Jinger Duggar, 22, is ‘officially courting’ pro soccer player Jeremy Vuolo, 28

The Duggar family was in complete meltdown last year. But they’ve “recovered” now, and they’re back on TV with a new show that is very much like 19 Kids & Counting. Still, the Josh Duggar implosion still had far-reaching effects, especially for his siblings. Jessa and Jill were put front and center to defend their family after it was revealed that they were Josh’s victims. The younger siblings have been increasingly pushed forward too, as everyone seems to be “over” Michelle and Jim-Bob Duggar, the parents.

One of the most interesting moments came with Josiah Duggar had to announce that he and his little girlfriend were no longer “courting” last August. “Courting” is pretty much a pre-engagement in the Duggars’ world, and you can’t just date and have fun. There are rules to “courting” and the Duggar kids usually only court one person, and that person becomes their spouse. So it was interesting that Josiah was able to break off his courtship in the middle of his family’s drama. So now there’s another Duggar “courting.” It’s 22-year-old Jinger Duggar. She’s courting a professional soccer player named Jeremy Vuolo, who is just as churchy as the Duggars.

There’s an exciting new Duggar announcement! PEOPLE can exclusively reveal that Jinger Duggar, 22, and professional soccer player Jeremy Vuolo, 28, are officially courting – and their courtship will be a big part of the new season of Counting On when it returns to TLC later this summer.

“We’re happy to announce that we are officially courting!” the Jill and Jessa: Counting On star and the athlete, 28, shared in the cute video. “Which means as opposed to a more casual dating relationship, we really want to honor the Lord and be very intentional about how we move forward.”

Of their courtship – the Duggar-approved way of dating that has couples getting to know each other as a preparation for marriage – Jinger tells PEOPLE she met Vuolo last May. The two then “had the opportunity to go on a missions trip together,” she says.

Adds Jinger, “It was there that I really saw his heart and really admired his character… After that, he contacted my dad [Jim Bob Duggar] and asked if we could get to know each other.”

Vuolo, who graduated from Syracuse University, previously played for Major League Soccer club the New York Red Bulls before stepping away from the game to pursue ministry. He later signed with the San Antonio Scorpions in the North American Soccer League in 2013. The two share a common ground in their religious beliefs. The Duggars are devout Christians and like Jinger, Vuolo is the son of a pastor. The athlete has repeatedly spoken out about his faith and unwavering identity.

[From People & Us Weekly]

He seems like a relatively normal guy, and he’s been exposed to a lot more of the “real world” than the Duggar kids. I mean, he’s been to college, he’s lived in communities other than sheltered, backwoods Arkansas bible camps and he’s presumably dated other women too. And I will never stop thinking it’s creepy that all of the daughters need their father’s permission to “court.” Ugh. Oh, well. Good luck, Jinger.

jinger2

Photos courtesy of Twitter, Duggars’ social media.

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114 Responses to “Jinger Duggar, 22, is ‘officially courting’ pro soccer player Jeremy Vuolo, 28”

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  1. Colleen says:

    Is it strange that I see the word “courting” and I automatically pronounce it “uh-cawrton” in my head?

    I haven’t read the post yet. I think it’s still too soon for any tom-duggary.

  2. Stef Leppard says:

    Is it Jinger like jingle or Jinger like ginger?

    • mary s says:

      Ginger. Usually, if a G is followed by an E, I, or DGE, it’s pronounced like the /j/ sound. It’s been a few years since I taught second grade, though. A current Open Court/phonics teacher would be able to give you a jingle to remember when to /g/ and when to /j/.

      • Stef Leppard says:

        Mary, it could be pronounced jing-er (jingle; ringer) or jin-ger (ginger). I guess you need to brush up on your second grade skills.

    • Melizzie says:

      Like Ginger. Though both your examples are pronounced with a soft ‘g’ sound, so either would have worked😘

      • tegteg says:

        Stef is asking about the G sound in Jinger, not the beginning J sound. So only the second example works.

      • Stef Leppard says:

        I was talking about the G sound in the middle, not the J sound.

    • Kitten says:

      I think I remember somebody saying that it’s pronounced like “Ginger”.
      What a stupid way to spell it. Ugh.

      • Locke Lamora says:

        There are so many names they haven’t used, like Jane or Janet, and these morons go with Jinger?

