Looks like Jim Bob Duggar has two more rebels on his hands! In the past few years, much has been made of the various ways in which the children of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are flouting the strict system of rules they were raised with. One of the most obvious examples is the fact that Jinger Duggar has started wearing pants instead of the floor-length skirts she was raised with, thus inspiring her sisters to violate the Duggar dress code as well. But other Duggars are lashing out in ways that are at once more subtle and more substantial. Chief among them are a pair of unlikely rebels — John David Duggar and his new bride, Abbie Burnett. Take a look: 1. The Newest Duggar Couple At first, it looked as though John David and Abbie would be your typical Duggar couple. That has not proven to be the case. 2. Mixing It Up John David and Abbie began bucking tradition right off the bat with a quirky wedding ceremony. 3. Flying High While the guest list and the vows remained the same, the couple rejected the usual venue — the Cathedral of the Ozarks — in favor of an airplane hangar. 4. Like First Dates Aren’t Stressful Enough! The couple’s first date took place on a small jet that was piloted by John David. 5. The Plane Truth Planes are such a big part of John David and Abbie’s relationship that his proposal was plane-themed. Sounds like another Duggar couple might be soon to leave Arkansas! 6. Speaking of Geography Unlike most Duggar spouses, Abbie is not an Arkansas native. She originally hails from Oklahoma. View Slideshow
Just four months after their wedding, and just hours before their return to television on a new season of Counting On , Josiah Duggar and Lauren Swanson have shared some very sad news with their fans. It’s almost the saddest news they could possibly share. The news is this: Lauren suffered a miscarriage in October. “A couple months ago, we found out that we were expecting, but suddenly thereafter, we lost our baby,” Swanson explains in a clip released Monday morning from tonight’s Counting On premiere. Adds Josiah in this sneak peek: “It really was a hard time for our family going through this right after we got married. And all the dreams of getting to see our little one and hold it in our hands dashed before our eyes.” We can’t imagine anything more devastating. And we appreciate the couple being so candid about such a difficult topic. “Lauren and I were actually preparing for a trip to go to a friend’s wedding over the weekend. She started feeling really sick and started noticing some different things,” Josiah expounds on the premiere. Lauren, for her part, thought it was a dietary problem at first. “I wasn’t feeling well,” she says. “I was cramping really, really bad, which was quite strange because I normally don’t. I was thinking I had something with gluten in it.” She then discovered the tragic truth, continuing as follows while retelling this story: “It was late at night and I went to the restroom, and right there was the baby. Gone. I couldn’t believe it, and I was hoping it wasn’t true.” Fans have been speculating about Swanson’s status for months, which makes this even more poignant — and which also ought to serve as a reminder. You really should never ask a woman if she’s expecting or wonder when she might be in some public forum. Because you simplynever know what someone is going through. The couple, meanwhile, got married on June 30, 2018 at John Brown University Cathedral of the Ozarks in Siloam Springs, Arkansas; only seven months or so after they started courting. But things often move quickly in the romance department for members of this family. Said Josiah in a statement last March: “Lauren and I are engaged! This is an exciting big step in our lives and the whole thing was very meaningful. “The place where I proposed to Lauren is the exact spot where her parents were engaged. There’s a lot of family history on this property making it a special place for Lauren.” TLC actually aired footage of the proposal , too. Fast forward just a few months after this question-popping and Lauren and Josiah shared their first kiss. Not just as husband and wife, but their first kiss EVER, as depicted below: View Slideshow: Josiah Duggar and Lauren Swanson Wedding Pics: See Their First Kiss… EVER! This past Thursday, the couple uploaded a sweet snapshot of them smiling and kissing in Orlando, making it evident to followers that they’re trying their best to move on from this tragedy. “How did I ever get someone as special as you,” wrote Duggar as a caption to the image. As for what else fans can expect from the new season of Counting On? Click right here to find out: Counting On Season 4 Trailer Teases Major Duggar Announcement
