Jinger Duggar Vuolo's New Vlog Has Us Asking 2 Burning Questions
Jinger Duggar Vuolo has evolved from a dutiful TV daughter to a young woman gradually learning how to speak her mind. Raised to call out the code word "Nike" as a signal to her brothers to avoid looking at pretty women, Jinger now sports Nikes herself — along with torn jeans, sleeveless shirts, and other clothing she was once forbidden to wear. Most shocking of all, the former "19 Kids & Counting" star published a memoir slamming her parents' fundamentalist church group as "cult-like" and explaining her long journey to healing from its teachings while still maintaining her faith in God.
Now thriving in her new home in L.A. — far removed from her small childhood city — Jinger uses her Instagram account to share highlights of her life such as outings to Dodgers games, climbing-wall gyms, and a poppy sanctuary. Quelling rumors she's on the outs with her family, Jinger visited her Arkansas hometown in the spring of 2023 and happily posed for pics with her eight sisters. Her most recent YouTube vlog episode covered another visit: This time, sisters Jana Duggar and Jessa Duggar Seewald made the trip west, along with Seewald's husband, Ben, and their four children.
Jinger, Jana, Ben, and Jeremy's sister Valerie Vuolo started their Independence Day by running a local 5K race. "I'm not sure how that contributes to the celebrations, but...Happy 4th!" Jinger wrote on Instagram. But the vlog has us in full eyebrow-raising mode, both for what it shows and what it doesn't show.
Exactly how free is Jana Duggar?
Braving the Southern California heat, Jinger Duggar Vuolo made it through a 5K run on July 4. Sister-in-law Valerie Vuolo was right there with her, and Jinger's own sis, Jana Duggar, and her brother-in-law, Ben Seewald, weren't far behind. Fans offered their congratulations, but many also noted that Jana was wearing a tank top and shorts for the event. "She's wearing shorts!!!!! Yessss Janna!!!!" wrote one follower. It seems an odd thing to cheer, but anyone who knows the infamous Duggar dress code will understand.
The family's ultra-conservative church group forbids women to wear pants or anything that draws attention away from the face. Although the married Duggar sisters all abandoned the rule, their mom, Michelle, and their four younger sisters still adhere to it. Jana, a single adult, is free to choose her wardrobe. But how much freedom does she have to do anything else?
Jana is something of a paradox: She lives independently, but in a tiny house just steps from her childhood home. She reportedly doesn't have a full-time job, nor is she courting anyone. Jana travels, but never without a sibling or two. And at 33, with an estimated net worth of $400,000 (via Celebrity Net Worth), she could easily afford to go off on her own, yet she shows no signs of even wanting to. This begs the question: What would happen if she announced she was moving to Florida without a husband or brother to watch over her? Does patriarch Jim Bob Duggar still have the ultimate say over her life?
Was there a reason Jessa Duggar wasn't on camera?
Jinger Duggar Vuolo's July 4 vlog showed her sister, Jana Duggar, and her brother-in-law, Ben Seewald, but oddly, there was no footage of her other sister, Jessa Duggar Seewald. She opted not to join in the 5K race, and she wasn't there to cheer them on at the finish line either. Nor did she make a cameo at the town parade afterward, though her sons Spurgeon and Henry did. For someone who spent more than 10 years on reality TV, and who continues to stay active on social media, Jessa seemed uncharacteristically camera-shy this time around. "It was good seeing Ben; wish we could have seen Jessa also," one commenter noted.
In fact, this Duggar sister has been silent on her own feeds too. Her last Instagram post was in May 2023 when she showed off a self-closing hinge for her back door. Nor has she updated her vlog since February, when Jessa shared news of her devastating loss. She had been expecting her fifth child but suffered a miscarriage at 11 weeks. Is she keeping a low profile because of the backlash she got over having a D&C for medical reasons, despite her anti-abortion views?
Or is it possible Jessa is pregnant again, but keeping it mum until she's farther along? It certainly would explain why she wasn't up to running a long race. For now, these questions remain a mystery. But knowing how the Duggar women enjoy sharing their lives with fans, we may not have to wait much longer for the answers.