Joy-Anna Duggar’s husband Austin Forsyth slams father-in-law Jim Bob’s courting checklist for his daughter

TONTITOWN, ARKANSAS: Austin Forsyth, husband of Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth, recently shared a unique glimpse into his courtship experience, specifically the process initiated by his father-in-law, former Arkansas State Representative Jim Bob Duggar.

During their appearance on the 'Unplanned' podcast with Matt and Abby Howard on October 16, Austin spoke about the courtship checklist Jim Bob provided to all potential suitors of his daughters.

Jim Bob Duggar asked Austin Forsyth to fill out a relationship checklist

"That was pretty early on in our conversations where he gave me that list and wanted me to fill it out," Austin Forsyth, 30, recalled.

"And man, I think the questions in the list, a lot of them were good. Just figuring out where somebody is with their religious beliefs and finances and family planning and just different stuff like that."

While Austin found some of the questions appropriate, he admitted there were parts he felt were overly invasive.

"Maybe some of it" was “not any of” his would-be father-in-law’s “business," he noted.

As per In Touch, he further elaborated, "But I mean, there’s like, ‘Have you ever, you know, been arrested?’ ‘Have you ever… whatever?’ And so he knew all that. … He knew a lot of that kind of stuff.”

Reportedly, the Duggar family has long practiced courtship, a formal process of getting to know a potential partner before marriage, 

Their website explains that courtship aims to avoid the typical pitfalls of dating, encouraging family involvement and guidance in identifying important characteristics in a life partner.

On the podcast, Abby, 25, raised an intriguing question about how many men had been turned away due to the courtship questionnaire.

In response, Joy-Anna, 26, offered a thoughtful perspective.

“My parents have said … you know, we’re gonna have these … the way we parent … we want to be kind of a stepping stool for y’all and ya’ll figure out how to do it better. I appreciate the idea behind it. I think I would tweak it some.”

Joy-Anna also reflected on the family's well-known values, which were heavily shaped by their public life on TV.

“Because we grew up on TV, people know our standards are out there, what we allow, what we don’t allow, what, at least my dad allows. … I feel like any guy could have come in and filled out the questionnaire and answered all the right questions and been like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re good to go!’”

Joy-Anna Duggar reflects on first meeting with husband Austin Forsyth

Their courtship became public in November 2016 and married on May 26, 2017, but Austin Forsyth and Joy-Anna Duggar had known each other since childhood.

Joy-Anna shared that she met Austin when she was just four years old, and he was eight.

“I have no recollection of that, obviously, but his family had moved from Texas at the time and moved to Arkansas and started coming to my family’s church," she explained.

The pair crossed paths at homeschool events and social gatherings throughout their teenage years. Eventually, Joy-Anna developed a crush on Austin, though he was involved with another girl at the time.

Despite his early romantic interests elsewhere, Austin and Joy-Anna’s relationship eventually blossomed.

However, the journey wasn’t without its challenges, particularly when it came to earning Jim Bob’s approval.

“I went through a little bit of a rebellious time for several years,” Austin admitted, describing how he was initially viewed as a “wild card” due to his secular music preferences and associations with the “wrong crowd.”

Over time, however, Austin managed to convince Joy-Anna’s parents to allow him to begin courting her. Their courtship led to marriage in May 2017, and the couple has since welcomed three children — Gideon, Evelyn, and Gunner.