      • Chicken says:

        @Locke Lamora
        AND THEY HAVE A JOANNA AND A JOY-ANNA I CANNOT. That enrages me. Julie or Juliet or Jane (though that’s pretty close to Jana) or Jacquelyn or Jamie or Jeannette or LITERALLY ANYTHING THAT IS NOT JOANNA AND JOYANNA OH MY GOD.

      • Veronica says:

        WHAT WHAT WHAT

        IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE GINGER?

        I was sitting here pronouncing it with a hard “g” like “ringer,” wondering what the hell is wrong with these people to give a girl a name like that. BUT IT IS EVEN WORSE THAN I IMAGINED.

    • KB says:

      I really hate to admit this, but I pronounce both the exact same way. Just like I do with pen and pin. I’m from Houston, and I feel like if I do this, coming from a huge city in the South, surely these Duggar hicks do as well.

      • Birdix says:

        I was thinking that too (yikes, what kind of accent do I have that I don’t know about?). How does jingle sound different from jinger or ginger? I can imagine a hard g like gate –that would be ugly as Ginger!

      • tegteg says:

        Interesting that you pronounce pen and pin the same. I’m from Houston and I do not. I also had to write a college paper on the regional dialects of Texas, and many people from Houston and the other metropolitan areas of Texas (Austin, Dallas) pronounce pen and pin differently. Just thought I’d mention that, because I was surprised to hear you say that! 🙂 Hope everything is good in Htown. I miss whataburger, sigh.

        Also, Birdix:
        The Jingle/Ginger question is just about the g. Jingle has a hard g sound. So you would pronounce Jinger as Jing-ger. Ginger has a soft g sound, so Jinger would be pronouced jin-jer. Do you both really same jin-jul (for jingle)? I’ve never heard that before! (Not trying to be rude)

      • Wren says:

        I’m from California and I pronounce them the same too, so it’s not just you!

      • Birdix says:

        oh the second g! Now I understand. thanks for explaining.

      • KB says:

        @tegteg Yeah, I’ve seen different dialect maps of Texas that specifically reference where people pronounce pen and pin differently, but I don’t hear other people around me pronouncing them differently, and I know I don’t pronounce them differently. I assume pen is supposed to be pronounced the way I’d pronounce Penn State. I also had to make a concerted effort to stop saying crowns instead of crayons. It’s funny because it drives me crazy when I hear people say carmel instead of caramel or pronounce they’re as their.

        And Houston is just as you left it, I’m sure, hot, humid, and full of mosquitoes!

  3. meme says:

    not these people again. please.

  4. Astrid says:

    I keep hoping one of the daughters will escape and free the rest of the kids

    • BearcatLawyer says:

      I simply do not understand what is so awful about the real world that these children must be strictly protected from it. And if they truly believe God wishes them to change the way the world is going, would it not be better to actually live in it and work for change instead of filming reality shows and (allegedly) praying incessantly?

      The worst prisons are the ones we construct for ourselves. I sincerely wonder what will happen if one of the Duggar kids ever goes rogue. I doubt s/he will be able to convince many of the others to escape the cult or their sheltered lifestyle.

  5. Kay says:

    #freejana

    • Runcmc says:

      That’s the older one that has to take care of the kids and prepare everyone’s wedding stuff right?

      Poor girl. At the very least marry her off, don’t keep her around as a servant…

      • LizLemonGotMarried says:

        Dammit, I thought that was Jinger. I was all excited for her like, “finally!”
        Oh, well, either way, this guy at least has been out in the world, maybe he can inject a little churchy common sense.

      • Kay says:

        Yes, she’s 26 I think.

      • Locke Lamora says:

        Jana said in an interview that she’s not sure if she’ll be married in the next 5 years. And she said that there have been guys who have been interested. I always thought Jinger will be te one to break away, but now I think it might be Jana. I hope it will be Jana.

      • Layla Beans says:

        I think Jana holds out because she knows her life as a wife will be more servitude. She’s raised a mess of kids already. I think she’s done and waiting for her break. SquirrelHead and the Mouthbreather are clearly done shooting out kids so if she bides her time, she will get a break and maybe get out.

    • sherry says:

      Free Jana! Yes! I think she is one of the prettiest of the girls, as well as very sweet. I read somewhere she was pushing to go away to college like one of her brothers. I guess she didn’t get approval from Daddy to do that, because Jim Bob and Michelle need her there to play nanny and housekeeper to the rest of their brood.

