Jessa Duggar Backs Out Of Southern Women’s Show, Is Replaced By Josiah And Jinger Duggar

Jessa Duggar Seewald was set to appear at the Southern Women’s Show in Jacksonville, Florida on October 17. However, the pregnant reality show star suddenly had to pull out of the event.

Posters on the Freejinger website first noticed that Jessa Duggar had cancelled her appearance. According to the Southern Women’s Show website, Jessa Duggar and her husband, Ben Seewald, were going to take part in a Q&A with their fans this Saturday. Attendees were encouraged to ask the couple questions about their wedding and Jessa’s pregnancy, and Jessa and Ben were also scheduled for a meet and greet that would give fans an opportunity to get autographs and pose for photos with the couple. However, some attendees will be disappointed to learn that Jessa can’t attend the last Southern Women’s Show on her short tour of the events.

“Due to unforseen circumstances, Jessa Duggar Seewald is unable to attend the Southern Women’s Show on Saturday, October 17,” a message on the Southern Women’s Show website reads. “Appearing in her absence will be siblings Jinger and Josiah Duggar.”

On the website’s list of special guests, Jessa’s photo has already been replaced by a picture of her younger sister, Jinger Duggar.

The website doesn’t say that Ben Seewald has also pulled out of the event, but this could be an oversight. Jessa Duggar is due to give birth on November 1, so there’s a chance that her pregnancy has something to do with her decision to cancel her appearance. If she’s experiencing complications or going into labor early, Ben will obviously want to be by her side. However, it’s possible that Jessa simply decided that she didn’t want to fly to Florida being so heavily pregnant.

There’s no word on what Jinger Duggar and Josiah Duggar will talk about during their appearances, but there are a few go-to Duggar topics that they can stick to. On 19 Kids and Counting, members of the Duggar family seemed particularly fond of talking about everyday life in a house full of 19 kids and the very strict courtship rules that the Duggar kids follow whenever they start dating. However, Josiah Duggar probably won’t want to talk about his failed courtship with Marjorie Jackson.

The replacement Duggars aren’t the only celebrities attending the event — Britt Nilsson, star of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, will also take part in a Q&A and talk about her experiences on the ABC reality shows.

According to the Duggar Family Blog, Jessa and Ben were scheduled to appear at four Southern Women’s Shows this year, and the Jacksonville show was their final appearance. Refinery 29 reports that there was a big backlash to the couple’s appearance at the October 10 show in Birmingham, Alabama, and the event’s Facebook page was flooded with critical comments. Some critics complained that Jessa Duggar isn’t a great role model for women.

“Jessa is NO role model for women. No college education. No work experience. Making excuses for her molesting brother… There are so many strong, accomplished Southern women out there making a difference. Jessa or any of the Duggars are an awful choice.”

However, the Birmingham event organizers defended their decision to feature Jessa as a guest speaker, and a spokesperson told People that the response to her appearance has actually been “overwhelmingly supportive.”

A commenter on the #NoMoreDuggars Facebook page revealed that TLC filmed Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald’s appearance at the Birmingham show. According to the Associated Press, TLC is producing one or more TV specials that star the soon-to-be parents, and one of the specials will focus on Jessa’s pregnancy. An attendee snapped a photo of TLC’s filming notice at the October 10 event.

According to ETonline, Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald didn’t talk about controversial topics at the September 26 Southern Women’s Show in Orlando. Instead, they kept the focus on their marriage and Jessa’s pregnancy. The couple tried to keep things lighthearted by playing a version of The Newlywed Game, but Jessa was probably less than impressed when Ben revealed how long it took him to fall in love with her. Jessa thought that her husband would say that it was love at first sight, but Ben said it took “a few months” for him to start feeling the love. However, Ben did admit that it was attraction at first sight.

“I felt like there was like this light. The door opened. She came gliding in, holding her little sister’s hand, and I was like, ‘I think an angel just walked in the room.'”

Do you think Jessa Duggar decided to ditch the Jackonsville event because she’s about to pop and doesn’t want to fly, or is it possible that she was tired of her appearances at the Southern Women’s Shows causing so much controversy?

[Featured image credit: Duggar Family Instagram]