Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth Continues to Distance Herself from Duggar Family’s Conservative Beliefs
When 19 Kids and Counting first aired on TLC, audiences were captivated by the Duggar family’s unique lifestyle, grounded in ultra-conservative Christian values and the teachings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). However, in the years since the show’s cancellation—particularly following the shocking scandals involving Josh Duggar—many of the Duggar children have begun speaking out about the toxic elements of their upbringing and are slowly redefining their own beliefs.
Now, Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth, 27, is the latest Duggar sibling to publicly distance herself from her strict religious background—and fans are taking notice.
Joy-Anna Breaks Away from Duggar Dress Code
Joy-Anna has been a consistent social media presence since TLC ended Counting On, and over time, she has gradually started to shift away from the strict dress codes and behavioral expectations enforced by her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.
One of the most noticeable changes came recently when Joy-Anna shared an Instagram video of her daily routine as a mother of three—Gideon (2018), Evelyn (2020), and Gunner (2023). In the video, Joy-Anna is seen dropping her children off at school and heading to a boot camp-style workout at a local gym. But it wasn’t the workout that caught fans’ attention—it was what she was wearing: black athletic shorts.This small but powerful act defies one of the core IBLP teachings that Duggar women have followed for decades, which requires women to wear long skirts and dresses at all times. According to IBLP guidelines, modesty is central to honoring God and others, and attire must not draw attention or reflect vanity. But Joy-Anna, like her sisters Jill, Jinger, and Jana before her, is choosing comfort and practicality over outdated restrictions.
“There’s Nothing in Scripture that Says This is Wrong”
In a March 2023 YouTube video, Joy-Anna openly discussed her journey away from IBLP teachings, especially in regard to dress. “We felt like there wasn’t anything in Scripture that’s black and white on dress,” she explained. “Biblically, we just kind of looked through Scripture for a long time and feel like this is okay for our family.”
That independent thinking has continued in other areas, too. In October, Joy-Anna posted a video of herself attempting to dye her hair at home—another act long frowned upon in her family. In the 2014 Duggar book Growing Up Duggar, the sisters explained they weren’t allowed to cut or color their hair, citing 1 Corinthians 11. But as Joy-Anna laughed and documented her hair-dyeing misadventure, it became clear that she’s embracing a freer, more personal expression of faith and identity.
Inspired by Jinger Duggar’s Memoir
Joy-Anna credits her sister Jinger Duggar Vuolo’s memoir The Hope We Hold as a major turning point in her own faith journey. In interviews, she shared that reading the book “rocked her world” and made her question many of the teachings she grew up believing. She admitted feeling confused about what was real and what wasn’t—and began the hard work of rediscovering her faith for herself.
Together with her husband, Austin Forsyth, Joy-Anna has committed to filtering their religious beliefs through Scripture alone, rather than relying on the teachings of IBLP. “We’d always talked about it when we were dating,” she said in a September 2023 video. “We weren’t going to read their literature or follow those teachings. We just kind of distanced ourselves… We follow Jesus alone now.”
A New Era for the Duggar Children
Joy-Anna’s evolving perspective mirrors similar journeys taken by other Duggar siblings. Jinger has become one of the most outspoken critics of IBLP, calling it a “harmful cult-like system.” Jill Duggar Dillard has also distanced herself from the family and written about her own spiritual trauma in her memoir.Joy-Anna’s growing independence is part of a larger pattern among the Duggar children, many of whom are raising their own families with a drastically different set of values than the ones they were raised with.
