Joseph Duggar And Kendra Caldwell’s Love Story May Sound Familiar To ‘Counting On’ Fans
Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell quietly tied the knot back in September and already have a bun in the oven. Joseph is the latest member of the Duggar family to find love and get married, yet his love story is all too familiar for Counting On fans – and for good reason. Joseph’s marriage mirrors his sister Joy-Anna Duggar’s relationship with hubby Austin Forsyth, all the way down to a controversial pregnancy. What else do they have in common?
Their Love Blossomed At A Young Age
According to Romper, Joseph and Caldwell have known each other since they were kids and met through their church. Caldwell’s father is a minister in Arkansas and even officiated her wedding in September. Although they have known each other for years, they only courted for around six months before Joseph popped the big question. Joseph asked Caldwell to marry him during Joy-Anna’s wedding earlier this year. Caldwell obviously said yes and the two exchanged vows on September 8 in a private ceremony.
Caldwell Agreed To Strict Courting Rules
As fans of Counting On are well aware, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar believe in extremely strict courting rules. Once Joseph approached Caldwell about courting, she agreed to follow these restrictions, which include supervised dates, zero body contact except occasional side hugs, no premarital sex (of course), no alcohol, no dancing, and no private text messages.
Most of these rules go away after marriage, and the Duggars actively encourage starting a family as soon as possible. This is one reason why just about all of their daughters have had a baby within the first year of marriage.
Just Like Joy-Anna, Joseph Duggar’s Baby Announcement Brought Shogun Wedding Rumors
Just like Joy-Anna, Caldwell and Joseph confirmed their pregnancy in a recent announcement. The baby news came after three months of marriage and sparked speculation that Caldwell may have gotten pregnant before the wedding. Joy-Anna faced similar rumors after announcing her pregnancy.
In both cases, Caldwell and Joy-Anna moved up their wedding dates and got hitched a lot sooner than planned. This only fed more fuel to the shotgun wedding rumors, though neither of them has formally addressed the allegations.
Inside Caldwell’s Religious Family
Just like Joy-Anna and Joseph, Caldwell was raised in a conservative Christian home. According to Romper, Caldwell’s father, Paul, pastors a church in Fayetteville, Arkansas, called Lighthouse Baptist Church. This is the same church that the Duggars frequently go.
Caldwell’s father also ran for the Arkansas House of Representatives and stirred up some major controversy three years ago within the LGBTQ community in Arkansas. Paul angered a lot of community leaders when he passed out anti-LGBTQ flyers, though he later claimed that he never meant to offend people.
Although Caldwell was forced to live under the strict rules of the Duggars, she was more than used to their conservative ways. In fact, there is good reason to believe that her family is just as strict as the Duggars, if not more. After all, her father is the leader of their church.
More of Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell’s love story will likely be featured on the upcoming season of Counting On, which is expected to premiere sometime next year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju4Rc2ysAs0
