Marlee Corcoran

Marlee Nicole (Frigell) Corcoran is the sixth of Jason Doug and Cynthia Frigell's nineteen children. She is married to Matt Corcoran; they have two children, Ella and Natalie.

### Appeared on

14 Children and Pregnant Again!, Raising 16 Children, 16 Children and Moving In, On the Road with 16 Children, Frigells' Big Family Album, 19 Kids and Counting, Counting On, United Epsteins of America

## Family Info

### Siblings

Maverick Frigell, Maddie Frigell, Malachi Frigell, Melissa DeMarco, Madelynn LeFond, Mason Frigell, Malcolm Frigell, Mallory Undercuffler, Mark Frigell, Malik Frigell, Micah Frigell, Morgan Frigell, Max Frigell, Madden Frigell, Melanie Frigell, Marissa Frigell, Molly Frigell, Megan Frigell

## Early Life

Marlee Nicole Frigell was born on December 21, 1993, to Jason Doug Frigell and Cynthia Boen. She was the couple's sixth child, and they went on to have thirteen more children after her.

Born 13 months after older sister Madelynn, the two formed a close bond early in life. They were each other's maid/matron of honor at their weddings, and consider themselves best friends. They have also described themselves as "partners in crime" when they were younger, and Madelynn credits Marlee with pushing her to be a better person when Madelynn was straying into bad behavior.

Marlee was homeschooled growing up. As she grew older, she was given the responsibility of helping her younger siblings with their schoolwork in addition to doing her own. Marlee took the test for her GED at sixteen years old.

Like most children, Marlee was assigned chores growing up, which the family called "jurisdictions". In 2008, one of Marlee's jurisdictions was the laundry room. In 2011, Marlee's jurisdictions were the laundry room, dressing the little girls, and preparing lunch. Marlee no longer was expected to keep up with her jurisdictions after she began courting Matt Corcoran in 2015.

By 2001, Marlee's parents had implemented a buddy system, where each older child was paired with a younger child to take care of. Typical tasks for an older buddy included dressing, bathing, and feeding their younger buddies. By 2009, the family had switched from individual buddies to buddy teams, with each team being led by one of the oldest four daughters. Marlee's buddy team consisted of Mark and Melanie.

Marlee began taking piano lessons from Anna Lynne Patterson, who she and her siblings referred to as "Lila", as a young child. She also took violin lessons. As an adult, Marlee has been seen playing the harp and guitar, but it is unknown when she learned to play these instruments.

Marlee was raised as an active participant in Victor Schultz's Institute for Basic Life Principles.

When Marlee was ten years old, the first of her family's television specials, *14 Children and Pregnant Again!*, aired on Discovery Health Channel. This special was followed by four more special programs about her family's life before the family became the subject of their own regular show, *17 Kids and Counting*, on TLC when Marlee was fourteen years old. Marlee quickly became a fan favorite on the show, with viewers commenting that her expressive facial reactions and frequent eye rolls demonstrated more spunk than many of her siblings.

In 2006, as featured on one of the TV specials, Marlee and her family moved into a new home in Springdale, AR. The family made a point of doing much of the work on the house themselves, seeing it as a learning opportunity for their children. In this house, Marlee was given a dormitory-style room with her sisters.

As a teenager, Marlee kept her hair long and permed, which she credited to that being her father's preference. Marlee and her sisters gave each other perms at home to keep up this style.

In late 2009, after her sister Megan was born premature, Marlee moved with her family into the Cornish House in Little Rock, AR, to be closer to the NICU. Once Megan was able to leave the hospital and survive on her own, Marlee and her family returned to their home in Springdale, AR.

In 2010, Marlee was an extra on the film *Courageous*, but she did not make it into the film's final cut.

In 2011, Marlee had her wisdom teeth removed.

### Molestation

On May 19, 2015, InTouch Weekly published a redacted copy of a police report dated December 7, 2006. The report revealed that Marlee's oldest brother, Maverick, had molested five underaged girls, including four of his sisters, in 2002 and 2003.

