The Duggars-in-Law: Which Duggars Married People Associated With the IBLP?
The Duggar family is constantly expanding. Since 2008, eleven of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s children have married, but do all of the Duggar in-laws have a connection to the IBLP, the controversial ministry featured in Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets? Some do, and some don’t.
Joshua Duggar married into the Keller family
Josh Duggar was the first Duggar to get married. His 2008 wedding to Anna Duggar was documented on 19 Kids and Counting. He proposed to Anna on her 20th birthday in June 2008, and they were married just a few months later.
While the Keller family was not known to Duggar family followers at the time, a lot has come out about the family over the years. The Kellers, like the Duggars, were heavily involved in the IBLP and opted to homeschool their children instead of sending them to traditional schools. Anna’s father, Mike Keller, has been lambasted in recent years for “arranging” his daughter’s marriage to Josh Duggar and for his bigoted views. Josh is serving over 10 years in prison for receiving and possessing child pornography.
Jinger, Jill, and Jessa married men who were not affiliated with the Duggar family religion
While Josh married a family deeply involved in the IBLP, the next three Duggars to wed opted to find partners outside their insular social circle. Jill Dillard, Jessa Seewald, and Jinger Vuolo are all married to men who did not grow up in the ultra-conservative Christian ministry.
Jessa met Ben Seewald first. The couple connected at church in 2013. The Seewalds have no ties to the IBLP, but according to a Reddit user, the Seewalds were members of another controversial evangelical ministry. They were involved with Vision Forum before the ministry was shuttered amid abuse allegations. While Ben Seewald is technically a Duggar in-law without a tie to the IBLP, his childhood affiliations were not much different.
Jill Dillard met Derick Dillard after Jim Bob Duggar became prayer partners with Derick. At the time, Derick was living in Nepal as a missionary. Jill and Jim Bob traveled to the country so the couple could meet. They became engaged a short time later. Derick has no affiliation with the IBLP. He attended a Baptist church during his childhood. Jill and Derick are estranged from Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.
Jinger Vuolo met her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, through Ben Seewald. The couple had a rocky start to their relationship, with Jinger revealing feelings of apprehension about the relationship. Despite that, they did get together. They married in 2016 and have two children. Jeremy, just like Derick Dillard, did not grow up with any affiliation to the IBLP. Jinger and Jeremy are now members of Grace Community Church.
Joy-Anna Forsyth and Austin Forsyth both grew up in the IBLP
Joy-Anna Forsyth and Austin Forsyth have never hidden how long they’ve known each other. The duo grew up in the same social circles and were connected through the IBLP. Austin Forsyth’s father, Terry Forsyth, owns and operates Fort Rock Family Camp, which has hosted several IBLP-adjacent events.
Austin also attended an IBLP training camp as a teen. While Joy and Austin have not spoken about their current religious affiliations, they are heavily involved with Fort Rock Family Camp operations and seem to adhere to many IBLP teachings.
John David, Justin, and Jedidiah married women all associated with the controversial Christian ministry
John David, Justin, and Jedidiah Duggar have all linked up with women connected to the IBLP. According to Duggar Data, John-David’s wife, Abbie Burnett, appeared in marketing material for ATI, the homeschool curriculum peddled by the IBLP. John David Duggar’s in-laws were deeply connected to the ministry. According to their retelling of events, John and Abiie met at Abbie’s home church in Oklahoma. Still, Duggar family followers think they’ve spotted a young Abbie at the Duggar compound years earlier.
Justin Duggar, who married Claire Spivey in 2021, also found a partner with IBLP ties. While it wasn’t immediately clear how the Spivey family was connected to the ministry, Robert Spivey’s LinkedIn profile proves the connection. Robert Spivey, Claire’s father, was a construction manager for the IBLP for over a decade. Spivey has owned and operated his own construction business since 2006.
Jedidiah’s wife, Katey Nakatsu, did not become connected to the controversial Christian ministry until her teen years but was heavily involved when she met Jedidiah in 2020. The couple married in 2021. Katey’s mother and half-siblings are not associated with the ministry.
Josiah Duggar also married into an IBLP family after a failed courtship
Josiah Duggar appeared to be following in his older sisters’ footsteps when he announced a courtship to Marjorie Jackson. While the Jackson family knew the Duggar family for many years, their connection was not just religious in nature. Josiah and Marjorie first met when Analucia Jackson, Marjorie’s mother, offered the Duggar family Spanish lessons. According to Starcasm, the families both went on a mission trip together, but the Jacksons did not appear to have a connection to the IBLP.
Josiah and Marjorie’s relationship didn’t last. The couple broke up, and Marjorie went on to college. She documents her life on Instagram. Josiah later hooked up with Lauren Swanson. Lauren’s father, Dwain Swanson, has been a key speaker at several IBLP conferences. There is no word on whether Josiah and Lauren are still involved in the ministry. The couple has opted for a private life following the cancelation of Counting On.
Jeremiah Duggar and Joseph Duggar’s in-laws claim no association with the IBLP
Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell married in 2017 and quickly started having children. While it is easy to assume the Caldwell family was deeply involved with the IBLP, it doesn’t seem that way. Finding a connection between the Caldwell family and the IBLP is difficult. Paul Caldwell is, however, a pastor.
Jeremiah Duggar, Jedidiah’s twin, married Hannah Wissmann in 2022. While Duggar family followers assumed Jeremiah met Hannah through the IBLP, the family has never publicly claimed to be ministry members. Duggar Data found evidence that the family belongs to a Mennonite church in Nebraska. It is unclear how Jeremiah and Hannah connected, but the Duggars and the Wissmanns homeschooled their children. It’s possible schooling curriculum overlapped in some way.
