Counting On: Jana Duggar’s Friendship Fallout? What Happened to Her Best Friend?

Counting On alum Jana Duggar has been living happily with her husband, Stephen Wissmann. The 34-year-old is currently sharing their wedding journey on YouTube. She has also been uploading videos from their fixer-upper project. But amid all her vlogs, some Redditors noticed the unusual absence of Jana’s best friend. Keep reading to see who it was.

Counting On: How’s Jana Duggar Today?

Jana recently uploaded the first part of her wedding video with Stephen. The 18-minute video featured behind the scenes before the ceremony. It was revealed that Josie Bates Balka did Jana’s wedding makeup. The Counting On alum also had an emotional moment with her dad, Jim Bob, who told her that she was as beautiful as her mom back in the day. Stephen and his groomsmen also had a fun time before the wedding. By the end of the video, a scene of Jana entering the door and walking down the aisle was shown, implying that the next vlog will feature the couple’s vow exchange.

What Happened To Jana’s Bestie?

Some Counting On fans on Reddit discussed the unusual absence of Jana Duggar’s best friend, Laura DeMasie, after all the content she had shared on social media and YouTube. Many fans have seen the two hang out often and even thought she would be one of Jana’s bridesmaids. Laura was at Jana and Stephen’s wedding.

But many Reddit users still wonder if something happened between them. Laura is no longer active on social media. Many of her last posts were from 2023. Some of them were her trips with Jana, including their trip to Rome in February 2023. Some commenters even speculate that the reason for their sudden distance from one another was the rumor about them being secretly a couple.

• “Laura DeMaise. Professional cult member, professional wedding planner to Jerhannah’s nuptials so they could have 3 under 3. On Insta under Maisiespace and she is a topic of many posts here on Reddit…albeit most look to be old.”
• “I think Jana was embarrassed by the gossip that they were more than friends and distanced herself. So much of her life has been about what will play well with the fans.”
• “I think it was more Boob who was embarrassed by the rumors than Jana was and made Jana distance herself from Laura—basically, he got in between their friendship.”
• “The friendship definitely cooled off in recent years. For a while they were seemingly BFFs and I believe would even travel places together (normally unremarkable but slightly “daring” in fundie circles for unmarried women to go off on adventures together.)”
• “I really hope they drifted naturally and not because people were saying they were together. I had that happen a few times in life (i am gay, but they weren’t friends I was romantically interested in) and I still grieve those totally unnecessary losses caused by people teasing about it. It’s not something to tease about in general let alone in a cult like theirs.”

Counting On: Jana Duggar Shares Clips From The Duggar Family’s Christmas Party

Jana Duggar shared clips and pictures from the Duggar family’s Christmas party. Most of the Counting On alums were in attendance, including Jill, who’s currently navigating her strained relationship with her parents. Some relatives and friends were also at the big house. But it seems Laura wasn’t with them this time. Many family members have kept their distance from the online world since Josh Duggar’s CSAM arrest in April 2021, which may also be the reason why Jana’s best friend is shying away.