Why Isn’t Jana Duggar In A Courtship? Her Failed Relationships Revisited

TLC is about to air John-David Duggar’s wedding special as part of its “Counting On” series, but what about his twin sister, Jana Duggar?

As John-David sets to wed Abbie Burnett for TV viewers, it’s undoubtedly going to be a question in viewer’s minds: why isn’t Jana in a courtship yet? At 28 years old (she’ll be 29 in January), Jana is the oldest Duggar offspring not to marry. She is also the last remaining Duggar daughter old enough to wed.

For years, fans have questioned why Jana never announced a courtship, and it appears we have some answers.

READ: Another Duggar Baby? Cousin Amy Duggar ‘Accidentally’ Reveals Pregnancy

Though Jana has never officially come out and announced she is dating someone special, she has been linked to several men in the past two years. After rumors she had once considered dating “Bringing Up Bates” star Zach Bates, a report surfaced in April 2017 that Jana was seen his younger brother, Lawson Bates. Lawson’s parents denied the coupling.

The following month, Jana was reported to be seeing another family friend, Jonathan Hartono. The Duggar Family Blog reported that Jonathan was single after one tabloid reported Jana and her supposed new beau were “so sweet and fun” together.

The drama continue in the fall when Jana was thought to be seeing “close friend” Caleb Williams. Though the family never denied her connection to Caleb, his brother, Jacob Williams, did state he was not dating Jana after similar rumors surfaced about himself. Jacob said he and Jana had been friends for over 20 years and called the dating speculation “complete bunk.”

Years prior, Jana was also linked to former NFL star Tim Tebow. Jana never spoke out about their alleged romance, but her cousin, Amy Duggar, did. “Jana and I laughed so hard about this,” Amy wrote on social media in 2014. “We’ve never even met Tim Tebow.”

Of course, rumors have also been rampant for months that Jana is dating her “Counting On” co-star, family friend Laura DeMasie. Jana’s brother-in-law, Derick Dillard, shut down that rumor last month. After being asked by a Twitter fan if Jana and Laura were an item, Derick replied, “Uh, no.”

After years of courtship rumors and alleged relationships, Jana opened up about her lack of a love life in 2017. Speaking to Crown of Beauty Magazine, she said:

I know how it feels to wait for ‘Prince Charming’ to come along. I’m still waiting. Waiting is not always easy. Especially in those times when all the married siblings are getting together and you can’t go along because your not part of ‘that’ group.

Jana may not be the next Duggar to enter into a courtship if her little brothers follow the family tradition. Most of the married Duggar boys didn’t wed until their early 20s, an age which Jana’s twin brothers Jedidiah and Jeremiah and Jason are quickly approaching.

Despite her single status, Jana had nothing but good wishes for her twin brother and his new wife post-wedding. “John and Abbie, I’m so excited for you,” Jana said in a video message to the newlyweds. “I can’t believe ya’ll are married now. It’s been a long time coming.”

TLC will air John-David’s “Counting On” wedding special Tuesday night at 10 p.m. EST. An encore showing airs at 11:30 p.m. EST.