John David Duggar Is Totally On His Own

Since so many of the eldest Duggar siblings are the Instagram-using, hair tutorial-posting girls, there's been a lot of focus on whether or not Jana Duggar or Jinger Duggar has started courting or getting engaged, like Jessa or Jill have recently. But let's change it up for a minute: is John David Duggar courting? No, he's not — and he's getting way less attention for it than his twin sister. There have been a few rumors that John David was courting some mystery girls found in online pictures, but it doesn't seem to add up to anything solid so far. And those photos emerged at the end of 2014, so by now, I'm sure John David or even Michelle/Jim Bob would have introduced their fans to this mystery girl. Instead, they've denied that John David has ever courted before.

So for the time being, it looks like John David Duggar is still waiting to find the right girl to court, and that's all well and good. No one should be forced to get married, and even the Duggars, who encourage marriage at a young age, claim that they don't choose their children's spouses. And for whatever reason, even when the Duggar parents have tried to set John David up, none of their potential dates have worked out. But that's OK! He has plenty of time to find the right person.

According to an interview John David gave to People as a part of a larger piece about which Duggar will get married next, there is some familial concern with the fact that he's still single. "Everybody is giving me advice about getting married. It isn’t a big thing. I’m open to advice," he said. But, unlike his sisters Jana and Jinger, who are forced — or, at least, encouraged by their parents — to continue living at home and taking care of their younger siblings, John David has moved out of the Duggar home and now lives alone.

But John David hasn't made a break from his family or anything like that. He's still close with his parents and siblings, and is still a cast member on 19 Kids and Counting, where he recently showed his father his job as a local constable (which is similar to being a cop). And that's what makes his courting status so shocking. Neither John David nor next oldest brother, Joseph, are courting anyone, but they're out there in the world doing their own thing. Joseph is attending college, and John David's moments on the show are all about his careers. Just look at the way that trailer above is edited. And yet, there's no mention on their Facebook page that some of the sisters are also taking college classes.

And fans just don't talk about the brothers the same way we do the sisters. John David is just as implicit in staying within their strict, patriarchal church (literally, their whole religion is based around a father-dominated family). So, as devoted 19 Kids fans, let's all pledge to remember that the brothers like John David and Joshua are also members of the Duggar family, and we shouldn't ignore their goofy personal lives or minimize their sisters' professional accomplishments.

Images: TLC; Giphy