stars, who have been Down Under speaking at Advanced Training Institute conferences for the past few weeks, reportedly told the crowd in New Zealand that Josiah has been courting Lauren since January 6, according to an attendee who went to the conference on behalf of the Facebook group Duggar Family News: Life Is Not All Pickles And Hairspray.
Lauren has been traveling with the Duggars during their tour of Australia and New Zealand.
The source reported that Josiah and Lauren (who hails from an extra-large, uber-religious family herself) were talking long distance for several months before they made things official. When introducing her (potential) future daughter-in-law, Michelle Duggar reportedly called Lauren “a jewel.”
Lauren is 18 years old and the daughter of Dwain Swanson, who is very connected to the Duggar’s church through ministry. The Swains have attended various Duggar events over the years, including the wedding of Jill and Derick Dillard (where this happened.) They currently live in Georgia.
This is not Josiah’s first attempt at a courtship. Back in 2015, the then 18-year-old Duggar son entered a courtship with 17-year-old Marjorie Jackson but the couple broke things off after just a few months. (She was reportedly scared off by the massive scandal Josiah’s older brother, Josh Duggar, brought to the family that year.)
The Duggar kids only court people who they feel could eventually become their spouse. (They explain it as “dating with a purpose.”) Should Josiah and Lauren become engaged and get married, he would be the seventh Duggar offspring to tie the knot. His older siblings Josh, Jill, Jessa, Jinger and Joseph are all married, as is his younger sister Joy-Anna.
Watch the official courtship announcement video below!
(Photos: TLC, Duggar Family News Facebook page)
17 Responses
I wish these people would just go AWAY!!!
Another 18 year old woman. Girls, LOVE YOURSELVES!
Honestly, I’m glad he found someone new, for all babbling how courtship doesn’t give you heartbreak, they are lying so I’m sure he was heartbroken and needed time to heal. Now he became ready to meet someone new so he did and now prob will marry. I’m sure JB is thrilled more too, this one isn’t a pants wearing heathen Marjorie was! (I think she will marry a mainstream or fundie-lite guy and she prob won’t have a lot of children, I think that’s the main reason why she went the hell out of there, not just because what joshie did!)
Poor Jana. Forever the babysitter.
I think Jana is staying single on purpose- she might be a babysitter at home, but marriage for some of these fundie women is far worse than being at home. I would rather be in Jana’s shoes than Anna, popping out baby after baby with the guy who molested his sisters and cheated on her.
Nooooo! why do they have to be in my country, we don’t need you here.
The purpose is to fart out as many evangelical republican voters as possible, to take over the country. Seriously.
Sickening, isn’t it? Not all of the fundy families can be millionaires. Many depend on ‘love offerings’ and welfare. What crap.
Isn’t that Anna in that picture?
Looks like Josh in the picture too !
Correction ! That is Josiah !
its sad they dont get to ‘date’without a chaperone.if you need a chaperone to ‘control’ yourself,you shouldnt be dating..
Also, how the hell are you supposed to get to know someone deeply enough to know you want to marry them with your siblings around?
You aren’t. You are just supposed to blindly marry the first person your parents put in front of you. It’s like a tactic to keep you oppressed throughout your entire life. JimBob and Michelle don’t want their daughters marrying men who will allow them freedom, or their sons masculinity to be threatened by a woman who wants more out of life than to just become a baby machine. They talk about finding the person “God” has put on this earth for them, but that’s no where near possible if you aren’t allowed get to know them for more than a few months while supervised before marrying them. Realistically, I know more about work acquaintances than these kids know about the person they’re committing the rest of their lives with.
Like, could you imagine marrying your high school boyfriend/girlfriend having never spent time alone with them, after only 6 months of dating? Because that’s what’s happening here.
Hell, at least high school relationships get to see their partner 5 days a week. These guys don’t ever get to see their partners outside of their psycho family! Jill and Derick started courting the first day they met in person, and then courted 6 weeks without ever seeing the other in person. It’s sad
In Michelle & Jim Bob’s defense.. Their son did molest their daughters, which is not exactly something most people would see coming. I bet the rule came about right after that all happened. “Had there been a chaperone, this never would have happened”, rather than a “we just want to protect ourselves from making any impulsive decisions in a moment of temptation”
That said, the Duggars have said multiple times that each couple makes their own “rules for courtship”. I would LOVE to see what would happen if a couple put a ‘no chaperone’ rule into effect.