Jana Duggar Reveals Why She’s Still Single & Talks Openly About Wanting to Get Married

"Oh good...more questions about me being single..."
“Oh good…more questions about me being single…”

Jana Duggar has watched several of her siblings get married and start families and, while she has been constantly badgered by the press and even her own family as to when she’ll get married too, Jana has seemed reluctant to discuss the topic at length.

In an interview with a producer of Jill & Jessa: Counting On, Jana was asked to imagine what her life will be like in five years.

Jana, who recently turned 26, seemed reluctant to answer the question at first. It’s no surprise, though. Poor Jana has been inundated with questions about when she will marry, given that her two younger sisters are already married with children and, by Duggar standard, being 26 and unmarried is quite unusual.

After struggling to answer the question, Jana finally opened up about her desire to have her own family, and the awkward situation that her being 26 and unmarried often puts her in.

“That’s a hard one,” she says in a new clip. “I don’t really know what the next five years will look like. I guess in some ways you have hopes and dreams. Maybe I’ll meet the one and get married and have kids and stuff.”

Jana is visibly uncomfortable discussing her future, but the producer presses on, bringing up that, while Jana isn’t married yet, it’s not for lack of men trying.

“There have been different guys come along and ask but they haven’t been, I don’t know, the right one,” Jana replies. “I’m not just out to get married to the first one that comes along.”

Jana seems to catch herself after making that statement, almost as if she remembered that her sisters Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald did, essentially, marry the first guys that came along and were interested in them.

“I mean, sometimes it can be tempting. It’s like, ‘Oh, I really want to be married!” Jana says.

She mentions that watching Jill and Jessa spend time with their husbands is sometimes hard for her.

“Your siblings that are married and have little ones are, like, going out on dates and doing their things…” Jana says before describing her current situation.

“[I’m in] this weird in between stage. I’m not a younger one, but I’m not an older married one with kids,” Jana says. “[I’m] just being busy with where God has me right now and being content in this place and learning as much as I can and go on and live life.”

Jana’s love life (or lack thereof) has been the subject of many rumors (including a ridiculous one about Jana dating football star Tim Tebow).

During a 2014 interview, Jana’s father Jim Bob Duggar confirmed to People magazine that Jana has caught the eye of many men, but she hasn’t felt compelled to being the courting process…yet.

“Jana is one of the prettiest girls in the world and one of the sweetest girls,” he said. “There have been a lot of guys who have been interested in her. I have gone to her about each one, and so far she hasn’t felt that is the way the Lord is leading.”

When and if that time ever comes for Jana to start courting, don’t expect her to settle with a pretty boy. In a preview for this week’s episode, Jana confirmed that she like a manly man.

“[I want] a hard-working guy, not an office-type guy,” Jana said. “I want dirt under nails!”

Here’s to hoping that Jana eventually gets her burly dreamboat!

Watch the full video clip below:

(Photo: TLC)

27 Responses


  1. A very shady and weird family
    They all need to disappear and get real jobs and live their freaky incestuous family life in private


  2. This whole ordeal is disgusting. It’s been gross for quite some time. I can’t even imagine my father commenting on my marital status. If someone asked him why I was single he would tell them it’s my business and to not ask him. How Jim Boob derives pleasure from publicly speaking about his daughter as if they were prized cattle will never fail to disturb me.


  3. Gotta give her props. I do feel like both of her sisters jumped into marriage so young and so did Josh, and you see where that got him…Even though her being single at 26 seems frowned upon in her family, I feel like she’s making the right choice for her, and making sure that she is taking her time and enjoying life. I do feel like she needs to date around though, ACTUALLY DATE…their courting thing at her age TO ME seems a little ridiculous, she needs to kiss a few frogs before she can find her prince.


  4. I think Janna is just very picky. It makes sense if she wants a more “rugged” blue collor type of guy. Not too many of those types are like that. Also too I think she has probably wanted to marry a few and her parents talked her out of it since she is the live in nanny.


  5. Why rush to marry? Enjoy your twenties,Jana. There is no right time. Enjoy your single life☺
    Your still very young.


      1. Maybe if she gets out of the house and out from under Jimbobs rule she can meet a man….on her own!!! I wouldn’t be too jealous of Jessa….look who she’s married to….Dumbo…lol


  6. Poor girl. I hope she’s allowed to just be someday and not have to worry about her parents.


  7. Has anyone ever thought that maybe Jana (or any of the other adult/older teen girls) could possible be gay and that’s why they have yet to “find the one” Jana is very independent and smart, she does not been a man!


