Counting On

*Counting On* (previously known as *Jill & Jessa: Counting On*) was an American reality television show that began airing on TLC on December 14, 2015. It was officially cancelled on June 29, 2021. It is a spin-off of the TLC show *19 Kids and Counting*. The show chronicles the lives of the adult Duggar children as they get married and begin families of their own.

## Family Members Featured

The Duggar family has 20 children from parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. Although all but one of the Duggar children have been featured, the show primarily focuses on the adult children and their families. At the start of the show, there were only one adult child was living at home, Jana. By the time of cancellation, there were currently three more adult children living at home: Jeremiah, Jason, and James. There are also ten married Duggar children:

* **Josh** and Anna have six children, Mackynzie, Michael, Marcus, Meredith, Mason, and Maryella
	+ The two scandals involving Josh Duggar were the reason for the cancellation of *19 Kids and Counting* (*see information here and here*), and as such Josh is not featured on the show. His wife Anna has not been featured since earlier seasons, and with the exception of Mackynzie, his children are only seen in the background. Anna is expected to be featured in season 10.
* **John** and Abbie Duggar have one daughter, Grace
* **Jill** and Derick Dillard have two sons, Israel and Samuel
	+ One of the original focuses of the show, Jill's family stopped appearing after season 5. There is speculation that this is due to controversy surrounding Derick's criticisms of another TLC show, *I Am Jazz*, but Derick claims it was a decision he made to do what was best for his family. Jill is expected to be seen again in season 10.
* **Jessa** and Ben Seewald have three children, Spurgeon, Henry, and Ivy
* **Jinger** and Jeremy Vuolo have two daughter, Felicity and Evangeline
* **Joseph** and Kendra Duggar have two children, Garrett, Addison, and Brooklyn
* **Josiah** and Lauren Duggar have one daughter, Bella
* **Joy** and Austin Forsyth have two children, Gideon and Evelyn

The other Duggar children, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn, and Josie, are occasionally featured on the show, but are not the show's primary focus. Grandma Mary Duggar and cousin Tyler Hutchins are often featured on the show as well, and a special surrounding Mary's death was included in season 10.

Between the filming/airing of Season 11 and the cancellation of the show, two more children, Jedidiah and Justin were married. No pregnancy announcements were made before the cancellation.

### Notable Guests

* Flame (featured on episodes "Ben Drops Beats", "A Big Surprise", "Could it be Twins?")
* Gabby Barrett and Cade Foehner (featured on episode "The Vuolo's Take L.A.")
* Brian Sumner (featured on episode "A Baby Girl for Joe & Kendra")

## Seasons

### Season One

Season one premiered on December 13, 2015, and finished airing on December 27, 2015. The season contained 3 episodes.

Offical TLC description:

> After some challenging months Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald are ready to look towards the future. Jill & Jessa: Counting On follows the lives of the sisters as they navigate adulthood and the changes that come with it. From Jill & Derick making a major move to Central America with their baby boy Israel, to newlyweds Jessa and Ben preparing for their first child.
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Major events featured in this season:

Births

* Spurgeon Elliot Seewald, son of Jessa and Ben

Other

* Jill's family moves to Central America to do missionary work
* the family reacts to Josh's scandals, and Anna talks about living with her in-laws while Josh attends a Christian rehab program for sex addiciton

### Season Two

Season two premiered on March 15, 2016, and finished airing on May 3rd, 2016. The season contained 8 episodes.

Official TLC description:

This season of Jill & Jessa: Counting On follows the lives of the two sisters as they deal with life's challenges, including raising their own families. Jessa and husband Ben Seewald bonding with son Spurgeon, 3 months, while Jill and husband Derick Dillard balance caring for son Israel, 10 months, with working as missionaries in Central America.

Major events featured in this season:

Trips

* the family goes on their yearly mission trip to Central America
* Jana, Jessa, Jinger, Joy, and Anna (plus babies Spurgeon and Meredith) go away for a girls' weekend
* the family visits the Dillards in Central America
* Anna and Meredith visit Josh at his rehab program (this visit is talked about but not shown)
* Jessa's family visits Christian rapper Flame in St. Louis

### Season Three

Season three premiered on August 23, 2016, and finished airing on November 15, 2016. This season contained 13 episodes.

Official TLC description:

> Counting On returns with new courtships, family reunions and fun adventures. Jinger and former professional soccer player Jeremy Vuolo experience all the exciting firsts of a new, budding courtship. While Jinger is in courtship bliss, the other older Duggar siblings are ready to leave the lows of the past year behind them and look forward to new and exciting highs.
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Major events featured in this season:

Pregnancy Announcements

* Jessa and Ben

Relationship Milestones

* Jinger begins courting Jeremy Vuolo
* Jeremy proposes to Jinger

Weddings

* Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo

Trips

* the single adults and older teens go to Missouri for wilderness survival training
* Jill and Derick are gifted a hotel stay for their anniversary
* Jinger, Jim Bob, and Michelle visit Laredo, TX, to see Jeremy's apartment and meet his parents
* Jinger, Michelle, and Jessa's family go on a trip to the northeast to meet Jeremy's extended family, then to New York, NY, for the proposal

### Season Four

Season four premiered on January 16, 2017, and finished airing on February 27, 2017. This season contained 7 episodes.