      I have a feeling the only way she’ll get away from her Arkansas family prison is to marry like the other girls. I don’t see her moving and going out on her own, though I wish she would.

      It’s pretty clear they are all brainwashed by their narcissistic father and co-dependent mother.

      • La Ti Da says:

        I thought this was Jana at first, with all J-names I can never keep them straight. It’d be great if she got away with someone who’d had a life outside of their cult-like community. Needless to say I was very disappointed when I realized it wasn’t.

        Short of marriage or a longterm missionary trip I don’t see Jana leaving the family home for any extended period of time. She could get a job, but what job that she’d be qualified for would make enough for her to support herself though? I wonder how the money from the show works. Were the Duggar parents paid in a lump sum since most of the children were underage and they have full control of it? Or was a trust kind of situation created for each of the kids’ to put their paychecks in? I remember reading the mother of Honey Boo Boo had put all her children’s money in trust funds to protect it until they were adults. If she did that and the Duggars took all their 19 kids money they are even lower than I thought.

  6. H says:

    I was hoping Jinger would be the one to break free of that crazy family. Oh well.

  7. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    Does anybody seriously still care what these backwards boneheads are doing?

    • BearcatLawyer says:

      No. But they are far from boneheads. Everything they do is very calculated to make them money and garner attention.

    • Locke Lamora says:

      I found their reality show interesting. Just because there isn’t anything even close to such fundamentalism in my country, and I didn’t know people like this exist prior to watching.

    • La Ti Da says:

      Mostly no, but I’ll admit I read updates on them in anticipation of the one day when J-something breaks free, whichever one it turns out to be. With 19 kids someone will come out of the closet or just simply say a big ole “nope” to Papa Duggar and his BS. And that I’d like to see.

  8. Fiorella says:

    Is he gay? Got that from his Smile and boobs. The way his shirt fits rather ? So he’s 28. Only girls have to be Virgins right? Cute Pro soccer players have their choice of pretty and wealthy women, why her? I mean it’s public knowledge her brother may be a pedo

    • mary s says:

      I don’t know, he’s about the same good-looking as she is. He looks sincere, maybe he’s a really good guy. I think if she scraped off that makeup she’d be prettier. The pic with the video clip, the first frame shows a distinct makeup line. Why she would think to use a rosy pinkish foundation is beyond me. Shouldn’t she be beige? But I think she’s pretty, and they make a very cute couple.
      He’s not Quiverful, right? You know, some people who identify as Christians are not as fanatic as what we tend to see in the media. His family holds strong beliefs, but not to the point where they’d repress and damage their children. Hopefully, she’ll be able to go to school, work, have a “Jinger” rather than just be a baby maker.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        I doubt Jim-Butt and Squirrel would let someone who wasn’t quiver full court their spawn

    • Kitten says:

      From Wiki:

      “After his release from New York, Vuolo briefly stepped away from the game to concentrate on full-time ministry, but announced in April 2013, that he had signed with NASL club San Antonio Scorpions.[5] At the beginning of the 2014 season, he was an unused substitute for the first two matches, and then gradually lost his place in the team.”

      He sounds like a real-life Casey from The Mindy Project.

      • mary s says:

        I don’t know Casey from “Mindy Project”. I’m thinking he’s someone who can’t seem to follow through on anything? Okay, but maybe this guy was conflicted about soccer or ministry, but what I’m trying to say is that maybe he’s somewhat closer to normal on the fanatic Christian scale. Maybe he is even a normal Christian, as opposed to a fanatic, like Quiverful and “Jesus Camp” though.

      • Kitten says:

        Yeah that’s completely possible. I probably just want to imagine that he’s a directionless tumble weed floating through life in search of his Big Break ($$$) because I don’t like these people.

        Maybe it’s unfair of me, but I can’t help but question anybody who gets involved with these crazies. It seems like most *normal* (read: not fanatical) religious types eschew this group so…eh.

      • TotallyBiased says:

        Yeah, calling him a pro soccer player is a bit of a stretch. He tried, and kudos for being briefly signed to an MLS team, but he didn’t make it. Even his attempted comeback with a lower-level team went no-where.

      • Fiorella says:

        Love the Casey reference!

    • paranormalgirl says:

      So if her brother has a sexual deviance, that means she isn’t deserving of someone in her life? That’s your inference.

