Skip to main content

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar brought fame upon their 19 children over a decade ago. And now, it’s their adult kids who are getting all the attention.

Jessa Duggar and her husband, Ben Seewald, have three kids — Spurgeon, Henry, and Ivy. And Jessa has plenty of followers of her own thanks to her active Instagram page and YouTube channel. She frequently posts about her family, her marriage, and her home — and her fans love it.

She might’ve missed the mark with a recent post about Ben, though. While she praised him as a partner on Instagram, she mentioned “married kisses,” which had her followers confused. Here’s what family critics have to say about it.

The Duggars don’t have their first kiss until their wedding day

The Duggars aren’t just famous for having a huge family. It’s their ultra-strict upbringing that’s also had everyone captivated from day one. Jim Bob and Michelle enforced a strict dress code, as they’re fundamentalist Christians who believe women should remain modest. This meant all the girls in the house had to wear long skirts that covered their knees and shirts that covered their shoulders.

Dress code aside, the Duggar kids also had rules surrounding their “courtships.” Once they decided to date someone, there was no hand-holding, no hugging, and chaperoned dates only. The couple would have their first kiss on their wedding day and no sooner.

“I think it’s good for couples out there, young, old, whatever, you can set those standards and really focus on getting to know each other and wait for the physical aspect,” Michelle said of her family rules.

Jessa Duggar ran away on her wedding day to have her first kiss in private

There’s speculation that some Duggar kids may have actually had their first kiss before their wedding day. But such is not the case with Jessa. She and Ben Seewald seemed to follow the courtship rules — though they still wanted to have their first kiss in private. As soon as they were announced as husband and wife at the altar, they ran out of the church to have their kiss in private — though, of course, the wedding party ran after them.

The infamous moment was one Duggar fans will never forget. And Jessa and Ben have since remarked on their decision to have some privacy for their big moment together.

“Our first kiss was nice, slow, and romantic,” Jessa said. And she ensured viewers that there would be a lot more kissing in the future, so they shouldn’t worry too much about not seeing the first kiss.

Ben also added, “It’s better than if, you know, doing it up there on the stage.”

Her followers are dragging her for talking about ‘married kisses’ with Ben Seewald

Jessa and Ben seem to have a loving relationship years after tying the knot. And Jessa posted a photo of Ben holding Ivy along with a sweet caption on May 19 to celebrate his birthday.

“You have a beautiful soul. You’re thoughtful and romantic. We’re in a busy season with babies, so I’m not going to pretend that it’s all roses and chocolates,” Jessa wrote. “Mostly it’s the hundred ‘little’ things, like those very married kisses on your way out the door to work, and how the moment you return home, you’re changing poopy diapers, loading the dishwasher, and at least once a week ….”

Jessa wrote plenty more — but some family critics couldn’t get past “married kissed.”

“Yet another reminder that they are kissing while married and therefore better than u,” one Reddit user wrote.

“It made me think of a hurried peck on the way out the door or something? Instead of those unmarried heathens who are having full on make out sessions constantly,” another joked.

“I have absolutely no idea what a ‘married kiss’ is — I don’t know if it’s better or worse, more passionate or less passionate than a regular one. That’s a real head scratcher,” another added.

It sounds like Jessa and Ben are happy despite any backlash they may get, so at least they have that going for them!

Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook!