Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth Admits She Doesn't Miss Much About Being A TV Star
When the Duggar family first appeared on TV, their show was called "14 Children & Pregnant Again," and their ninth child, daughter Joy-Anna Duggar, was just 7 years old. Over the course of the next 13 years, the show's title changed three times to reflect the growing family, and then spawned the spinoff "Counting On." Joy-Anna had nearly all her life chronicled on reality TV: birthday parties, a bout with chicken pox, her first driving lesson, her engagement and wedding to Austin Forsyth, and the birth of their first child.
Then, Austin and Joy-Anna quietly left "Counting On" just before Season 11, opting only to make cameo appearances for big family events. They never offered an explanation, but it soon became a moot point: In 2021, TLC canceled the show following the arrest of Joy-Anna's oldest brother, Josh Duggar. The Forsyths' lives, meanwhile, continue to move at a gallop. Their daughter was born in August 2020, and they're expecting another baby boy in late May, close to the couple's sixth wedding anniversary.
They moved to their current home in 2019, and occasionally share updates with fans on social media. Joy-Anna keeps busy with doctors' appointments, homeschooling, swim lessons, and other typical mom pursuits, but she and Austin manage to fit in some quality time too, such as the trip to Alaska they took in September 2022. Still, fans wonder whether she ever misses being on TV, and in her most recent YouTube vlog, Joy-Anna answered that burning question.
Joy-Anna misses the people more than the publicity
Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth keeps her fans in the loop via her Instagram account and her weekly YouTube vlog, "Follow the Forsyths." On St. Patrick's Day 2023, she posted her latest segment, in which the former reality star answered some questions from her followers (while simultaneously putting together a closet organizer!). One of the most pressing topics on their minds: Does she see herself expanding her family further? "Right now, I've been saying four or five [total children], but we'll see," Joy-Anna hedged.
Does she ever have kid-free "sister days"? Every couple of months, the busy mom fits in some quality time with them, and back in February, Joy-Anna visited her sister, Jinger Duggar Vuolo, in L.A., proving their bond is still strong. Another fan wanted to know if she ever misses being on television. "I do not miss the TV show," Joy-Anna responded without hesitation. However, she added that she does miss the film crew, many of whom she'd known since she was six.
But Joy-Anna's most telling remark was: "It was best for our family at that time to get off and to not be on TV. I think it probably would have been best if we would have stopped before then, too." Was she hinting that "Counting On" should have been yanked when her brother Josh Duggar's disturbing actions were first brought to light, back in 2015? Perhaps that's a question she'll address in a future Q&A vlog.