Anyone who watched even a single episode of the Duggar family's shows, whether 19 Kids and Counting or the spinoff Counting On, knows that they have unconventional habits. Not only that, but the family also earned notoriety for the misdeeds of the oldest son, who was sentenced to over a decade in prison. Since the drama has settled somewhat, the focus is back on the rest of the family and how they're living their lives after Josh Duggar's incarceration.
One family member who seems to have separated herself from the drama is Joy-Anna Duggar. Though a heartwrenching moment during Josh's trial revealed a lot about Joy-Anna's earlier years, fans are happy to see that she's building a happy home with her husband, Austin Forsyth. By all accounts, the Forsyths have earned their happy ending. Except that fans think Joy-Anna may not have been Austin's first choice when it came to marrying a Duggar.
How Did Joy-Anna Duggar And Austin Forsyth Meet?
According to the 19 Kids and Counting Wiki page, which reflects the "official" story of the pair's meeting, Austin Forsyth and Joy-Anna were childhood friends. However, Joy-Anna has been quoted as saying that she didn't remember him from her childhood; they are said to have been friends for 15 years.
Their courtship was announced in 2016, and Austin's proposal was featured on an episode of Counting On. Forsyth proposed to Joy while on a horseback riding adventure with two of the younger Duggar girls.
Joy-Anna and Austin were married in March 2017, in Arkansas.
Fans Think Austin Forsyth Would Have Married Another Duggar
While the official story of Austin and Joy's courtship starts with Austin being a friend of the family, Redditors dug a bit deeper after noticing Austin's history with the Duggars.
In one thread, a commenter recalled hearing the suggestion that Austin originally wanted to court another Duggar daughter, prior to courting Joy-Anna.
In a video clip from TLC, Austin explained that the first time he thought of Joy-Anna romantically was while he was attending flight school. He explained that one day, he woke up and thought "what about Joy?"
In the clip, Austin says he believes that his epiphany was the result of God speaking to him. For Joy's part, she explained that she began to have romantic feelings for Austin after he shared his "testimony" with the family during a casual visit to their home.
In the video, Austin says he never imagined he would one day be married to a Duggar, but says he should have had his eye on Joy sooner.
It sounds like a sweet love story, but Redditors were divided on what the "what about" part truly meant; did that confirm the rumor that Austin had his eye on another Duggar sister before Joy-Anna?
The idea that Austin might have had his eye on another sister is plausible, some say, with one Redditor noting, "Seems reasonable he might have had a shine for one of the older Dugg Girls, one closer to his own age. When they were all younger, the 4yr difference would have been more significant and he may have seen Joy as more of one of the little girls."
Though the theory still circulates, many commenters agreed that Austin's rendition of the story is probably true. One pointed out, "I always took it as they were friends and then one day he had that rom com realization that his best friend had been the one all along."
Others thought this was a valid interpretation, especially since Austin had a history of hanging out with the Duggar brothers and "tomboy" Joy-Anna, as she was often described growing up.
Some fans even commended Austin for seemingly not noticing Joy sooner; they thought his lack of romantic interest in Joy showed that he saw her as a child until they began courting when she was around 19.
Of all the Duggar courtships to date, fans seemed to agree that Joy-Anna and Austin's was one of the more heartwarming.
Joy And Austin's Marriage Has Weathered Many Storms
Joy and Austin have been through a lot, and they also made the monumental decision to leave reality TV, even before Joy's family's shows were taken off the air.
Fans think Joy-Anna has distanced herself from her family on purpose, even amid personal difficulties such as a stillbirth during her second pregnancy; baby Annabell arrived at 20 weeks gestation and did not survive.
Together, Joy and Austin have welcomed one living daughter and as of November 2022 were expecting a second son. By all appearances, the couple seems entirely happy together, despite those old and awkward Counting On clips.