Are Jana Duggar And Laura DeMasie Dating? A Family Member Shuts The Rumors Down

In the time of Counting On, Duggar fans have turned their attention away from Jim Bob and Michelle, and instead began to focus on the children — particularly the girls — as they blossom into young adults. Perhaps no Duggar daughter has been met with as much scrutiny as Jana Duggar, whose relationship history and sexual preference has been called into question countless times. Fans even think they got to the bottom of things realizing how friend Laure DeMasie fits into their lives — and if she’s got a special relationship with Jana.

Rumors about the 28-year-old’s sexuality were first sparked when an alleged Duggar insider said that she “preferred the company of women.” According to the alleged insider, Jim Bob was going to great lengths to keep the “truth” about his eldest daughter a secret from their mostly religious and very conservative fan base. And fans think that they have compelling proof that her “family friend Laura” is actually her “girlfriend Laura,” thanks to the elusive Counting On guest star’s birthday wish to Jana from January.

Laura shared a picture from the Duggars’ trip to Australia (which she was on, raising plenty of questions) and wrote, “Jana is our favorite adventurous homebody, the queen of snacks and funny stories, and the kind of sister/friend that none of us deserve.” So sweet! And so much more sincere than anything else we’ve ever read about her, right?

The rumors were also bolstered when Laura travelled with the other Duggars to visit Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo in Texas. “A weekend visit from family,” Jeremy captured a pic of the crew on social media. It says plenty that Jeremy considers Laura part of the family. The fact that she even went on the weekend trip is pretty meaningful, too.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkbGdFWBRmH/

Though she’s worked with the family plenty, and even planned two of the Duggar family weddings, it seems like she usually comes along on trips to help with the kids. But the only kids on this trip were Jessa Duggar‘s sons Spurgeon and Henry, and both of their parents were there to keep an eye on them. Laura also made the trek out to Laredo for the Felicity Vuolo’s birth, prompting further speculation.

But when one Duggar follower asked Derick Dillard to confirm whether or not the two women were in a relationship, he pretty much shut the whole theory down. “Is Jana dating her friend Lauren?” a fan asked on Twitter. “There are tons of rumors flying. Set the record straight.” Derick had pretty much just two words for that: “Uh no.”

Uh no

— Derick Dillard (@derickmdillard) September 18, 2018

Let’s be real. While that’s a pretty straight-forward and blunt denial, Derick is hardly the authority on his sister-in-law’s sexuality. Unfortunately, if Jana is interested in women, it doesn’t seem likely that we’ll see her coming out anytime soon. The family has long been vocal advocates of what they call “traditional family values.” At one point, Josh even was executive director of the political group Family Research Council Action.

In 2015, Josh spoke at a rally where he showed his archaic, anti-gay views preached about “traditional family values.” He said, “Natural marriage is something that has been clearly defined over the years. What’s really at stake here is the American family. Marriage is essential to the American family and every single child deserves a mother and a father.”

Derick has also spoken out about members of the LGBTQIA community. He’s shared plenty of transphobic messages on Twitter, even specifically targeting Jazz Jennings. “What an oxymoron… a ‘reality’ show which follows a non-reality,” he wrote in August 2018. “‘Transgender’ is a myth. Gender is not fluid; it’s ordained by God.”

The rest of the family might not be quite as outspoken about their beliefs, but it’s hard to imagine they feel much differently. It seems like this theory may just be a theory for now — but if Jana or Laura ever confirms it, well, we’ll be the first to celebrate them.