New Photo Of Jed Duggar With Jana Duggar's BFF Sparks Dating Rumors

Counting On star Jed Duggar recently announced he's running for political office in Arkansas, launching an Instagram account to share the news. The big changes have some fans wondering about his love life, curiosity which peaked Wednesday after a certain photo surfaced online. Now viewers think Jed Duggar is dating Jana Duggar's best friend, Laura DeMasie. But is there any truth to the rumors? As it turns out, there might be something to this suspicion.

It appears the Duggar family visited Silver Dollar City amusement park in Branson, Missouri the other day, with Jana, Jed, and a bunch of other siblings taking part in the fun. DeMasie also tagged along, appearing in some of Jana's Instagram Stories.

In one particular shot, DeMasie poses with Jed, Jana, and Jason. And as you can see in the pic, Jed has his arm around DeMasie. This isn't at all scandalous, of course, but in Duggarland it's pretty telling. That's because the Duggar siblings typically don't touch members of the opposite sex unless there's a courtship going on. The touching is pretty limited, with most dating Duggars deciding to only do side hugs and hand holding before taking the next step.

This didn't go unnoticed by Redditors on Duggar Snark, with one commenter joking, "Jed is touching Laura so they're basically married at this point, right?"

Someone else quipped: "Gotta have those chaperones before desires are stirred up that cannot be righteously fulfilled."

"Is there a chance that Laura and whichever Duggar that is on the left are courting?" one person penned in reference to Jed.

A fan on Instagram asked, "Do I spy a courtship?"

The cynical side of me believes there is no courtship, and this pic is perhaps designed to generate buzz about Jed's campaign. Meaning he has to appear like an actual 20-year-old who dates and doesn't share a bunk bed with one of his 19 siblings. So it's very possible he's happy to let the dating rumors fly, as it makes him seem more mature to constituents.

The next option is there's a courtship going on, which is also a strong possibility. The Duggars tend to date within their immediate social circles (some have even suggested the pairings are orchestrated by Jim Bob), so DeMasie is a definite contender for a future Duggar wife.

It's also interesting to note DeMasie shared the photo on her own Instagram page, captioning the shot, "Getting in the holiday spirit!"

Who knows where this will go, but I think it's safe to say fans will keep an eye on this possible relationship between DeMasie and Jed.