‘Counting On’: Joy-Anna Duggar Was Not Austin Forsyth’s First Choice When It Came To Marrying A Duggar Girl

Austin Forsyth’s romance with Counting On star Joy-Anna Duggar has witnessed its share of scandals. The pair started courting when Joy-Anna was only 18 years old and announced their first pregnancy right after their wedding. The timing of the announcement sparked rumors that Joy-Anna had gotten pregnant before tying the knot. Fast forward two years and Joy-Anna is looking to expand her family yet again. While the couple appears more than happy to be together, inside sources claim that Forsyth had his eyes set on one of Joy-Anna’s siblings before being forced into the marriage.

Forsyth wanted to marry a different Duggar

Forsyth was a friend of the Duggars long before he started courting Joy-Anna. The two families are associated with the same church, making Forsyth a perfect match for one of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s children.

When they first announced Austin Forsyth and Joy-Anna Duggar’s courtship, both families seem overjoyed at the potential union. Counting On fans, however, are convinced that Joy-Anna’s parents had a lot to do with matching her up with Forsyth.

According to The Hollywood Gossip, some fans believe that Forsyth originally wanted to tie the knot with Jinger Duggar. As the theory goes, his parents were thrilled about joining the families and did not care which Duggar Forsyth married. But when Jinger fell hard for Jeremy Vuolo, she was no longer an option. That is when Forsyth turned his attention to Joy-Anna, despite the difference in age.

One hole in this theory is that Jana Duggar still has not gotten married and was available when Forsyth and Joy-Anna started courting. There is also the fact that Forsyth is only four years older than Joy-Anna. The age difference is not that great and certainly would not prohibit a romance from blossoming on its own.

What about Joy-Anna Duggar’s first pregnancy?

Counting On fans have long speculated that Joy-Anna and her parents are lying about the conception of her first child with Forsyth. Many fans believe that the couple got pregnant before their wedding and that the Duggars moved the date in a blatant attempt to conceal it.

There is no denying that the wedding was moved up, and the fact that Joy-Anna and Forsyth refused to address the rumors only fueled them even more. But after analyzing Joy-Anna’s social media posts, it looks like she was being honest about her pregnancy timeline all along.

Taking to social media, Joy-Anna finally addressed the shotgun-wedding rumors by revealing her real due date. Based on the due date, Joy-Anna definitely got pregnant after tying the knot with Forsyth, though the conception admittedly happened very quickly.

While fans also speculated that Joy-Anna might be expected twins, the Counting On star gave birth to a healthy boy. The couple also announced their second pregnancy early this year, though they recently confirmed the heartbreaking news that Joy-Anna suffered a miscarriage.

Is Forsyth controlling Joy-Anna?

Shotgun wedding talk aside, fans also believe that Forsyth is a little too controlling over Joy-Anna. The controlling rumors started after an inside source claimed that Anna Duggar, who is the wife of Josh Duggar, criticized Forsyth for being immature and having bad character.

Fans took the comments a step further and feel like Forsyth does not treat Joy-Anna as an equal. During the most recent season of Counting On, fans noted that it seems as though Forsyth makes all of the important family decisions.

Fans also commented on how Joy-Anna is always the submissive one in interviews and defers to Forsyth before answering questions.

Some of Joy-Anna’s behavior can be explained by the way Jim Bob and Michelle raise their daughters. Because of their religious beliefs, the couple teaches their daughters to be submissive to the husbands, who are supposed to act as the head of the family.

Exactly how far this goes is unclear, though it would not be surprising if Forsyth is a little too controlling, even by the Duggar’s standards.

The new season of Counting On is expected to premiere on TLC later this year.