Official TLC description:

> With less than three months until Jinger and Jeremy's wedding and more than 1,000 guests in attendance, the planning could not be done without Duggar-style teamwork. This exciting season follows the journey from the altar to their honeymoon down under in a special two-hour wedding event.
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Major events featured in this season:

Pregnancy Announcements

* Jill and Derick

Gender Reveals

* Jill and Derick: boy

Honeymoons

* Jinger and Jeremy's honeymoon in Australia

Relationship Milestones

* Joy begins courting Austin Forsyth

Trips

* Jessa's family goes to a Christian music festival to see Flame perform
* Jinger and the family travel to Washington, DC, to go wedding dress shopping
* Jinger takes some of the older kids to Jeremy's to remodel his apartment, and again to move her things there
* Jill's family goes to homecoming at Oklahoma State University

### Season Five

Season five premiered on June 12, 2017, and finished airing on July 24, 2017. This season contained 8 episodes.

Official TLC description:

> Counting On is back with more oversized episodes and big announcements! A new baby for Jessa and Ben, a surprise from Jill and Derick, and Joy Anna and Austin's courtship are just some of the major milestones in this season.
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Major events featured in this season:

Relationship Milestones

* Austin proposes to Joy
* Joe proposes to Kendra

Weddings

* Joy and Austin Forsyth

Pregnancy Announcements

* Jill and Derick

Birthdays

* Spurgeon (1)

### Season Six

Season six premiered on September 11, 2017, and finished airing on October 23, 2017. This season contained 7 episodes.

Official TLC description:

> Counting On jumps right back in where things left off last season. The wedding of Joy Anna and Austin is rapidly approaching and it's all hands on deck. While Joy Anna and the girls take a trip to Kentucky in search of the perfect wedding dress, Austin somehow finds the time to renovate a house that will hopefully become the couple's dream home.
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Major events included in this season:

Relationship Milestones

* Joe begins courting Kendra Caldwell
* Joe proposes to Kendra Caldwell

Weddings

* Joy and Austin Forsyth
* Joe and Kendra Duggar

Trips

* Jinger and Jessa's families meet up in San Antonio, TX
* Joy and the female family members travel to Kentucky to shop for a wedding dress

Birthdays

* Israel (2)

### Season Seven

Season seven premiered on February 26, 2018, and finished airing on March 26, 2018. This season contained 6 episodes.

Major events included in this season:

Pregnancy Announcements

* Joy and Austin

Weddings

* Joe and Kendra Duggar

Honeymoons

* Joy and Austin's honeymoon in Switzerland

Trips

* Kendra and the female family members travel to Kentucky to shop for a wedding dress, Joe, John, and Josiah surprise them there for Kendra's birthday

Birthdays

* Kendra (19)

### Season Eight

Season eight premiered on July 30, 2018, and finished airing on November 27, 2018. This season contained 12 episodes.

Major events featured in this season include:

Relationship Milestones

* Josiah begins courting Lauren Swanson
* Josiah proposes to Lauren
* John begins courting Abbie Burnett

Weddings

* Josiah and Lauren Duggar

Honeymoons

* Joe and Kendra's honeymoon in Greece

Pregnancy Announcements

* Joe and Kendra
* Jinger and Jeremy

Gender Reveals

* Joe and Kendra: boy
* Jinger and Jeremy: girl

Births

* Gideon Martyn Forsyth, son of Joy and Austin
* Garrett David Duggar, son of Joe and Kendra

Trips

* Jinger and Jeremy visit Jeremy's parents and attend the SWAN gala in Pennsylvania
* Joy and Austin go on a babymoon
* Jim Bob, Michelle, and the boys visit Jinger and Jeremy in Texas
* the family goes on a ski trip

Birthdays

* Jana and John (28)

Other

* The youngest four Duggar daughters and granddaughter Mackynzie record an album at a studio in Nashville

### Season Nine

Season 9 premiered on February 11, 2019, and finished airing on May 25, 2019. This season contained 7 episodes.

