Entertainment

John-David Duggar's Love Life Has Long Been Rumored About & Here's Why

In the eyes of the Duggar family, one's greatest accomplishment seems to be getting married and starting a family. Sure, the belief is pretty archaic in the eyes of many outsiders, but the kids seem pretty into it. With that said, fans have recently been wondering about whether one of the oldest siblings in the famous family, John-David Duggar, is courting or not. (Courting is the Duggar family's ultra-conservative form of dating.)

Many Counting On fans likely have the question on their minds, considering John-David is the oldest unmarried Duggar sibling, tied with his twin sister Jana Duggar, both of whom are 28. Five of John-David's younger siblings already have spouses and children (or at least a baby on the way), so it's definitely notable that he has made it to age 28 as a single man.

Last month, In Touch Weekly reported that John-David might be courting, "according to a new report." (The alleged "new report" was not provided, so take this with a grain of salt.) The outlet noted that his rumored relationship would be revealed on the current season of Counting On. Unfortunately, Season 7 has already wrapped, and any information regarding a John-David courtship was not revealed in any of the episodes. Guess that rumor truly was just a rumor, unless it'll be addressed on Season 8 of Counting On this summer.

This was not the first time rumors spread that John-David was courting. In late 2015, the internet bubbled with gossip about a possible link between John-David and Tabitha Paine, who is an in-law of the Bates family (of Bringing Up Bates). Paine released a statement denying the rumors, explaining that she and John-David were no more than friends. Last summer, The Hollywood Gossip alleged that John-David was possibly courting a woman from Texas on the down-low, but that also never panned out.

Interestingly, John-David does have a desire to find a mate, get married, and start a family. In April 2016, John-David discussed the topic with TLC in a video for the network's YouTube channel. He said:

Future plans would be to, I think, one day, you know, the lord will bring the right one along, and I'll start a family and hopefully be able to invest in their lives and raise up a generation that will be great people for this society ...

When TLC asked John-David if he was courting anyone in the same video, he disclosed that he was not. He added that he has prayed that he will meet a special someone one day, explaining:

I don't have anybody right now. But I am praying about it. One day, one day. Just keep watching.

In contrast to that, John-David has not always been the biggest fan of courting. "I don't know why they're so hung up on me finding a woman," he reportedly moaned in an episode of Counting On, according to In Touch Weekly. It's totally fair that he would be annoyed by his family pestering him to find a partner, considering 28 is a totally normal age to still be single in most non-Duggar families. Not to mention, John-David has plenty of other great things in his life to keep him busy.

As detailed in a 2015 post on the Duggar family's blog, John-David works as a constable in Washington County, Arkansas. In March 2015, TLC shared a video of John-David on the job as a constable, with his father Jim Bob in tow for a traffic patrol drive. Additionally, John-David does construction work, and he has his pilot's license.

It's clear that John-David has plenty going on — but if his perfect match happens to walk into his life, there's no doubt he'll find room in his busy schedule.

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