Who Is Lauren Swanson? Meet ‘Counting On’ Star Josiah Duggar’s New Girlfriend

Josiah Duggar has officially entered into his second courtship. The “Counting On” star, who previously courted Marjorie Jackson, announced he is dating Lauren Swanson in a video for TLC.com on Tuesday.

Josiah revealed in the video, which was filmed just after Lauren agreed to court, that he asked Lauren to court him while she was having a meal with some of his siblings. “I surprised her and sat down and asked her to go from friendship to courtship,” he explained.

“I was very shocked,” Lauren added. “I wasn’t thinking he was supposed to be there. It was a girls’ night out.”

Josiah said he was excited to learn Lauren wanted to court him and stated that both his family and Lauren’s are similar. “We had been friends for awhile and got to spend a lot of time with each other,” he shared.

So, just who is Lauren Swanson? While TLC and the Duggar family has yet to release more details on Josiah’s new girlfriend, the Duggar Family News Facebook page reports she is 18-years-old. The site also claims that the Duggars announced during their appearance at ATI Family Conference in New Zealand this month that she and Josiah have been courting since Jan. 6.

“Before that they had been talking to each other for only a few months long distance since Lauren’s family lives in Georgia,” the site explained.

A video of Lauren accompanying the Duggar family at a recent event has also since been posted online. In the video, Michelle Duggar can he heard mentioning Lauren and her family.

While the two are only still learning about one another, Josiah said marriage is the goal in mind. The couple will share their courtship journey on future episodes of “Counting On,” which returns to TLC this spring.