As we reported last fall, Alaskan Bush People was renewed for Season 9 . That ninth season now has a premiere date. And it’s sooner than you might think. Take a look: According to The Discovery Channel, no actual release date has been officially announced for Alaskan Bush People . But that doesn’t mean that a date hasn’t been set. They just haven’t chosen to reveal it yet. However, TV Insider has reported that the captivating reality series will begin airing again on Sunday, March 3. Three new episodes will begin airing at 8pm on that date, the report says. Take note that we’re reporting this at the end of January, right before the shortest month of the year. If this report holds true, you’ll be seeing Alaskan Bush People within 32 days. The landscape that you see here in this landscape photo snapped by 16-year-old Rain Brown is not of Alaska, but of Washington. Handling the family’s transition from living in both Alaska and Beverly Hills to living in rural Washington was only part of last season’s struggle. The entire family adjusted to their new life, but most of everyone’s attention was on family matriarch Ami Brown. Ami had survived a lengthy cancer battle — one that was widely expected to claim her life in 2017. But Ami is still around — and continuing to be regularly screened for the cancer’s resurgence. And she was not the only member of the family whose personal ups and downs captured the attention of fans. In November, Matt Brown checked out of rehab after 30 days. This time, he is committed to remaining sober. He is reportedly making use of meetings, a sober coach, and the emotional support of his family. This was his second time in rehab, but the first was years ago. Matt explained that he relapsed during his mother’s cancer battle. Almost all substance abuse is some sort of coping mechanism. We are so glad that Matt is taking these steps to secure his health. Noah Brown will welcom a new Alaskan Bush baby with his wife, Rhain Aisha. Their due date is this spring. Noah was sometimes seen as the family “black sheep” by fans, but they were overjoyed to see him tie the knot. He and Rhain married after a not-too-lengthy engagement. Hey, when you know, you know. Rain shared this photo some time ago of herself third-wheeling with her brother, Gabe Brown, and his girlfriend. Raquell Rose and Rain are besties, so she’s of course happy that the two of them are so happy together. In October, it was reported that Gabe Brown may marry Raquell . Neither of them ever made an actual announcement. However, perhaps inspired by Noah’s nuptials (that’s just fan speculation, though), Gabe reportedly filed for a marriage license late last year. We do not yet know their current status, but we are of course very happy for them. And that brings us to Rain, who turned 16 years old last November. Though the youngest in the family (until Rhain gives birth), Rain is the family’s de facto spokesperson. Rain’s social media presence boasts nearly 100,000 Instagram followers. She has been open about discussing her emotional highs and lows. “Don’t let the clouds fool you,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself in the sunlight. “The sun’s always there” “Stay strong,” she tagged her post. “Stay happy.” Rain has been very open with fans and followers about her battle with depression. As recently as Wednesday morning, she took to Instagram to deliver an update. “Some days are so bad all you can do is lay in bed,” she confesses. “On those days,” Rain writes. “It helps to have an angel by your side.” “Love you mr PT bardum,” she praises her cat. “You’re my strength.” “It’s okay not to be okay,” she tagged the post. She is absolutely right. We cannot wait to catch up with the whole family on March 3! In the mean time, we look forward to seeing a trailer in the next few weeks. View Slideshow: Alaskan Bush People: 13 Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know
