Another day, another Jana Duggar courtship rumor.
That sounds like a figure of speech, but at this point, it’s an almost-literal description of the media scrutiny surrounding Jana’s love life.
Just yesterday – yesterday! – sources claimed that Jana was courting Caleb Williams, a longtime family friend with whom she’s reportedly bee spending a lot of time in recent weeks.
Today, a new suitor has emerged, and once again, the Duggar faithful are convinced that wedding bells will soon be ringing for Jana.
As with Williams, the evidence of a romance between Jana and Jacob Wilson is flimsy at best, but we’ll present it to you, the jury, nonetheless:
Fans who print out every photo that the Duggars post on social media and examine them under a microscope have discovered that Williams has been lingering in the background of many Duggar family photos lately.
Now, there could be a very simple explanation for this:
Jacob is the son of Clark Wilson, a longtime friend of the Duggars, who helped build the 7,000-square-foot compound they call home.
The Duggars maintain close ties with a number of families who share their fundamentalist views, and they often regard these like-minded clans as a part of an extended family unted not by blood, but by a shared worldview.
But even though they’re raised to think of one another almost as siblings, all Duggar children are still encouraged to consider these fellow fundies first when seeking out breeding partners.
(Draw whatever conclusions you’d like about how these seemingly contradictory messages might have contributed to the circumstances surrounding the Josh Duggar sex scandals.)
“Him and Jana would make beautiful babies,” commented one fan on a recent photo.
Others pointed out that as a hunter, avid fisherman, and volunteer firefighter, Jacob meets Jana’s requirements for a man who likes to “get his hands dirty.”
He’s also training to be an EMT, and he recently traveled to Texas and volunteered to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Sounds like a catch.
Unfrotunately, Jim Bob might take issue with the fact that Jacob most definitely does not share the Duggars views on the importance of “modest attire.”
It may seem like a minor point of contention, but sources say Jim Bob has been clashing with his sons-in-law quite frequently in recent months, primarily because they don’t share his views on certain religious doctrines.
Once Duggar women are married, it’s their husbands, not their fathers who determine their code of conduct.
Insiders say Jim Bob is deeply humiliated by the fact that Jinger Duggar has been wearing shorts since marrying Jeremy Vuolo, and he’s likely determined to avoid any further humiliation.
Of course, we’re probably getting way ahead of ourselves here, as in all likelihood, Jana and Jacob are not courting.
Although it’s worth noting that he is rocking a “J” name.
Bonus points for that.
Watch Counting On online for more from reality TV’s most controversial family.
