Jason Duggar Subtly Debuts New Courtship, Bates Family Shows Support

Jason Duggar is making his romance with a mystery woman Instagram official.

Duggar, 24, shared a series of beach pics via Instagram on Thursday, May 30, alongside his new beau — all of which hid the woman’s face from the camera. In one snap, their hands touched as he twirled her around. In another, she rested her head on his shoulder as they gazed at the water. “🤍,” Duggar captioned the post.

While the Counting On alum did not reveal the woman’s identity, eagle-eyed fans were quick to speculate that he is linked to a member of the Bates family — whose own reality series, Bringing Up Bates, ran for 10 seasons on Up TV. The show, which premiered in 2015, followed the lives of Gil and Kelly Bates and their 19 children.

Several members of the Bates family, including Esther and Whitney Bates, commented on the post with a “😍” emoji. “The fact that Bates sisters are commenting with 😍eyes makes me think it’s a Bates sister,” one commenter wrote.

The Duggar family has traditionally abided by a courtship process due to their conservative Christian background. Prior to a couple’s wedding day, kissing, hand-holding and other public displays of affection are not allowed. Early in the courtship process, a chaperone must be present for their dates.

Jason’s father, Jim Bob Duggar, previously opened up about the differences between courting and dating.

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“Courting is getting to know each other in a group setting, both families spending time together and the couple setting goals together to determine if they are meant to marry,” Jim Bob, 58, told People in 2013. “With dating, a couple will often pair off alone and that sometimes leads to a more physical relationship.”

Jim Bob tied the knot with his wife, Michelle Duggar, in 1984. The pair share 19 children: sons Joshua, John-David, Joseph, Josiah, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, Justin and Jackson, and daughters Jana, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joy-Anna, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace and Josie.

Michelle, 57, noted that courtship is “not just about having fun.” She added, “You are really considering if this person could be your life partner – you pray about it and see what happens.”

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