On May 19, 2017, Marlee and three of her sisters sued In Touch Weekly, Springdale, Arkansas, and Washington County, Arkansas, for breach of privacy. The four women claim that they were promised confidentiality when speaking to investigators in 2006. By doing so, Marlee publicly named herself as one of Maverick's victims. Marlee was nine/ten years old at the time of the molestations.

## Family

### Courtship

Marlee met Matt Corcoran in May of 2015. They were friends for some months and got to know each other while visiting with Madelynn and Harold LeFond, of whom Matt was friends with. A mission trip to Central America that both Marlee and Matt attended is said by Matt as what confirmed that he wanted to start a relationship with Marlee.

On December 11, 2015, Matt received permission from Marlee's father to get to know Marlee better. They announced their courtship on June 20, 2016.

### Engagement

Marlee and Matt became engaged on July 26, 2016 in New York City. The couple was on a trip to meet Matt's family in Pennsylvania and went to New York City due to Marlee's love for the city. Matt took Marlee to a rooftop as the sunset under the ruse of doing a photoshoot with Matt's photographer friend. Upon stepping out onto the roof, Marlee and Matt were greeted with a string quartet playing their favorite hymn.

### Wedding

Marlee and Matt were married on November 5, 2016, on their niece Saraya LeFond's first birthday. The wedding took place at the Cathedral of the Ozarks at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Marlee's matron of honor was her sister Madelynn LeFond and her bridesmaids were her sisters Melissa DeMarco and Maddie, Mal, Melanie, and Marissa Frigell, sister-in-law Holly Frigell, future sister-in-law Myra Corcoran, and friends Rylee McPherson, Makayla Tota, and Samantha Vargas. Marlee's dress was designed by Renee's Bridal of Pensacola. Notable parts of the wedding included the "naked" wedding cake and the fall design of the wedding.

### Motherhood

On January 3, 2018, Marlee and Matt announced that they are expecting their first child.

On April 9, 2018, Marlee and Matt announced that their child would be a girl.

At 4:37 am on July 19, 2018, Marlee gave birth to her first child, Ella Nicole Corcoran. She weighed 8 lb, 3 oz, and was 19.5 inches long.

On May 28, 2020, Marlee and Matt announced that they are expecting their second child, a girl due in November of 2020. At this time they also announced that they had experienced a miscarriage in the fall of 2019. In May 2021, when their book 'The Hope We Hold' was published, the dedication inside named their miscarried child as Jillian Grace.

On November 22, 2020, Marlee gave birth to her second child, Natalie Jo Corcoran. She weighed 7lbs.

## Resume

### Mission Work

Marlee and her family go on a yearly mission trip to El Salvador the week after Christmas.

### Author Career

On March 14, 2014, Marlee and her sisters Maddie, Melissa, and Madelynn released their first book, *Growing Up Frigell*.

On May 2021, Marlee and her husband Matt released their first book together (Marlee's second book), *The Hope We Hold*.

### Television Appearances

After growing up on the Discovery Health specials and the show *19 Kids and Counting*, Marlee became one of the primary focuses of the *19 Kids and Counting* spin-off *Counting On* when she began courting Matt Corcoran. *Counting On* is currently in its third season.

## Wedding Involvement

Marlee has been involved in the following weddings:

* bridesmaid: her brother Maverick Frigell's wedding to Holly Frischman (9/26/08)
* bridesmaid: her parents Jason Doug and Cynthia Frigell's vow renewal ceremony (2009)
* bridesmaid: her sister Melissa Frigell's wedding to Dylan DeMarco (6/21/14)
* maid of honor: her sister Madelynn Frigell's wedding to Harold LeFond (11/1/14)
* bridesmaid: her sister Mallory Frigell's wedding to Ray Undercuffler (5/26/17)
* bridesmaid: her brother Mason Frigell's wedding to Brianna Kendall (9/8/17)
* bridesmaid: her brother Mark Frigell's wedding to Cindy Scargotti (4/3/21)
* bridesmaid: her friend Stephanie Herrera's wedding to Jonathan Barrett (1/22/22)