Joy-Anna Duggar has addressed the four-year age gap with her husband Austin Forsyth, explaining that her feelings for him blossomed when she was 14 years old.
The 28-year-old reality television star spoke with her sister Jinger Duggar Vuolo on the August 19 episode of the "Jinger & Jeremy Podcast." She married Forsyth when she was 19 and he was 23 in a televised wedding in May 2017 at Cross Church in Rogers, Arkansas, after knowing him as a friend for 15 years.
Duggar told her sister they met as young children. "I was 4, and he was 8 when they moved up from Texas," she said. "His family, they had visited wherever we were having church," she continued. "Then they went and had a different church, and we didn't see each other very often."
They reconnected when Forsyth started playing sports with her older brothers Josh, John-David, Joseph and Josiah. "He got his driver's license and started playing football and broom ball with the boys," Duggar recounted, adding: "I was 14, he was 18 when I started crushing hard."
Vuolo, 32, said family members noticed the age difference when her sister began dating after turning 18. "I always think you and Austin are further apart in age than you are," Vuolo said. "Just because I remember you being so young."
Vuolo is in a relationship with a larger age gap, but noted the distinction. "We also have an age gap. Jeremy is six and a half years older than me," she said. "It's a bigger age gap, but I think yours felt a little bit more significant because you were younger."
Duggar, who has three children named Gideon, 8, Evelyn, 5, and Gunner, 3, stressed that marriages require effort. "Marriage, it is so fun, and it can be easy if you're married to the right person, but there also are things that you have to both grow in," she said. "You think, 'Oh, it's just going to be happily ever after,' when in reality you do have to put work in. You have to grow. You have to communicate."
Parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar
The wider Duggar family starred in the TLC series "19 Kids and Counting," which premiered in 2008 as "17 Kids and Counting."
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar met in high school after he visited her home on behalf of his Baptist church, having been told by a friend that "this girl from school that just got saved and is a cheerleader" lived there. He later introduced himself at a frozen yogurt shop owned by his parents.
"You came to the counter where I was standing by the cash register and introduced yourself," Michelle recalled in a 2017 letter. "You were shy but very sweet! I really don't remember much about that conversation, except that you finally mustered up the courage to ask me if I would go to your junior-senior banquet with you!"
They discussed religion for hours afterwards. "From there, we believe our hearts were knit together," she said. "We graduated high school in May of 1984 and were married in July. I was 17 and Jim Bob was 19."
Jim Bob is a former Arkansas state legislator who served from 1999 until 2002, during which he was vice chair of the House of Corrections and Criminal Law Subcommittee. He had an unsuccessful primary run for the United States Senate in 2002 and a bid for the Republican nomination for Arkansas State Senate in 2006. As of October 2024, the couple were grandparents to 33 children, with three more expected.
Josh and the elder twins
Their eldest child, Josh Duggar, was born on March 3, 1988. He married Anna Keller in September 2008 and they have seven children: Mackynzie, Michael, Marcus, Meredith, Mason Garett, Maryella Hope, and Madyson Lily. He stepped down from his conservative activist work for the Family Research Council in 2015 after police records revealed he had been accused of molesting several girls as a teenager, including his sisters Jessa and Jill.
Jessa defended him in a June 2015 interview, saying the claims were "so overboard and a lie, really. I mean people get mad at me for saying that, but I can say this because I was one of the victims." When the scandal broke, his wife gave birth to their fourth child on July 16, 2015, the same day TLC canceled the family's series.
When he entered a treatment center in 2016 following admissions of infidelity, his parents called it "a crucial first step in recovering and healing." In 2022, he was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison after being found guilty of receiving child pornography, though a possession charge was vacated.
Following a miscarriage, Michelle gave birth to twins John-David and Jana Duggar on January 12, 1990. "We felt it was a double blessing," Michelle said at the time. "God was encouraging our hearts. We're still learning. It's really so unusual, because I breastfeed my babies, but my children are so close together. I have a baby and then eight months later I'm expecting. Just another unusual thing the Lord has seen fit to do with our situation."
John-David married Abbie-Grace Burnett in November 2018. They have three children. Jana wrote to him on their 30th birthday: "Ever since John and I were little we've been asked if we have that 'twin thing'. You know, the thing where you feel what the other one is feeling or know what the other one is thinking...Well, John, I've always answered that with a no but now I can honestly say that the day little Gracie was born I felt every bit of happiness that you did, so I guess it must be real!" She added: "It's so sweet watching you & Abbie as parents! You're naturals! And the same qualities that have made you a wonderful brother will also make you an amazing dad."
Jana married Stephen Wissmann on August 15, 2024. Ahead of the wedding, she said: "I haven't always understood what the bigger picture is, but I know that God knows what is best for all of us. And so for me, it's getting married later. Each of our stories will be written differently. If we were all the exact same, it would be a boring life." They welcomed a son, Archie Gerald, on December 30, 2025.