      • Fiorella says:

        Well ok you’re right that is unfair. But i wonder what he thinks about it? Like you marry a girl from that family, now you have to watch your kids around uncle? At least I would. I wouldn’t even want to hang with him. But in that family aren’t they often together? So how would that work.
        Did NOT mean to imply that anyone with a bad person in family doesn’t deserve a partner. But duggars pack a triple whammy, moleststion, didn’t act apropriately, (got caught) didn’t apologize apropriately, and one more thing, they like to hang out together. Anyways maybe she’d have New home with hubby And hang with this other patriarchy instead of the duggars, so that’d be safer at least. Never watched the show so I could be wrong.

  9. Fiorella says:

    Ew he asked her dad. Not my pet peeve for regular ppl. But this is a pro pedo dad. Eff them

  10. Frosty says:

    I love how it looks like she’s on the set of Sam’s in True Blood in that cupcake pic.

  11. lassie says:

    I have to admire how the Duggar Juggarnaut ™ is still able to throw out different chum to see what will stick with the public. (Do you like babies? This J daughter is having one. Want to see? No? Want to see a J daughter get married? No? The J sons are clones of Josh-no one wants to see them, how about a J daughter ‘courtin’? You like that?) The inventory is interchangeable, pliable and endless. It’s like human play dough.

    • mary s says:

      I like your human play dough analogy. They need more drama that doesn’t involve marriage and babies. Is there a boy who may be gay? They should do a show on him coming out and breaking away, still retaining his beliefs, but searching for a church that will accept his homosexuality. That would be interesting, I’d watch that iteration.

  12. Sam says:

    Free Jana! Free Jana!

  13. LadyJane says:

    Why does a 22 year old WOMAN need her father’s permission to date a guy? That is so weird and patriarchal. I am a Christian, but I feel sorry for the Duggar kids, they are all indoctrinated in this weird cult that has very little to do with the teaching of Jesus Christ.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      They make God vomit, imo.

    • Sam says:

      The Duggars are the opposite of biblical Christianity. They admonish girls to dress in a way that will not incite “lust” and place the burden on women to keep men in line. However, Jesus always put the blame for sin on the sinner and taught it was your own responsibility to control yourself – “If your eye offend thee, pluck it out.” He also emphasized dealing with one’s own shortcomings before admonishing anyone else. In short, Jesus created a religion that was about taking responsibility for yourself and owning your own issues, whereas the Duggars embrace a religion that’s all about blaming others for your own sins. It’s gross, and it defames Christians who are better than them.

      • Locke Lamora says:

        Most of the things these people do has nothing to do with Christianity.

      • Wren says:

        I feel like many religions and belief systems get warped like this, not just Christianity. It’s very human to want to blame your problems on something or someone else; we’ve seen it throughout history. It also fuels the “us vs them” mentality that is incredibly addicting. They are not like us, we are better; they are wrong, we are right; they are the cause of our problems, we must fight them. It’s not a very long leap, and it feels SO GOOD that people get trapped in that thinking without realizing it.

        It’s almost like the devil’s work. You want to find insidious evil, creeping in slowly and poisoning your mind? Look within, not out.

    • KelT says:

      She doesn’t seem the type that needs her father’s permission. It’s likely her own choice based on her own spiritual beliefs. I didn’t watch the new ‘Jill and Jessa’ show at first, but then was intrigued and got caught up on demand. It’s interesting to see them manage their own lives and experience how independent they are from their parents. Jinger, like Jessa, has a very knowing way about her. These girls are not sophisticated, but likely smarter than most think.

      And IMO there’s nothing wrong with wanting to start a relationship in a way that honors their beliefs. Just like with any dating relationship, they will find out through the courtship if they are right for each other.

  14. yuck says:

    I wonder what it feels like, as a full-grown adult, to have your father negotiating any and every part of your life for money and public exposure. In order that he can further his own dreams of (tax-exempt) “Christian” empire. And to be unable to thwart it. It’s gotta suck.

    • Grant says:

      I bet these rational and completely founded thoughts never even cross Jinger’s mind because she’s so brainwashed and indoctrinated. It’s so sad and so frustrating that she’s basically being treated like chattel in the Middle Ages and she doesn’t even realize it.

