The Untold Truth Of Jason Duggar

Jason Duggar is the twelfth-born child of 19 Kids and Counting couple Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Arkansas natives whose penchant for procreating has turned them and their progeny into some of TLC's biggest reality TV stars. When Michelle gave birth to half a dozen consecutive sons, Jason came third after twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah. Due to the six boys' close proximity in age, shared genetics, and alliterative "J" names, it's no shocker that Duggar fans sometimes have a difficult time telling them apart.

Because Jason is not married or in a courtship — the Duggars' chaste, chaperoned version of dating — he gets a little less screen time on Counting On than his older siblings, many of whom have children and relationships to build storylines around. However, because he has been a legal adult for over two years now — more than old enough to be wed in his family's eyes — fans are beginning to take more of an interest in his life. While it might be tough to stand out in a family of 19 children raised to share the same strict religious beliefs, Jason has a few defining traits and experiences that are unique to him. Keep reading on to learn what sets him apart from his siblings.

Jason Duggar grew up in front of the camera. When he was just 4 years old, he appeared in his family's first Discovery Health Channel special, 14 Children and Pregnant Again (via In Touch Weekly). Many of his major life events were documented on television, including one of his most terrifying experiences. In 2011, his family was visiting a church in Atlanta, Georgia when he plummeted 12 feet into an orchestra pit. His older sister, Jill, was rehearsing the harp at the time, and his ear-splitting screams were captured on camera. They were a disturbing contrast to the musical instrument's dulcet notes.

The aftermath of Jason's fall was also captured on camera, thanks to his family members' quick thinking. "You know, we have so many adult children, that they have a phone with a camera on it," said matriarch Michelle in a video clip on TLC's YouTube channel. "And so, needless to say, everyone was getting this on their cameras." Jim Bob described the scary scene as his son "laying there basically in a pool of blood." Jason was rushed to the hospital, where he got several stitches in his face. He also suffered broken teeth, a fractured jaw, and a sprained knee. Yikes!

The rest of Jason Duggar's televised childhood was relatively drama-free, but the floodgates opened online when he officially became an adult. Speculation about his love life ran rampant, and many fans were convinced that he had his heart set on Lauren Caldwell, the younger sister of his brother Joseph's wife Kendra. The relationship rumors began in 2018 when fans spied him wearing a suit in a picture that his sister-in-law Anna posted on Instagram. Lauren was part of the group photo, and some fans wondered whether Jason had gotten dressed up for her, per OK! Magazine.

The following year, a Redditor spotted Jason and Lauren together in a photo taken during a mission trip to Greece. Then, in late 2020, the pair's rumored romantic escapades started morphing into something more akin to a soap opera plot than the wholesome storylines viewers see on Counting On. According to The Hollywood Gossip, Lauren was briefly engaged to a suitor named Titus Hall. When internet sleuths learned that she had possibly called off the engagement, they began speculating that Jason was the reason that the preacher's daughter split from her fiancé, whose presence has reportedly been wiped from her Instagram page.

Some fans don't seem to be convinced that Lauren Caldwell is Jason Duggar's best potential match. As reported by In Touch, there was buzz that he was looking for love among a different large family linked to his own when he visited his mother-in-law Hilary Spivey on March 5, 2021. His brother Justin wed Hilary's daughter Claire in February 2021. However, it seemed as though Jason's younger bro was not with him when he jetted off to Texas to visit the Spiveys. "After a tough week of adjusting to Claire being gone ... this guy walked through the back door Friday night," Hilary captioned a photo of Jason that she shared on her Instagram page. "What a surprise. We love you, Jason!"

One of Hilary's followers asked her if she was "possibly arranging something" between the eligible bachelor and one of her other daughters, but she made it clear that he was not there to woo anyone. Instead, Jason was apparently just there to hang out with his new extended family. "We would love to have Jason in our fam but no, our gal is too young," Hilary wrote. "We do say that he is part of the fam now that Justin and Claire are married. Friends come and go, but family is forever."

When Jason Duggar does settle down, it looks like he'll be ready to financially support a wife and kids. According to Radar Online, he purchased his first house in December 2016 when he was just 16 years old. But to be fair, he did have a little help from his pops. It was the first step toward Jason joining the family real estate business. After renovating the Arkansas property, he resold it for a $134,000 profit in 2018. 

Like most of his family members, Jason skipped college, but he's clearly not letting his lack of a higher education prevent him from making bank. By 2020, he owned his own contracting business, and he had sold a farmhouse that he built himself for $233,950 (via The Sun). "Supervising construction from the ground up — excavation, foundation, framing, plumbing, roofing, sheetrock, paint and fixtures — is a challenge that I love," Jason wrote on the Duggar family's website.

For a long time, Duggar critics were convinced that oldest daughter Jana was not allowed to leave the house alone as an adult simply because she is unmarried. However, Jason divulged that his family's list of restrictive rules doesn't include one saying that his older sister needs a chaperone. In February 2021, he took to Instagram to share a photo of himself and Jana that was taken during a visit to Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas. "Kind of sad that at 30 years old Jana is still never allowed to go anywhere without a chaperone," wrote one of his followers in the comments section. Another Instagrammer requested a source proving that Jana can leave home without being accompanied by another adult, which prompted Jason to cheekily write "She can!," per The Sun.

A year earlier, Jason had clapped back at an Instagrammer who left a similar comment on one of Jana's posts. "I'm sorry, I genuinely don't understand why your younger brothers can move out of the family home, but you can't take a trip with friends unchaperoned," the critic wrote. Jason's sassy response read, "I'm sorry, I genuinely don't understand how you think you know about all the trips she takes" (via InTouch Weekly). Jana has already seen nine siblings get married and move out, so will her snarky defender become the next one to beat her to the altar? Stay tuned!