For years now, rumors of Josh Duggar returning to Counting On have been circulating non-stop on social media. Come to think of it, those rumors began almost immediately after the Josh Duggar sex scandals that threatened to destroy his family’s media empire back in 2015. Once it became clear that the Duggars would not simply slink back into obscurity, as so many had hoped, many assumed the family would eventually figure out a way to reintroduce the known molester to their fan base. And now, we regret to inform you that it looks as though that day has come. As In Touch Weekly points out Josh was recently spotted in wife Anna’s Instagram stories. That may not sound like such a big deal, as Josh frequently makes appearances on his wife’s social media pages. But this time around, Anna’s eagle-eyed followers picked up on something highly unusual about the pics. As you can see, Josh seems to have assumed the master of ceremonies role at what appears to be a gathering of young Duggars. Again, nothing terribly unusual about that, as — for reasons that defy logic — the Duggars still allow Josh around their children. But what’s got the rumor mill working overtime this week is a pic that comes later in Anna’s IG story. This photo was taken at the same gathering, and again, it doesn’t appear that there’s anything out of the ordinary about it. If you look closely, however, you’ll notice that there appears to be a cameraman standing just out of frame on the right side. For obvious reasons, this has led many to the conclusion that the party was filmed for an upcoming episode of Counting On . Given that he was spotted addressing the room with a microphone in his hande on multiple occasions, would it even be possible to edit Josh out of the scene , as the show has done in the past? Timing-wise this might be Josh’s best opportunity to try and weasel his way back on TV. Astonishingly, the recent Josh and Anna comeback tour has been well-received by a disturbingly large segment of the Duggar fanbase. Here’s hoping a much larger group is nauseated by the idea of a known child molester being paid to appear on television, and will boycott the hell out of TLC is such a thing is allowed to happen. View Slideshow: Josh Duggar Sex Scandal Timeline: How His Family’s Empire Crumbled
As Duggar fans (and viewers who love to hate-watch) have observed, Duggar courtships are getting shorter and shorter . Patriarch Jim Bob will do anything to keep his kids chaste until marriage, even if it means marrying them off sooner. The Duggars have another tool to keep their kids “pure” … a code word that they say under this bizarre circumstance. In their book, Growing Up Duggar , sisters Jana, Jessa, Jill, and Jinger reveal a lot about their controversial family. One of those long-forgotten, overlooked details is a code word that is used by the Duggar women in a specific situation. The secret code word is … … “Nike.” All jokes about the Duggars invoking the name of the winged goddess of victory aside, they are clearly referring to the brand of shoes. And no, it’s not out of support for the NFL’s Colin Kaepernick, although we can see Ben Seewald appreciating the irony. Why do they say it? Michelle and her daughters say “Nike” if they see a woman dressed by standards others than the Duggar dress code. Oh yes. The girls give this warning if they see a harlot with bare arms or wearing jeans or showing her unholy knees. Or, who knows. Maybe even their lower thighs. In response, the Duggar boys are required to look down at their feet so that they won’t see a normal human woman. It’s essentially the literal exact opposite of pointing out a hottie to your friend when you’re walking around town. We’ll hand it to them on one key point at least: “Nike” is a pretty subtle way of telling the guys to stare at the ground. To outsiders, it would just appear as if the guys are bored or painfully shy. Or perhaps really interested in footwear. But we know. We know. They’re also consistent. Michelle has spoken in the past about why her daughters are required to dress a certain way. The women of the Duggar are basically forced to wear the baggiest clothing that hides their skin and curves. “By keeping those private areas covered,” Michelle explained. “There’s not any ‘defrauding’ going on.” Yes. Defrauding. In real life, the entire notion of fraud is usually predicated upon lies or broken promises or other deceptions. Michelle and Jim Bob see things very, very differently (as is true of most things) as evidenced by their interpretation of this. “My kids are taught the definition of defrauding as stirring up desires that cannot be righteously fulfilled,” Michelle adds. “We don’t believe in defrauding others by the way we dress.” Within the Duggar