‘Counting On’: Justin Duggar, 17, Announces New Courtship

Love is in the air for the Duggar family! Justin Duggar, 17, has announced his courtship with Claire Spivey, telling the sweet story of meeting the woman he expects to become his wife in a new video for TLC ahead of the Counting On season finale Tuesday. The fourteenth child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar revealed Monday that he met Spivey in the spring of 2019, but that his family and her family have known each other for more than two decades. Watch their full announcement here.

Going out with a group of friends to eat fast food, Spivey and Justin first got to know one another, but truly bonded when Justin went over to her house to spend time with the whole Spivey family, of which she is the oldest of six kids. The visits grew more frequent over time, and they were quickly drawn to one another, with Justin saying he knew Spivey would be his wife within the first week of meeting her. It was during a weekend with both families spending time together that Justin was able to see their future together moving forward.

“God brought Claire into my life and I wasn’t really expecting it but he brought her along right when I needed her and ever since then, I knew she was the one. …I’m so blessed to have her in my life,” Justin said. Spivey added that Justin is “able to see the bright side of things no matter what. He always looks for the best in people and I want to be more like him every day.”

The couple enjoys reading the Bible and praying together as well as spending time outside, especially snowboarding. There doesn’t need to be anything special going on for the two to love being together, however, with Spivey saying she is more than happy to hang out in the shop while he works on his truck and Justin often hanging around the kitchen while she cooks. The pair spends their evenings sharing a soda or going out for ice cream. “I’m really looking forward to the memories to come,” Spivey said.

Courtship for the Duggars can be thought of like dating, but with firm boundaries for the couple and the intention of getting married. “The main difference between courting and dating is setting boundaries for yourself so that you don’t cross over those,” Jill Duggar explained on 19 Kids & Counting in 2014. See the cute couple share their courtship announcement Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 9 p.m. ET on the season finale of Counting On.