When Jessa Duggar married Ben Seewald back in 2014, it looked like a match made in heaven.
Ben and Jessa shared similar views, and most importantly, they had the approval of her domineering father.
Jim Bob Duggar makes all the rules in his household, and his daughters aren’t allowed to date anyone without his approval.
In fact, potential suitors are forced to fill out a 45-page questionnaire before they can date a Duggar daughter.
Ben was only the second guy to pass all of Jim Bob’s tests.
So we know that he has Jim Bob’s approval, but how does Jessa wife feel about Ben?
Are Ben & Jessa Still Married?
Yes, they are – but if you ask those who are watching the pair closely, they won’t be for long!
Some observers believe she wasn’t thrilled with him to begin with, and her opinion has soured further in recent years.
“I don’t think Jessa and Ben are happy together. I just have this gut feeling. I believe they are miserable,” one person opined on the r/DuggarsSnark subreddit this week, according to UK tabloid The Sun.
“I remember when Jessa posted online (idk if she erased it). Her messy house. And how her kids are always messing it up. And idk it just made me feel that she is not truly happy,” this person continued.
“What do you [guys] think? Do you believe she and Ben are not happy in their marriage?” another poster poised to the group
“Absolutely not. Jessa, I think was the ‘prize’ in her community. I think she expected to also marry a ‘prize,’” one redditor replied, adding:
“He is effectively, another child for her to take care of. Granted I think she likes being able to control him. [Ben] won’t step up and she’ll keep treating him the way she does.”
Jessa and Ben Now: The Parent Trap?
The truth is, Jessa and Ben are still together, and more than that, they’ve just expanded their family.
The pair welcomed George Augustine Seewald on December 19th, 2023. This is their 5th child together, after already welcoming kids Spurgeon, Henry, Ivy, and Fern.
So, if they are unhappy, are they perhaps sticking it out for the kids? It surely would be a huge disruption to their lives if they jumped ship.
But again, commenters suggest that had these two had a normal dating life before getting together, things would’ve been very different.
“If Jessa had been allowed to date him, screw around, and then come to the realization that ‘Yeah, he’s kinda hot…but what a f**king moron.’ She probably never would’ve married him and met someone who was actually compatible,” one person wrote on the thread.
Still, at least one person found a silver lining in the discord:
“I don’t see much love in their relationship but Jessa is safe and has complete freedom which is a lot more than most wives in these communities.”
Is Jessa Duggar Still In IBLP?
But if by “community” they mean the IBLP – aka, the nondenominational Christian fundamentalist organization Institute in Basic Life Principles – then they need to get up with the times.
Jessa revealed that she, Ben, and their children “do not” belong to IBLP in a September 2023 Instagram Story Q&A.
Furthermore, Ben currently serves as a pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Arkansas.