    • Suzy from Ontario says:

      It’s all about control and ego, but they have the kids brainwashed that it’s because they love them so much that they want to protect them and want the best for them. If they truly wanted the best for them, they’d allow them to have and pursue their own dreams. Jinger loves photography, but they have never encouraged her to take courses or go to school for it to learn more. She just becomes the family photographer and it’s treated as a hobby that she’s good at…until she gets married and becomes a wife and mother, cuz that’s her true path. These kids aren’t allowed to live their own lives, it’s all about furthering Jim Bob and Michelle’s agenda. Other parents want their kids to be all they can be and experience as much of the world’s wonders as possible. The Duggars cripple their children and isolate them from anyone who doesn’t think and believe the same way they do. They aren’t even allowed to read secular books! Every single thing has to be pre-approved and even as adults, the girls can’t leave the house to run errands without his approval and a chaperone. Poor Jana should be having fun and going to university, learning new things, backpacking around the world and dating. Instead she’s stuck at home parenting the younger kids until her father finds her a man HE approves of! It’s sick. It’s all about purity, as if that’s all they have to offer

  15. Anname says:

    I don’t understand how this guy can go to college, experience the world, and still choose to come back to this cult-like way of living. Having a strong faith and wanting a traditional marriage is one thing, but the Duggars are on a whole other level. It makes me think he needs a wife who will never question him and will bow down to his every need, rather than someone who would be an actual partner to him.

    • Green Girl says:

      IKR? I was actually rooting for her when I first read this headline because I thought this guy would be such a big change.

    • ohdear says:

      well, the male head of household is the epicentre of power in their cult. It would attract a certain type of male.

  16. blonde888 says:

    That video of them is disturbing. She just stares at him mouth agape while he talks.

  17. Ayra. says:

    That whole family’s shtick is just cringe worthy..

  18. burnsie says:

    Re: Josiah breaking his courtship last year, I assumed it was the girl who split after all the skeletons came pouring out of the Duggar closet

    • Lucky Charm says:

      Oh, you mean “old bones”, lol! (That’s what the Duggar’s call skeletons.)

  19. Tate says:

    These people still have a show?? Unreal.

  20. DenG says:

    Because the Lord didn’t speak to me as he did to my ex-husband, I had no idea that I can wear pants and watch worldly TV and read something other than the Bible. May I have a reality show, please?

  21. Izzy says:

    Please. Does anyone really think it was Josiah who broke it off, as opposed to the girl whose parents dragged her (probably willingly) RUNNING away from this pedo family?

  22. Talie says:

    It’s the eldest daughter I feel the worst for…she seems trapped.

  23. JenniferJustice says:

    She looks and acts like a child because she’s always been treated like a child and still is, ie…needs dad’s permission to date at 22? I think the whole purpose and appeal of that in their community is to continue the perception that she IS a child. You know, the whole innocent, 12-year old little girl who gets taught everything by her husband (you know what I mean) and trained by her husband…that’s what they do. IMO a woman has to be a perpetual child in demeanor and looks in order to keep their husband’s attracted to them. I can’t stand that push to be perpetually perceived as innocent and pleasing. Gross!

    • BearcatLawyer says:

      No. But they are far from boneheads. Everything they do is very calculated to make them money and garner attention.

    • BearcatLawyer says:

      Sorry…my comment above was meant in response to GNAT’s question above. Weird how it appeared here!

      Anyway, the whole “little girl” shtick just makes Josh’s crimes look even worse. And I now wonder if Quiverfull may be a front for child molestation.

      • Lynnie says:

        It probably is. You can’t be that restrictive and patriarchal without something underfoot happening.

      • michelleb says:

        I’ve wondered that for a while too.

      • LAK says:

        Considering they have a series of teachings that normalises child molestation, it not surprising it’s rife in their communities. Any blame is laid squarely at the feet of the females even where the females are babies. Males aren’t allowed to change the nappies of female babies in case they are tempted by the babies!!!!!

  24. Lucy says:

    Look at her eyes. They’re either void of any feeling or screaming for help.

  25. Kitten says:

    I find him attractive. WTF is he doing?

    Oh well…it sounds like he doesn’t have a job or any real soccer career to speak of, so maybe this is just an easy way for him to make money.

