The Untold Truth Of Jana Duggar

Out of all of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's 19 kids, their eldest daughter Jana Duggar is arguably the most low-key. From Jana's easy-going personality to her lack of courtships (girl seemingly prefers the single life), there's a lot of evidence to suggest not much is going on in the Counting On star's world. As the old adage goes, however, nothing is ever as it seems — and this is especially true for Jana. As it turns out, there is a lot of juicy information viewers don't know about Jana, including her sought after personal life. We're talking from Tim Tebow dating rumors all the way to the persistent speculation surrounding Jana's sexuality. Oh, and how could we forget all the gossip about Jana and her siblings? Some fans might be shocked to learn that Jana's relationships with her brothers and sisters are a tad complicated, to say the least. That all being said, here's the truth about Jana Duggar.

It's not out of the ordinary for dating rumors to surface between two high-profile celebrities. It's a bit less common, however, for an NFL star to be supposedly hooking up with a lesser known reality star a la TLC. Although this type of pairing might seem odd to some, rumors swirled in 2014 that Jana and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow were an item. Apparently, the gossip reached a fever pitch after Jim Bob met Tebow's mother, Pat Tebow, at a charity event for Loving Pregnancy Centers in 2014. "A great lady and a great cause! We enjoyed hearing Pam Tebow share tonight," Jim Bob captioned a November 2014 Facebook photo taken at the event. 

At the time, the dating rumors made sense because both Jana and Tebow are deeply religious and they're two years apart in age. Plus, many fans were right to theorize that Jim Bob might have tried to get Jana and Tebow together via Pat — it's not like the patriarch hasn't set up his daughters before, after all.

Unfortunately for excited fans, however, Tebow's rep denied the romance in December 2014, according to Us Weekly. Making matters even more uncomfortable is that Jana's brother-in-law, Ben Seewald, made an awkward joke about Tebow possibly joining the Duggar clan just two months after the denial. "I'd definitely have him on my team," Seewald said about the possibility of playing family football with Tebow, according to People. "We'd win every time." Well, a guy can dream.

When you're single in a family full of coupled up siblings, things can get kind of awkward from time to time. Case in point: At a January 2018 speaking event in Australia, Jim Bob seemingly mocked Jana for her longtime single status. As if that scenario isn't nightmarish enough (dads should typically refrain from making light of their daughter's dating life), Jim Bob made the off-color comment in front of Jana. "And Jana is — actually, back in the US, it's her birthday," Jim Bob told a packed church while Jana looked on, according to a video taken at the event. "Jana is 28 years old and still single, so she's still praying about the one." Oh, Jim Bob. Are you not familiar with the expression, "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all?"

Unsurprisingly, many fans were outraged by Jim Bob's bizarre remark. "I'm half surprised that Jim Bob Duggar hasn't tried to force Jana into an arranged marriage by now. In the rest of America other than on The Bachelor, being single at 28 is no big deal," one fan joked on Twitter about the uncomfortable incident. Another chimed in: "Ugh. Attention Jim Bob: your daughter is smart, beautiful, and has an amazing heart ... remember that before you go making fun of her for being 28 and single." Yeah, we think it's probably a good idea for Jim Bob to keep a lid on it going forward. 

Some fans might be shocked to learn that Jana Duggar and her younger sister, Jessa, loathed one another as kids. Things got so bad, in fact, that Michelle had to intervene by forcing the girls to share bunk beds — a story that was recounted in the Duggar sisters' book, Growing Up Duggar (via The Inquisitr). Unfortunately for Michelle, however, her parenting solution didn't go over too well. Jessa, who was assigned the bottom bunk, would spend her nights kicking Jana's bed as a means of harassment. Yikes.

As for how the siblings co-exist as adults, some progress has been made. "I think as I started to get a little bit older, I also had a very strong personality and so I would sometimes protest the ideas that she [Jana] had," Jessa said on an episode of Counting On about the pair's evolving friendship. "She'd be like we're going to do this, and I'd be like, 'No we're not.' [...] We clashed heads a little bit when we were younger; but now that we're older, I don't know, we work together well." Speaking of working together as a team, Jana and Jessa often collaborate on design and cooking projects together. Although the two do clash from time to time, they ultimately get the job done. Props to Jessa and Jana for putting aside their differences.

Unlike her younger sisters, Jana has never placed an emphasis on getting married. Although some people have theorized that no one is interested in Jana (really, guys?), it turns out that Jana is simply taking her time with love. "Jana has been pursued by several guys," a source told Radar Online in January 2015. "She has never gotten to the courting phase with anyone, but she has spoken with interested men after church." Ultimately, however, the guys at church weren't her cup of tea. "She [Jana] shut it down," the insider added, according to Radar Online. "The problem is that Jana's extremely picky. She wants the real deal and won't settle for less." Well, you can't fault a girl for knowing what she wants. Not to mention, Jana is very goal-oriented. "She's [Jana] a midwife," the family source went on to reveal. "She's more goal-oriented than some of her siblings. For her, it's not just about being married." Hmm, we have a feeling Jana has jammed out to Kelly Clarkson's "Miss Independent" from time to time. Get it, Jana. 