Jill, Jessa and Jinger
Jill Duggar, born on May 17, 1991, met Derick Dillard, who grew up about 45 minutes away, on Christmas 2011. They married on June 21, 2014, and share three sons: Israel, Samuel, and Frederick. Jill announced a pregnancy loss in April 2024. They appeared in the June 2023 documentary "Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets."
Jessa Duggar, born on November 4, 1992, married Ben Seewald on November 1, 2014. Her father explained their courtship approach: "Courting is getting to know each other in a group setting, both families spending time together and the couple setting goals together to determine if they are meant to marry. With dating, a couple will often pair off alone and that sometimes leads to a more physical relationship."
Jessa and her husband have six children, including son Edward born in August 2025. She experienced a miscarriage over the 2022 holiday season. She and her sister later starred in the spin-off series "Counting On."
Jinger Duggar was born on December 21, 1993, and married Jeremy Vuolo on November 5, 2016. "Where we see ourselves in a year is probably just settled down, still doing ministry here in Laredo, and just seeking to serve the Lord, however, we can," she said in 2017. They have three children, Felicity, Evangeline Jo, and Finnegan Charles, and experienced a miscarriage in the fall of 2017.
Joseph and Josiah
Joseph Duggar, born on January 20, 1995, proposed to Kendra Caldwell at his sister Joy-Anna's wedding in May 2017. "I was definitely nervous going into it, but I wasn't afraid that she was going to say no, because she has said, 'I'm just waiting on you!'" he said. She added: "I'm so happy and so shocked. There's so many words I want to say, but just shocked." They have four children: Garrett, Addison, Brooklyn, and Justus.
On March 18, 2026, Joseph was arrested for allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl during a 2020 family vacation. He pleaded not guilty to lewd and lascivious behavior involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor. His wife was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and false imprisonment.
Josiah Duggar was born on August 28, 1996. He married Lauren Swanson on June 30, 2018, describing the day as "absolutely perfect." He proposed at the spot where her parents became engaged, noting: "There's a lot of family history on this property making it a special place for Lauren." His mother said of the engagement, "We love Lauren, she is such a precious girl." His sister Jessa offered chocolates shaped like letters, joking: "Pretty sure that y'all want to save your first kiss for your wedding day, but if you come over here we'll give you..."
Josiah previously courted Marjorie Jackson, but they separated in 2015. "Marjorie and I had a good time together," he said in 2016. "We were just trying to follow God's lead on everything. She didn't feel that it was the right timing then, so we called it quits for a bit." Josiah and Lauren have three children and experienced a miscarriage in October 2018.
The younger siblings
Twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah Duggar were born on December 30, 1998. Jedidiah married Katey Nakatsu in April 2021, and they have four children. Jeremiah married Hannah Wissmann, and they also have four children.
Jason Duggar, born on April 21, 2000, started his own construction company after his father helped him buy a $33,000 fixer-upper in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, about 30 minutes away from the family homestead. He married Maddie Grace in October 2024.
James Duggar was born on July 7, 2001. His mother described him as the family's "funcle" (fun uncle) whom the younger boys look up to. "James is able to do just about anything he thinks up. Even as a child, we would find James 'fixing' various household appliances. He has always been one to take things apart, figure out how they work, and put them back together with a few special modifications!" she wrote. She added: "This year James worked hard to get his CDL, and he has become an expert at driving all the big trucks and heavy machinery! We can't wait to see what God has in store for him in the future!"
Justin Duggar was born on November 15, 2002, and married Claire Spivey on February 26, 2021. Jackson Duggar was born on May 23, 2004, and his mother praised his sense of humor on his 16th birthday.
Johannah Duggar was born on October 11, 2005. Her mother wrote: "This girl is so fun and outgoing, and she loves making new friends. Her younger sisters absolutely adore her and think she hung the moon, and I couldn't be more grateful to God for choosing me to be her Mom!"
Jennifer Duggar was born on August 2, 2007. Her mother described her as "dependable, loyal... and fun!" adding: "She is a favorite with the nieces and nephews and is usually carrying one of them around because they don't want her to put them down! Jennifer also has a special love for animals and is very faithful to take care of her pets every day! She recently helped raise a litter of 7 little bunnies!"
Jordyn-Grace was born on December 18, 2008, and was described as an "outgoing girl who has never met a stranger" and "is always one of the brightest spots in our day."
The 19th child, Josie, was born prematurely on December 10, 2009, weighing 1 pound, 6 ounces. She spent six months in a neonatal intensive care unit. Her mother wrote: "Josie is a ball of energy. From the time she wakes up in the morning until her head hits the pillow at night, she rarely slows down!"