    • Tourmaline says:

      I think the soccer career is in the past, I saw his last team was defunct. His gig now is “ministry” and his hook is he went from “Slave to Sin to Slave to God.” Apparently he went to public high school for a year after a lifetime of godly homeschooling and fell into a pit of sin, i.e., drank and went to parties. He also struggled with desires for “fame and attention” as a soccer player. Becoming a Duggar is a handy way to get that.

      His website also trashes gays and Catholics among others–presents testimony from people who have been saved by God from the terrible sins of those “lifestyles”. So, dude sounds like a Duggar Dream Date for sure.

      • Kitten says:

        Oh wow…thanks for all the additional info. Yeah it sounds like he’ll fit right in with the Clan.

        I don’t understand the Catholicism vs Christianity thing. The Christians (or “some” Christians) hate Catholics because they’re not extreme enough in their views…or something?

      • Lynnie says:

        @Kitten I think it started with the whole Protestant Reformation which was basically a group of people (Martin Luther and friends) who didn’t like the way the papacy was commercializing religion (selling spots in heaven, priests in charge of huge tracts of land, lust, sin, the whole 9 yards) and broke away. In doing so they went to the other extreme with the parishioner and God having a direct relationship (this eliminated abuse of power from priest’s and pastors theoretically), diminished the power if not removed it from the saints and Mary, and a bunch of other things that I can’t remember from religion class four years ago lol.

        Long story short, yeah there are some Christians who don’t like Catholics because they’re not hardcore enough in their faith to their liking.

      • Sam says:

        Kitten: their issues with the Catholics are many. They object to the idea of a Pope who is a singular leader for the faith, since some Christians believe that puts you at risk of deifying the Pope.

        However, their main beef is over the idea of faith vs. good works. Basically, Calvinist Protestants (and let’s be clear, they do not represent all non-Catholic Christians) believe that one does not need to “do” anything to be saved. If you believe in a singular God and that Jesus was his son, you’re saved. Boom, that easy. It’s simple faith that saves you.

        Catholicism (and liberal/progressive Christianity in general) teaches that faith is not enough. One must live a charitable life full of good actions and right living to be saved. To the Calvinists, this sounds like a human can “earn” salvation through good, virtuous living. However, Calvinism takes a very bleak view of humans – that we are fallen creatures and God selflessly chooses to save us. Catholics don’t believe that – we might be sinful, but we are still good and, through our actions, we can get closer to God. So basically, it’s about a theological dispute. However, like I said, there’s more to it. But that’s the main issue.

      • Kitten says:

        Ah I see. Thanks for the explanation, Lynnie and Sam.

      • mayamae says:

        Yeah, this guy fits right in. He’s actually made an anti-masturbation video which I will not link because it’s over an hour long! But the title is hilarious – “Killing Sin: The Battle Against Sexual Lust”.

  26. Ollie says:

    He is a good looking guy but looks way older than 28.
    She looks 15. Next to him she even could pass for 12. Sick

  27. Colette says:

    I laughed when I read he is the “son of a pastor”.I lost my virginity to the son of a pastor when I was in high school.He turned out to be a f#ckboy.
    Preacher’s Kids(PKs)
    Let me stop generalizing they are not all like that,just the ones I personally know .LMAO

    • Lilacflowers says:

      Dusty Springfield’s Son of a Preacher Man

    • Sheila says:

      I’m a PK. We do tend to be brats and the least well behaved kids in the congregation. Because 1) if it’s your parent’s day job, you tend not to take it as seriously since you’re not eactly in awe of the mystical workings of the church when you’ve seen the pastor in his pajamas. 2) the rules don’t apply to you when your parents are the second highest authority in the congregation. They really, really don’t. I mean, I ‘ve known some PKs whose parents were the worst disciplinarians in the group but if your parents run the church and they say it’s okay for you to do something (or no one dares to question whether you can), no one else can stop you. PKs can end up either super tolerant or super corrupt…

  28. AB says:

    Her eyes look lifeless… drained.

  29. mytake says:

    OK, fine; you caught me, I went to his website. Dude def loves himself some Jesus. And why is he so into Jinger? According to his webpage, it’s because Jinger is “a humble, meek, modest, intelligent young woman with a burning desire to sacrificially serve the Lord in any way she could.”

    Humble, meek and modest? Ugh. Humble? Sure, fine. But combined with the other two? No.

    • Kitten says:

      Where I’m from, “meek” is considered an insult. In the context of the other qualities listed, “modest” seems to indicate subservience. Gross.