    1. Out of a lot of 19…someone is gay, if not more. I’m torn with wondering if Jana is truly trapped in the family, is genuinely selective, or is gay. Arguments for all three scenarios could probably be made.


      1. I was wondering this as well, however, due to their deeply homophobic religious upbringing, I can see them trying to find a man to ensure that no one possibly suspects that they are gay. The kids would really just benefit from leaving the family in any capacity. It’s too bad that Jana just can’t go do mission work (I would give other examples but I think this may be the only feasible option for her) in a country other than Jills and meet new people! Other fundie families have allowed this…


        1. I’m also sad that this show was allowed back on the air. I used to enjoy the Duggars, but their family does not need to be on TV.

          This seems to be the only income the daughters are able to make – I understand their beliefs are to be stay at home moms – but there are so many other possibilities.

          I feel like this could be seen in the wrong way in Jim Bob and Michelle’s heads. They should not be rewarded for what they have done – they hid a horrific crime and then essentially shamed other victims by doing that terrible TV special saying that it was not their fault. Years of being on TV has warped them.

          At this stage after how many years on TV.. what have we NOT seen. As per one of THE Ashley’s recaps – we were literally watching them buy corn! Not even fresh, lets help a farmer or use some of the massive land we do not properly tend to do grown corn, they discuss family size and how it does not apply to them corn!

          AHHH end of rant.


          1. Sorry – one more thing..

            LEARN MORE ADJECTIVES! Not everything is BLESSED- children, objects, emotions… God and Jesus did other things besides blessing people.. you should too…

            I wonder if they were smitted..


    2. Not gonna lie, that’s the first thing I thought when I saw the article…like why isn’t she married yet? Is she gay? It’s just the rest of her family seems to dive right into marriage, and it seems a little off that she seems kinda nonchalant about it….but maybe she really is just taking her time, and watched a lot of Disney movies as a kid and wants her a guy to come along and sweep her off her feet? I dunno lol but her being gay definitely crossed my mind.


      1. Pretty sure they are not allowed to watch Disney…
        All sorts of inappropriateness up in those movies, what with all the dancing and purple clam shell bras. They’d be yelling “Nike” through the whole dang thing!


    3. Ugh, I didn’t want to say it, but yes, I was wondering the same thing. I’m a lesbian, and some of the things I did when I thought I was straight I see in Jana. I was “very picky” and never had a boyfriend. If so, I really really hope she’s ok. Lord knows in that family she’s going to have a very rough time when her being gay would probably be worse in their eyes than their son molesting their other daughters…


      1. I couldn’t agree with you more. I’ve never voiced this either, but I have a very strong feeling that there’s a lot more going on with Jana than it appears at the surface. I know she’s very quiet, but I always feel this great sense of sadness from her, that I don’t necessarily get from the other siblings. She is completely trapped, and my heart breaks for her. It’s so easy for outsiders to say “all she needs to do is leave, she’s an adult!”. She’s been brainwashed since birth. All of her relationships are with her family, or friends heavily involved in the same circle. If she leaves, all contact will be cut. I can’t imagine how terrifying that situation would be. She’s been in this bubble since she was born, taught that the outside world is basically evil. Lots of fear tactics. I just hope she finds happiness and peace.


        1. It doesn’t help that she’s the family maid/nanny. I mean, she’s heard her entire life about how gay people are pedophiles who go to hell ect ect I can only imagine how that would feel. I don’t think she’ll ever be able to fully come to terms (assuming she is gay) until she has left for a good five years, but I don’t see that happening, and it breaks my heart.

          I’ve always felt really bad for Jana, I get the same sad vibe from her that you do. Sadly, this is all she knows and I don’t see her breaking from it anytime soon. #FreeJana


  8. JimBob probably turns down all of Jana’s courtship proposals because he wants to keep his “prettiest girl in the world” right under his thumb and roof. Fly free Jana! Get on that christianmingle.com and get yourself a man!


  9. @the Ashley, have you updated your mobile site recently? I keep getting redirected to this spam site again and again to the point where I can’t use your mobile site at all. Very frustrating because I love reading your work 🙁


    1. @Sammy Very excited to announce that a complete site overhaul is currently underway. New site will be very mobile friendly and the redirects should be taken care of. Hang in there, I apologize! I know it’s super annoying! -=The Ashley

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