Why Jinger Duggar And Jeremy Vuolo Almost Didn't Get Married
Being one of 19 kids isn't easy, but that familial conflict becomes increasingly difficult when you spend your childhood being followed around by cameras. We are, of course, talking about the Duggars of "19 Kids and Counting" fame. For those who didn't catch on to the phenomenon that was "19 Kids" before the TLC series was canceled (that's another story), allow us to fill you in.
The reality show followed the hyper-religious Duggar family as they tried to balance their fundamentalist Christianity with the demands of the modern world. An increasingly secular America was fascinated with their dedication to their faith and the restrictions their beliefs placed on the family. Women in the Duggar family, for example, are supposedly not allowed to date without a chaperone, dress provocatively, or drink alcohol, to name a few, per The Sun.
Some of the kids, like Jill Duggar, distanced themselves from their family and faith, while others doubled down and capitalized on the fame. Enter Jinger Duggar, who married Jeremy Vuolo in 2016; the pair almost instantly started marketing themselves as the ideal modern Christian couple. But it turns out that things weren't quite so clear-cut. In a 2021 interview, Jinger let slip that she and Jeremy nearly split up. Here's the deal.
Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo couldn't see eye-to-eye
Fans became suspicious that something was wrong when Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo announced they were taking a break from their popular podcast, "The Hope We Hold," to focus on their marriage, per Hollywood Gossip. This isn't the first time there's been trouble in paradise, though. Jinger got real about the messier patches of their relationship in a 2021 Us Weekly interview.
"There were some ups and downs in that time, and ... at one point I kind of froze, and I was like, 'Do I want to do this?'" Jinger told the outlet. "That was something for me that was really tough. I don't like to think about that day," she said, adding that their different backgrounds made it hard for them to connect. She was a reality star, and Jeremy was a professional soccer player. (Jeremy also struggled to get along with Jinger's dad, Jim Bob Duggar, at the beginning of their relationship, he shared with the magazine.) But ultimately, Jinger felt comfortable sharing the darker side of their relationship in their upcoming book, "The Hope We Hold: Finding Peace in the Promises of God," because she hopes it will help other couples struggling to commit.
Jinger and Jeremy aren't the only Duggar couple to pull back the curtain on their marriage. Jill and Derick Dillard have opened up about going to couples' therapy, and Jessa and Ben Seewald have talked about how they avoid conflict in their relationship. No marriage is perfect, even the Duggars'.