      • Locke Lamora says:

        Modest I het, but meek is defibitely an insult.

      • pinetree13 says:

        Ew I agree. Looks wise I feel like she got ‘the best one’ out of her sisters but personality wise he’s just another one.

        ick.

    • mary s says:

      Eww. Meek gives me shivers.

    • Tash says:

      ‘…a burning desire to sacrificially serve the Lord in any way she could.” This is scary!

      • mary s says:

        That’s bad. I guess my hopes for her that he’d be a somewhat less crazy fanatic “Christian” need to be altered. A “burning desire to sacrificcially serve” paired with meek, modest, and humble doesn’t really sound like the beliefs of a normal person. I kind of think God really just wants us to be good people, kind people, accept others and try to live your life with purpose and gratitude, be helpful and have integrity. You know, just really simple, basic things. The first commandment should have been something like “Do not cause harm to your people and your world.”

        I don’t know, reading about these people gives me the sads. They don’t seem interested in breaking away. I hope they’re content, at least, with their lives.

  30. Pants says:

    Joy-Anna always seemed a little feisty. Hopefully she winds up being the one who breaks away, since Jinger’s out of the running now.

  31. Queendolly says:

    Didnt God say ” Though shalt have no other Gods before me” ? Somebody should ask the Duggar woman why they stare at their new owners like they’re gods and why do they worship at the feet of the men in their lives. Even Jesus disagrees with everything about this creepy unwholesome family.

  32. Lara says:

    I like Jinger and always hoped she and Jana would break away from their screwed up family. Hopefully this “courtship” works out and she will move far, far away from Daddy Dearest.

  33. Lynnie says:

    I remember there was an anti-Duggar website (before it was mainstream lol) called freeJinger or something. Apparently back in the day she used to be feisty and rebellious, and then her parents sent her off to some religious camp. I guess this was the result. Poor girl =(

    • Layla Beans says:

      Free Jinger still exists. Best place for the real scoop about them. Lots of people in Arkansas don’t like them AT ALL.

    • I Choose Me says:

      Must be why her eyes look so hunted despite the game show hostess smile.

  34. isabelle says:

    I’m a Christian and have some very every word in the bible is true Evangelical friends. They are well traveled, lived in foreign communities, worked with Urban poor, well read, smart yet they adhere to very conservative ideology. Women have their place, constant sexist dialogue and man is everything. Feminism is evil & destroying the world, creating more gays, not even kidding. Not just the men it comes from the women as well. Which boggles my mind. Many of my America Christian views changed when I began to travel & resided in other countries. When I met Christians that weren’t American and worshipped differently because of it. Some deeply ingrained Christians though never change one view their parents installed, even if they are well educated travelers.

  35. K2 says:

    Not one of those photos show her eyes happy. Even when the mouth is smiling, the eyes look dead to anything but misery. It’s really distressing. I hope she just doesn’t like being on camera.

  36. deevia says:

    She smiles like Britney Spears does whenever she’s on the red carpet.

  37. Veronica says:

    I actually find the word “courting” to be very charmingly old-fashioned when used in a modern setting, and it makes me really sad that this family is ruining that for me.

    Side anecdote: the whole “father’s permission” issue was a major fight between two of my friends when they were about to get engaged. My girlfriend was just like, “Who the eff cares, just ask him and get it over with because he’s stodgy like that” whereas it was actually her fiancé who was like, “That’s grossly sexist and outdated, and I’m not participating in that.” I agreed with him, but I also get her point that if her father said no, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, since they would have just rolled their eyes and married anyway.

  38. Sunshine Gold says:

    So he’s 28 and a virgin? That’s pretty old for a strapping Christian like himself. Would have thought he’d have paired off already.

  39. HyacinthBucket says:

    I picture God watching the Duggars and going “Nice one Lucifer! I’ll get back to you for THAT!”

  40. Alix says:

    JInger seems to get her eyeliner tips from the Duchess of Cambridge.

  41. Lucky Charm says:

    I think ole Jim Bob is jealous of the higher caliber sons-in-law Gil Bates has. Yes, they are all part of or tied to the same fundamentalist beliefs, but Derrick and Ben are certainly not as great a catch, and this is Jim Bibs attempt at competing. I just hope this guy will encourage Jinger to pursue photography if that’s her passion, and even go to school to learn more about it.