Joy-Anna Duggar's Husband Austin Forsyth Speaks Out About Backlash for Rejecting Son’s Birth on ‘Counting On’.
The Duggar family has had its fair share of reality TV moments, but not all of them were comfortable for everyone involved.
Joy-Anna Forsyth (née Duggar) and her husband, Austin Forsyth, have always been a bit more private compared to some of their reality TV family members.
In a candid conversation on The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast, Austin, 31, revealed the significant heat he took for not wanting to feature the birth of their first son, Gideon, on Counting On.
"I don’t remember us having really big, like, ‘Oh, no, y’all can’t show this or whatever,’ but I think we did push back about having Gideon,” Austin admitted during the February 19 episode of the podcast.
“I didn’t want any film crew there. I took a lot of heat for that.” He explained that some of Joy-Anna’s sisters, including Jessa and Jill, had already featured their children’s births on the show, which set an expectation that all the Duggar family members would do the same.
“That’s something which Jessa and Jill, I believe, had already had Spurgeon and Israel [on the show], so I should have thought about it,” Austin continued.
He also reflected on how, as a single guy, it didn’t cross his mind that one day he’d have to make the decision to either welcome cameras into his most intimate moments or keep that part of his life private.
“It’s not something that, as a single guy, crossed my mind like, ‘One day, I’m going to have to make the decision if I’m going to have the network with cameras in our face,’” Austin admitted. "There’s a lot you just don’t know how [to handle]."
Despite the high-profile nature of the Duggar family’s show, Austin acknowledged that he was often uncomfortable on Counting On, which aired on TLC from 2015 to 2021.
The series was canceled in June 2021 following the arrest of Joy-Anna’s brother, Josh Duggar, on child pornography charges. The cancellation left the family to navigate life outside of the public eye.
TLC confirmed the end of the show, telling Us Weekly at the time, "TLC will not be producing additional seasons of Counting On. TLC feels it is important to give the Duggar family the opportunity to address their situation privately."
For Austin, being in front of the cameras was challenging. He recalled, “I didn’t really trust the producers or the camera guys—not that the camera guys really had anything to do with the production.”
He also noted a conversation with a producer who told him, "It used to be so hard getting stuff out of you and you always seemed like we were trying to entrap you or you always would think a long time about your answers and we just wanted something spontaneous.”
Austin’s unease about being on Counting On stemmed from his concerns about how his words and actions would be remembered, especially considering how permanent TV footage can be.
“I guess I was thinking if I’m gonna be on camera and this is gonna be out there forever, I really wanna be careful what I say,” he shared.
Since the show’s end, Austin and Joy-Anna, 27, have embraced a quieter life away from the public spotlight. The couple, who married in 2017, now have three children—Gideon, 6, Evelyn, 4, and Gunner, 21 months—and they’re focused on creating a family life that's less under the microscope.
Austin shared on the podcast, "We have three kids and just so much has happened over the last five years. It’s like, ‘Wow, I guess we did do that. And someone almost has to bring it up like, how was it being on the show or whatever? I’m like, well, I guess we did do that. Yeah. So it’s kinda weird."
Even Joy-Anna, who once posted regularly on her YouTube channel, has taken a step back from social media. In June 2024, she shared with her followers that she’d be taking a break from her YouTube content.
"Our main reason for wanting to step back a little bit is probably just the family privacy for our kids and us,” she explained in a video on her channel. “Then two, the stress of having to, as life has gotten busier with two kids, I feel like, I need to prioritize other things.”
It’s clear that while Joy-Anna and Austin were once at the center of the Duggar family’s media presence, their priorities have shifted. Their focus now appears to be firmly on their family’s well-being and maintaining a low profile.
While their reality TV journey was an essential part of their lives, it seems they’re content to leave that chapter behind and raise their children out of the public eye.