One of Jana's talents is that she's an expert gardener — a fact that has been brought up on Counting On a few times. Jana is so skilled at designing outdoor gardens that the family went as far to nickname her "Jana Gaines," after Fixer Upper star Joanna Gaines. Although that name might seem like a lot to live up to, it turns out Jana is doing a good job of keeping the Duggar's backyard looking fresh. Not only did Jana convert a plot of the Duggar's land into an impressive vegetable garden (zucchini, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.), but she also built an outdoor entertaining space. Jessa referred to Jana's creation as a "work of art," while Joy-Anna Duggar called it "amazing," according to an episode of Counting On. As for the younger kids, they enjoy helping Jana harvest the fruits of her labor. Michelle and Jim Bob have to keep their large brood busy somehow, right? P.S. We're totally rooting for Jana to get her own gardening show on HGTV.

If you're a fan of Counting On, you're probably familiar with Jana's unofficial nickname, "Cinderella Duggar." The nickname, which might sound confusing to some people, caught on around the time Jana's siblings started getting married. Many fans couldn't help but notice that while Jana's family members were enjoying dates and other fun activities, she was stuck at home looking after Jim Bob and Michelle's younger kids. And, to be fair, it does seem like Jana babysits and tends to household chores more often than not. But is Jana truly a real life Cinderella of sorts? The answer is probably no. All the Duggar kids who live at home have assigned chores and duties to fulfill, which means it's not shocking that Jana is typically watching over her gaggle of brothers and sisters. Although it's more compelling to imagine that Michelle and Jim Bob have banned Jana from ever leaving chateau Duggar so she can play maid, the more likely scenario is that she's simply earning her keep.   

For some single people, Valentine's Day can be an uncomfortable and tedious holiday. Although most singletons can choose to ignore the holiday altogether, others don't have the luxury of avoiding moments that might remind them of their relationship status. Sadly, Jana falls into the latter category of this scenario — a fact fans were reminded of on Valentine's Day in February 2018 when Jim Bob and Michelle revealed that their sons had sent their eldest (and single) daughter bouquets of roses to commemorate the special day. "Jana received SO MANY beautiful valentine flowers from her brothers on Valentine's day," Jim Bob and Michelle captioned a shot of Jana posing with flowers, according to Facebook. While some might argue that the gesture was sweet, most Counting On viewers complained that the roses were a bit strange. "That's a little creepy," someone commented on the Facebook post. Others found flower-gate condescending. "Everyone wants her to find her love and get married. Does anyone ever think she could just be happy being single?" one fan asked. Yep, it's quite clear most people aren't in favor of the Duggar family drawing attention to Jana's personal life.  

Celebrities often face rumors about their sexuality, and Jana Duggar is no exception to this rule. Interestingly enough, a lot of fans think Jana is a lesbian because of her longtime single status — a theory the reality star has never denied or confirmed. Although a person's sexuality can't be determined by their lack of a dating life (we can't stress this enough), people can't seem to let go of the idea that Jana is supposedly dating her best friend, Laura DeMasie. DeMasie, an event planner, is often pictured with Jana and she sometimes accompanies her on trips. In fact, DeMasie tagged along when Jana flew to Texas to visit her younger sister, Jinger Duggar. And in August 2017, a source insinuated to The Hollywood Gossip that Jana prefers "the company" of women over men. Of course, it's not fair to speculate about a person's sexuality and Jana has the right to keep her private life private. Only time will tell if these rumors are true. 

Every so often, a rumor about one of the Duggar kids possibly going rogue surfaces online. And in March 2015, a source argued that Jana would be the likely culprit to leave chateau Duggar for good. "She told her parents that she was looking at Christian colleges and would be applying soon," a supposed insider told OK! Magazine. "Jana knows she needs to get on with her education if she doesn't want to be stuck at her mom and dad's house in Arkansas for the rest of her life." If you're wondering why Jana possibly going to college is newsworthy, consider the fact that the Jim Bob and Michelle don't necessarily encourage their kids to venture outside of their bubble in Arkansas — especially solo. So, Jana possibly leaving the compound to shack up in a dorm would be quite earth-shattering, to put it mildly. Unsurprisingly, the source went on to reveal that Jim Bob supposedly tried to talk Jana out of leaving, according to OK! Magazine. And it's safe to assume Jim Bob got his way in this situation — as of May 2018, Jana hasn't pursued a college education outside of her family's compound. In fact, Jana didn't even mention college when she was asked about her five-year plan in March 2016. Still, you never know how things could work out for Jana down the line.

Just because Jana isn't overly enthusiastic about love and marriage, it doesn't mean she's closed off to having kids one day. When Jana was asked in March 2016 on an episode of Counting On about where she sees herself in five years, she replied, "That's a hard one. Well maybe, you know, I'll meet the one and get married and have kids and stuff." Well, there ya have it folks. Having children is not out of the question for Jana. As for why Jana is seemingly open to the prospect of children, it might be because she wants to fit in with her family-oriented siblings. "It's like this weird in-between stage, you know? I'm not a younger one, but I'm not an older, married one with kids," Jana said about her awkward situation on the episode. But don't worry about Jana — it turns out she's OK with doing her own thing. "[I'm] just being busy with where God has me right now and being content in this place and learning as much as I can and go on and live life," Jana continued. Good for Jana, right?