household, they do not believe in any sexual activity – or kissing or hand-holding – before marriage. If you stop and think about it, what Michelle is saying there goes beyond even the bounds of “normal” modesty culture. She’s not simply arguing that women are magically responsible for the sexual thoughts of men, though there’s that, too. Michelle’s saying, almost outright, that a provocative glimpse, whether it’s of bare skin or of covered curves, is a promise. A promise of sex. View Slideshow: 21 Insane Things BANNED By the Duggar Family Therefore, to make such a promise and to then not follow through on it would be fraudulent behavior. There’s a word for social attitudes that frame the physical appearance of women as an invitation or a promise to have sex: rape culture. It is this exact mentality that causes predators to walk free and for survivors of sexual violence to blame themselves. So … yikes. View Slideshow: Duggar Daughters’ Raciest Outfits Revealed: What Dress Code?! Naturally, people are free to dress however they damn well like in this country – with very, very few restrictions. It isn’t morally superior to drape yourself in 19 bulky layers, or to strut around in a crop top and miniskirt. Sorry. We’ll come out and say it. They’re both just bits of cloth. On the flip side, if you want to cover yourself completely, that’s also your right. View Slideshow: Jessa Duggar Wearing Tight Clothes: See Her Not-So Conservative Outfits! The only reasons people take issue with the way that the younger Duggar women dress are the following: One, they did not choose this. This is how they are required to dress until they are married, when their husband makes the rules. Kinda messed up. Two, Michelle impresses an unhealthy mindset upon them: they must take responsibility for the thoughts of others. View Slideshow: The Duggars: Abusing Their Own Kids With Twisted “Pearl Method” Parenting But hey, wearing long skirts because it’s your choice is a fine thing to do, if you’re into it. Maybe you like the style. Just don’t wear them upon a high horse.
You know how the saying goes, don’t you? For John-David Duggar and Abbie Burnett, first came love, as they started courting in June of this year. Then came marriage, as the couple exchanged vows in early November . And now comes a baby in a baby carriage? Perhaps, the Internet is speculating, based on the photo John-David shared on Instagram yesterday, following by a possibly revealing caption. For starters, as you can tell, Duggar is covering up his wife’s stomach, maybe because there’s a child growing inside of there and she isn’t ready to show off her bump just yet. More interestingly, however, this is what he wrote along with the cute snapshot. Hope you all had a very merry Christmas! “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 It doesn’t take a giant leap in logic to decipher this quote a certain way, does it? John-David came right out and talked about a child being born. Cue the questions and the comments! “Are y’all expecting?” one fan wrote. “Oooh a baby hint :),” said another. Granted, Duggar and Burnett have been husband and wife for less than two months. But this is the Duggar family, folks. They get right to baby-making as soon as those vows are exchanged. Cases in point: John-David’s sister Joy-Anna, and his sister-in-law, Kendra, both got pregnant on their honeymoons. For now, however, neither Duggar nor Burnett are saying anything else on the topic. They’re just focused, publicly, on their new marriage and all the joys it has brought them to date. “It little surreal because I’ve dreamed about [seeing her in a wedding gown] ever since I met Abbie,” Duggar said in a video the newlyweds filmed prior to even taking off their wedding attire last month. He added at the time that the pair’s only real immediate plans involved “serving God together and spending time together.” This time may have been without any clothes on and without any protection being used to prevent a pregnancy. As for their wedding itself? “We are so excited to be married!” the stars told Us Weekly very soon after it transpired, saying of the event: “It was a beautiful moment and we so appreciate our friends and family for sharing this day with us. Most of all we are thankful to Christ for bringing us together. “This is going to be an amazing journey!” And we can’t wait to be along for the ride! View Slideshow: Duggar Kids: Who’s the Biggest Rebel Against Jim Bob’s Ridiculous Rules?
