Jessa Duggar Seewald is an American-born reality TV star, media personality, and author. She shot into the limelight on the reality TV show 19 Kids and Counting alongside other members of her relatively large family – the Duggar Family.
Following the show’s cancellation in July 2015, the family made a swift return on TV with the spin-off Counting On. In addition to her long-running reality TV career, Jessa Duggar Seewald has also collaborated on a book project with 3 of her sisters – Jana, Jill, and Jinger.
Jessa Duggar Bio (Age)
Jessa Lauren Seewald (née Duggar) was born on November 4, 1992, in Tontitown, Arkansas to Michelle (née Ruark) and Jim Bob Duggar. In addition to being a reality TV star, her father Jim Bob a.k.a. James Robert Duggar is also a realtor and a Republican politician. From 1999-2002, Mr. Duggar served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives.
Jessa Duggar was brought up alongside 18 siblings; 8 sisters and 10 brothers all of whom were featured on their long-running reality show. Theirs is a close-knit family of Independent Baptist Christians and all the Duggar kids were homeschooled.
Her Family – Husband, Baby, and Twins
The Duggar clan consists of the Duggar parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their 19 children. Of the couple’s 19 children, there are 2 sets of twins. They welcomed the first set in 1990, daughter Jana and son John-David. In 1998, the couple welcomed the 2nd set of twins named Jedidiah and Jeremiah.
Interestingly, all of the Duggar children have first names that start with the letter ‘J’. The other Duggar children include Joshua, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn, and Josie.
Jessa Duggar Seewald is currently married to Benjamin Michael Seewald. The couple met in church and were adherents of chaperoned courtship. Their courtship was officially announced via the Duggars’ website on September 16, 2013. They got engaged the following year and eventually tied the knot on November 1, 2014, at First Baptist Church Bentonville, Arkansas.
The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Spurgeon Elliot Seewald on November 5, 2015. The boy was named after 2 notable Christian missionaries; Charles Spurgeon and Jim Elliot. Jessa and Benjamin announced their 2nd pregnancy in the middle of 2016. They eventually welcomed a second son Henry Wilberforce Seewald on February 6, 2017.
Jessa Duggar’s Net Worth
Jessa Duggar’s showbiz career has been mainly centered around her family’s long-running reality shows. Back in 2014, she co-authored the book Growing Up Duggar: It’s All About Relationships alongside 3 of her sisters Jana, Jill, and Jinger.
However, the fortunes of the once very famous clan took a serious nose dive in 2015 following the sexual molestation controversy which engulfed the family. The TLC network on which the show was aired lost several major sponsors and advertisers which ultimately led to the cancellation of the show in May 2015.
Fortunately for the Duggars, they successfully weathered the storm and made a swift return to television with a spin-off show (Counting On) in December 2015. Jessa Seewald Duggar equally enjoys a massive social media following and thus, has also delved into social media marketing. The TV star currently has a net worth of $400,000.
Other Facts You Need To Know
1. Jessa Duggar Seewald made her TV debut in a 2004 hour-long documentary tagged 14 Children and Pregnant Again which featured her parents as well as their first 15 children. The family also featured in a subsequent documentary Raising 16 Children which was produced following the birth of their 16th child.
2. In September 2008 and following the birth of their 17th child, the Duggars launched a full-blown reality TV series 17 Kids and Counting which was centered on their daily lives as a family. The series was later renamed to 18 Kids and Counting and finally to 19 Kids and Counting following the birth of their 18th and 19th children respectively. The Duggar parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar are well-known for their avoidance of birth control hence their decision to have as many children as they could.
3. 19 Kids and Counting was the highest rated show on the TLC (The Learning Channel) network recording an average of 2.3 million viewers on each new episode. However, after 10 successful seasons, the show was canceled at what can be considered to be its peak following allegations of sexual abuse within the Duggar family.
4. The show’s cancellation was due to allegations that the Duggars’ eldest child Josh Duggar had molested 5 under-age girls when he was a teenager. Following the scandal, his sister Jessa Duggar also revealed in June 2015 that she was among the victims of the molestation.
5. However, the Duggars reality TV career managed to survive the sexual molestation scandal. In December 2015, their initial show 19 Kids and Counting was swiftly replaced with a spin-off Counting On with the exclusion of their oldest child Josh Duggars. This new spin-off has managed to gain momentum over the years.
