The question of what Ben Seewald does for a living has been on the minds of Duggar family fans from the time he was first introduced as Jessa’s suitor.
The Seewalds are beloved by Counting On obsessives, but the nagging question of how Ben spends his time when he’s not filming the show (men helping with housework and child care is virtually unheard of in the Duggar clan), seems to loom large on social media.
For a brief period last month, it was widely rumored that Ben had found a real job.
Then the truth came out:
The “job” was one-time speaking engagement at a faith-based gathering in Texas.
Basically, Ben would be using his star power to help sell tickets.
Not exactly hard labor.
But fans who are a bit put off by Seewald’s apparent work allergy will be pleased to learn that he seems conscious of the fact that reality TV fame doesn’t last forever.
And it’s likely for that reason Ben is slowly forging a career path for himself.
If you follow Ben on social media, you may have noticed that his posts have become increasingly political in recent months.
Here’s a recent video in which Ben is all, “Separation of church and state? I don’t think so, Founding Padres.”
It’s clips like that that have led fans to believe that Ben might be preparing for a future in politics.
Couple his web presence with the associate’s degree in political science that Ben recently earned from Arkansas’ National Park Community College, and it’s not hard to see why viewers believe they might be seeing Ben’s name on a ballot in the near future.
Of course, it’s likely that not all Duggar fans will be on board with Ben’s political beliefs.
Ben is more liberal than his in-laws, and has drawn criticism from the family’s far-right fan base for expressing his support for the Black Lives Matter movement and Colin Kaepernick’s decision to sit for the national anthem.
In fact, it looks as though Ben would probably describe himself as a right-leaning moderate.
Centrists used to be the norm in American politics, but these days they’re about as rare as unicorns.
Which means that despite his fame, Ben will probably rise through the ranks about as high as the Tontitown School Board.