How many times must Jessa Duggar prove this point, Internet users? She simply is not here for any of your judgmental BS. Just a month ago, if you recall, Duggar showed some impressive snark when she clapped back at someone who mocked her family’s choice of restaurants. In response to this individual asking whether “you guys ever eat anywhere besides Marketplace Grill,” a frequent Duggar family destination in Arkansas, Jessa simply replied: No we don’t. Not exactly overly crude or rude, but Duggar actually deleted the sarcastic retort because it didn’t fit in with her clean and proper brand. Fair enough, we guess. Now, however, Jessa has once again spoken out against some troll on the Internet. And it all started with this seemingly harmless photo below: It features her son, Henry, fighting with his cousin, Meredith, over a toy and it includes a caption that reads in part: “Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Hopefully there is none of this going on at your house. “The gifts are fun, and the food’s gonna be great, but let’s not forget the reason for the season.” Jessa also shared a few Bible verses with this snapshot, but her followers were more concerned with the state of Meredith’s feet than anything else. No, really. We’re not making that up. What’s up with the dirty bottoms, many folks actually asked and wondered, continuing in the tradition of shaming Jessa whenever possible . We can’t really blame her in this case for pushing back a little bit. “Mine looks about the same,” she said in response to a negative comment. “It’s 60 degrees outside today. That’s barefoot weather.” Again: Not exactly a scathing comeback, but this is Jessa Duggar we’re talking about here. The fact that she felt a need to say anything at all proves how fed up she is with strangers focusing on such mundane (read: stupid!) things. She also said: “Yes, it’s Meredith’s toy and Henry was trying to steal it.” Jessa, who is also a mother to a second son named Spurgeon, is all too aware of the criticism her family faces nearly every day on social media. As previously noted, this isn’t the first time she has clapped back at a hater who had something negative to say about her loved ones. Earlier this year, to use another example, Duggar had no patience when some troll criticized her for using the word “training” about raising her kids. This person thought the word ought to be reserved for dogs, not human beings. “We train for occupations, we train for jobs, we hire personal trainers for fitness and we train/teach our kiddos in right behavior in the hopes they will grow up to be caring, thoughtful and responsible adults,” she wrote back, summoning all the sarcasm she could muster and concluding: “But I agree, dogs are not humans. Thank you for making that distinction.” View Slideshow: 19 Scandals & Counting: The Duggar Family’s Most Shameful Moments
How is this for irony? As previously detailed, Roger Mathews and Jenni “JWOWW” Farley got into a heated argument last week because the latter was scheduled to work during a time when Mathews thought she’d be helping care for the estranged couple’s daughter. This led to such an argument that Farley slapped Mathews with a restraining order . Fast forward a few days and Mathews now says he wants to appear on Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. According to an Us Weekly insider, that is. “Roger has been contacting MTV to be on season 3,” alleges this source, adding: “He’s been calling them for the last week. He’s not asking to be paid, his only intentions are to film and give his side of what’s going on with Jenni. “He’s offering to give his side of the story and that he’ll reveal the truth between him and Jenni.” This has been Roger’s theme ever since his dispute with Farley went viral. He has released an endless array of Instagram videos in which he emphasizes that Farley is an emotional mess and that he cannot wait for the truth to be revealed. “This is my liberty and my justice. Jenni has more fans than me and more influence than me but what she does not have and has never had is the truth on her side,” he said in one of these videos, going on and on as follows: There is no “my truth” there is only THE TRUTH” and the public is about to see that in its rawest form. No narration needed. Just stay tuned. Justice will prevail in the end. I have nothing to hide. View Slideshow: Roger Mathews and Jenni Farley: WTH Happened That Night?!? According to various outlets, Mathews actually called the police before Jenni did so late last Thursday night, essentially calling his wife’s bluff. In this 911 call, Mathews tells his two young kids that their mother can’t control her emotions, while telling the operator that Farley will be making crap up about what transpired between the spouses. “She’s going to wait until I leave and call the police and make up some crazy story,” he tells the dispatcher in this call. “This is her m.o. and I’m just ensuring that she cannot do that.” A short time later, Mathews left the home… Farley called the police herself… and Roger arrived back home to learn his wife had been granted a restraining order against him. Mathews was escorted out of the house and then proceeded to rant