Major events featured in this season:

Pregnancy Announcements

* Josiah and Lauren announce they are pregnant with their first child
	+ This pregnancy is later announced as having been miscarried
* Jessa and Ben announce they are pregnant with their third child

Births

* Felicity Nicole Vuolo, daughter of Jinger and Jeremy

Relationship Milestones

* John proposes to Abbie Burnett

Weddings

* John marries Abbie

Honeymoons

* Josiah and Lauren's honeymoon to Austria

Trips

* John and Abbie go on a mission trip to the Philippines
* Jinger and Jeremy travel to Pennsylvania to introduce Felicity to Jeremy's extended family

Other

* Ben teaches the younger Duggar kids about grocery shopping and meal prep
* Jana, Jessa, Kendra, and Lauren team up with the younger Duggar kids for a groom's cake bake-off for John and Abbie

### Season Ten

Season ten premiered on October 15, 2019. And finished airing on December 17, 2019. This season contained 10 episodes.

Major events featured in this season:

Pregnancy Announcements

* Joe and Kendra announce they're expecting their second child
* Joy and Austin announce they're expecting their second child
	+ This miscarriage is announced in season 11
* Josiah and Lauren announce they're expecting their second child
* John and Abbie announce they're expecting their first child
* Anna Duggar's pregnancy is referenced but is not formally announced on the show

Births

* Ivy Jane Seewald, daughter of Jessa and Ben

Gender Reveals

* Josiah and Lauren: Girl
* Joe and Kendra: Girl

Honeymoons

* John and Abbie's Honeymoon in Finland

Trips

* Jinger, Jeremy, and Felicity travel to L.A.
* Joe and Kendra visit Jinger and Jeremy in Texas

Medical

* Henry sees a speech therapist for concerns about his development

Deaths

* Grandma Mary Duggar passes away

Other

* Jim Bob and Michelle send the married couples out on a competitive date night
* The married couples have a marriage retreat in a rented house with Pastor Caldwell
* The unmarried sons help Ben build a deck
* Jinger and Jeremy go house hunting in LA
* The Duggar family goes camping
* Jana throws a garden party
* All of the pregnant daughters, (including Jessa and Ivy, who was born early), and Michelle and Mary have a photoshoot
* Grandma Duggar's funeral

### Season Eleven

Season 11 premiered July 7, 2020, and will finish airing September 15, 2020.

Major events featured in this season:

Births

* Addison Renee Duggar, daughter of Joe and Kendra
* Bella Milagro Duggar, daughter of Josiah and Lauren
* Grace Annette Duggar, daughter of John and Abbie

Pregnancy Announcements

* Jinger and Jeremy announce they are expecting their second child
	+ This miscarriage is announced in the next episode

Gender reveals

* John and Abbie: Girl

Trips

* Jinger and Jeremy take a road trip to move out to LA, stopping in Roswell, NM, and Las Vegas, NV, to sightsee
* Jana visits Jinger's family in L.A.

* Jessa's family visits friends in Kansas City
* Several family members fly to the Bahamas to help with relief after Hurricane Dorian

Medical

* Henry returns to the speech therapist, who confirms he's caught up to his peers
* Ben undergoes laser eye surgery

Deaths

* Annabell Elise Forsyth, who died in-utero and was delivered a week later

Other

* Josiah and Lauren and John and Abbie attend a birth class
* Jedidiah and Jeremiah move out into their own house
* The family has a race through a corn maze
* Felicity has her first swimming lesson
* Jeremy learns to skateboard from professional skateboarder Brian Sumner
* Michelle sends the family on a scavenger hunt throughout the town

*profile photo credit*

## Cancellation

On June 29th 2021 TLC announced Counting on would not be renewed in the future.

> TLC will not be producing additional seasons of Counting on. TLC feels it is important to give the Duggar family the opportunity to address their situation privately.
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On July 3, 2021, the Duggars released a statement regarding the cancellation of the show

> It is hard to believe that more than 17 years have passed since we were first contacted by a production company wanting to do a one-hour documentary about the logistics of raising 14 children. Our family has grown (and grown up!) before our eyes and on national television, and the journey has been miraculous—following God is an exciting adventure!
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> Over the years, some of our most treasured moments have been those when we met children across the country who are alive today because of our testimony that children are a blessing—a special gift from God—and that the only real hope for individuals and families is a close relationship with Jesus Christ.
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> Since we began filming so long ago, we’ve had the amazing honor to share our lives, our faith, and our story with you—including some of the most difficult and painful moments our family has ever faced. We are full of deep gratitude for the love shown to us and the prayers of so many who have sustained us both now and through the years.
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> We look forward to all the new adventures and endeavors that may come our way, and with so many grown children and wonderful grandchildren, we know our love will only continue to multiply!
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> We are forever grateful for our film crew and so many others behind the scenes who have become like family to us over the years. The wonderful experiences that filming has provided us will be treasured always, and we look forward to discovering what’s next for our family and sharing more with you along the way!
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> —Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar
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Please note: Now that the show has been officially cancelled, this page will no longer be updated. The families will not be updated so as to reflect their status at the time of cancellation.

## References

1. ↑ https://fox8.com/news/josh-duggars-child-porn-trial-delayed-to-november/
2. ↑ https://www.duggarfamily.com/2021/07/statement-on-counting-on/