Secretly Miserable In Their Marriage? - Josiah Duggar and Lauren Swanson counting on
Channel: The Famous Room
Date: 2020-08-07

None of the Duggars has a more unusual dating history than Josiah Duggar.

In the vast majority of cases, Jim Bob and Michelle's kids enter their first courtship, announce it to the world, and then get married a few months later.

Josiah Duggar Prepares for His Wedding
But that wasn't the case with Josiah.

No, Josiah courted Marjorie Jackson back in 2015, and after sharing their love with the world in a typically sappy announcement video, the couple went their separate ways without explanation.

That makes Josiah the only Duggar of his generation to have endured a breakup -- and some fans think he's currently headed for another one.

Special Twosome
Josiah married Lauren Swanson back in 2018, and at first, he approached married life with his usual enthusiasm.

Within months, however, fans began to notice that Josiah -- who appears to thrive on adventure and novelty -- seemed to lose interest in his new life of quiet domesticity.

Less than a year after the wedding, Lauren suffered a miscarriage, and some fans are convinced that their marriage never fully recovered.

Josiah Duggar and Lauren Swanson Together
“It really was a hard time for our family going through this right after we got married,” Lauren explained with uncharacteristic candor on an episode of Counting On.

“And all the dreams of getting to see our little one and hold it in our hands dashed before our eyes.”

In 2019, Lauren gave birth to a baby girl named Bella, and the narrative that was presented on Counting On suggested that this "rainbow baby" was all the couple needed in order to move on.

Lauren Swanson Broods
But Duggar fans are still fixating on scenes of the couple's pre-delivery preparations, in which they seemed painfully awkward around one another.

“Today, we are working on the nursery for our baby girl, and we hope we can get everything set up exactly how we want it to be,” Josiah told the camera in one scene.

That was followed by Lauren explaining her design ideas for the nursery, and viewers felt that both parties seemed painfully awkward and uncomfortable.

Josiah Duggar and His Wife
“He seems so odd around his wife,” one fan commented.

“Like if he’s just following what the family expects.”

“They still seem uncomfortable with each other, idk what it is,” another echoed. “They just seem awkward.”

Josiah Duggar in TLC Video
“Why do they seem awkward towards each other?” a third echoed.

"Josiah seems kind of turned ff by his wife or he is just nervous. Idk.”

Josiah and Lauren are only 23 and 21, respectively, and it's possible that neither was emotionally equipped for the roller coaster ride of a miscarriage followed so closely by another pregnancy.

Josiah and Lauren Duggar with Baby Bella
But some fans are convinced there's more going on here.

They believe Josiah was pressured to marry Lauren in order to distract from his mysterious split with Marjorie.

We may never know for sure what exactly happened with that breakup, but whatever the case, the Duggars seemed eager to sweep it under the carpet.

Josiah and Lauren Duggar
The couple never even formally announced their split; fans just pieced it together after Marjorie was scrubbed from Josiah's social media pages.

In all likelihood, Josiah and Marjorie simply decided they weren't right for one another, and they went their separate ways.

Of course, divorce is strictly forbidden in the Duggars' world, so Josiah would not have the option of having a similar change of heart with regard to Lauren.

Josiah and Lauren Anniversary Photo
Back in June, the father of one took to Instagram to pay tribute to his wife on their wedding anniversary.

"As we celebrate our anniversary, I am reminded of the day when I first fell in love with you. It was that, 'you know, when you know', moment," he wrote.

"I instantly knew, somehow, someday, you would be my wife," Josiah continued.

Josiah Duggar and Lauren Swanson on Their Gram
"You have changed my life forever and for the better. You have brought so much joy and fun into my life."

Josiah is one of the more well-liked Duggars, and no doubt many fans hope that he's as happy as he claims to be. duggar family