about how he’s no longer allowed to see his kids. But we know this isn’t the case because Mathews shared the following photo of himself and his young son, Greyson, on Instagram a few days after the fight. Still, though. These sources tell Us Weekly that MTV has previously asked Roger to film the series, but he’s always declined in the past. “He’s on a smear campaign for Jenni right now. He has no other avenue to get his message out,” the tabloid claims . “He’s sitting on his social media airing out his dirty laundry and is trying to tell whoever else will listen.” Jenni will get final say on whether or not Mathews appears, however. She filed for divorce back in September, but the pair were then spotted out a month later, having dinner and celebrating their three-year anniversary. We thought at the time this meant they may be getting back together. But we highly doubt that will happen now. View Slideshow: Snooki Shares JWOWW Home Security Footage, Defends BFF Against Roger Mathews
Prior to marriage, members of the Duggar family are forbidden to engage in any sort of physical contact with members of the opposite sex. But after they tie the knot — something strange happens. No, we’re not talking about the fact that the Duggars immediately begin churning out babies like they’re trying to start their own infant football team. That’s expected in a family in which children are taught from a young age that their only reasons for being are procreating and praising God. The surprising part is that married Duggars go from “side-hugs” and timed hand-holding sessions (a maximum of 15 seconds) to packing on the PDA on social media. Now, they’re still the Duggars, so they tend to prefer especially chaste public displays of affection, and the whole thing always seems both calculated and oddly showy. It’s as though the goal is to send the message that despite all the bizarre rules they lay on their kids and the many Duggar sex scandals , Jim Bob and Michelle’s adult children are actually perfectly well adjusted when it comes to sex. The latest members of the Duggar clan to send the message that they’re not asexual fundamentalist androids — despite rumors to the contrary — are Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard. Jill and Derick posted the above selfie this week, along with the following caption: “Had fun this weekend with this girl!” Derick wrote in his Instagram caption. From there, Der went on to promote his and Jill’s website: “Checkout some fun pics of our adventures at www.dillardfamily.com. @jillmdillard you’re my favorite, and I love you more each day! Merry Christmas!” “You’re my fave,” he added. The post is interesting for a number of reasons, not the least of which is all their recent promotional efforts and sponsored content have bolstered the rumor that Jill and Derick are broke . As In Touch Weekly points out , the pic attracted a number of bizarre comments. Many fans noted that this photo was more provocative than what we usually see from Jill and Derick. Some took issue with Derick’s backwards hat (“this isn’t working”), and at least one person thinks Jill and Derick look like brother and sister: “When a beloved married couple live together and share everything,” the follower wrote. “They start to look alike and one is the others soulmate to complete tasks… You both are evolving… LOL.” That “LOL” at the end doesn’t negate the creepiness that preceded it. As usual, many commenters had little interest in the pic and wanted to talk about unrelated Duggar gossip. “Is your sister Jana gay?” one fan asked. “Cause that ‘FAMILY FRIEND’ seems to be always next to Jana. I think this is another family secret that your family doesn’t want to spill. Yes, there have been rumors of Jana being gay for quite some time now. But something tells us Jill won’t be eager to offer up the scoop on that. View Slideshow: Jill Duggar & Derick Dillard Net Worth: Are They REALLY Broke?!
There was a time when Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra were considered the most stable couple in the Teen Mom franchise. Sadly, those days are long gone. Yes, Cate and Tyler are still together … but barely. Lowell and Baltierra underwent a trial separation recently, and while both made it clear that they're hoping to save their marriage, it seems the process is taking a tremendous emotional toll. Take a look: 1. The Troiubled Couple Tyler and Catelynn have been enduring quite the rough patch lately — and they haven’t been shy about sharing their struggles with fans. 2. Both Struggling Tyler and Catelynn have both been diagnosed with mental disorders, and while they’re both seeking treatment, the situation has put a strain on their marriage. 3. Gone Girl? Lowell spent much of the past year in an Arizona treatment facility, and many fans accused her of abandoning her family. 4. Supportive Husband Tyler remained supportive throughout Catelynn’s many stints in rehab, happily assuming single dad responsibilities. 5. Taking a Toll However, it appears that the many ups and downs of the past year have taken a tremendous psychological toll on Tyler. 6. Scapegoat Cate Through it all, Catelynn has taken most of the blame for the couple’s problems. View Slideshow
