Jinger Duggar and Lawson Bates have known each other for many years, so it’s not surprising that many fans of the Duggar and Bates families are convinced that the fundie Christian kids are courting. Lawson is the only half of the rumored couple who has his own social media accounts, and so far, he hasn’t used them to dispel the courtship rumors. Instead, he decided to drop a hint that there might be some truth to all this talk about a budding Bates-Duggar romance.
Yesterday, Lawson Bates took to Twitter to use seven different emojis to express his disappointment in the Tennessee Volunteers’ loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks. His sad tweet was accompanied by a 15-second video that at first appears to be nothing more than footage of the game. However, Lawson turns the camera on the college football fan sitting next to him near the end of the video, and that fan is none other than Jinger Duggar.
4th & 6 incomplete AR 24 TN 20 final #VFL pic.twitter.com/G9tVBMAc1F
— Lawson Bates (@lawbates) October 4, 2015
Lawson is from Tennessee and Jinger lives in Arkansas, so naturally, they were rooting for opposing teams. However, it could be very telling that they were at the game together. Over on the Duggar Family Official Facebook page, it was revealed that Jinger Duggar went to Tennessee with older brother John David and younger sister Joy Anna. They attended the football game with members of the Bates family and their brother, Joseph, who is currently attending Crown College in Tennessee.
“John, Jinger & Joy celebrated an Arkansas Razorback football victory in TN!!” a post accompanying the photo above read. “Whoooo Pig Soooie!! They were able to hang out with the Bates, attend the game and see their brother Joseph who attends Crown College. Lovely day!”
According to Freejinger commenters who track the flights of aircraft owned by the Duggars, John David likely piloted the plane that took Jinger and Joy to Tennessee. Perhaps Joy acted as a chaperone during Jinger Duggar’s “date” with Lawson Bates.
As the Inquisitr previously reported, there were rumors that Jinger Duggar went on a Talk Like a Pirate Day date with Lawson late last month. Jinger and Lawson were also photographed standing next to each other in a photo that was taken during Amy Duggar’s wedding . This could have been a coincidence, but it certainly was no coincidence that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar let their daughter fly to another state to attend a football game with an eligible young bachelor.
According to Bustle , Jinger Duggar and Lawson Bates attended an anti-abortion rally in Washington, D.C. together back in March. They were there with their families, and it’s safe to say that romance was far from their thoughts during the event. However, their attendance is evidence that they share similar political beliefs.
Jinger and Lawson have a lot more in common besides their anti-choice stances. They both come from 19-kid families who have starred on reality shows, and they and their parents share similar conservative Christian beliefs. Like the Duggars, the Bateses are abstinence-only advocates who encourage their daughters to court rather than date. The Duggars describe courtship as “ dating with a purpose ” — in other words, Lawson has to be serious about marrying Jinger if he’s courting her.
However, courtships don’t always work out, and this might be why members of the Duggar and Bates families aren’t saying anything about the possibility of becoming in-laws in the near future. According to Radar Online , Jana Duggar once broke off a courtship with Lawson’s brother, Zach Bates. Josiah Duggar and Marjorie Jackson also decided to call their courtship off a few short months after they filmed a video announcement that they were a couple, so perhaps the Duggars and Bateses are waiting to make sure that Jinger and Lawson’s courtship sticks before they let everyone know that they’re officially an item.
Back in February, Lawson’s sister, Erin, talked about the inevitably of a Bates-Duggar romance .
“I personally think, hey you have 19 kids on each side, I think it’s almost inevitable somewhere down the line,” she told ETonline . “As much as we see each other, I think there’s going to be an attraction somewhere. I don’t know where yet, but I think it’s gonna happen.”
19 Kids and Counting fans got to watch Jill Duggar and Jessa Duggar’s courtships and marriages on their family’s TLC reality show, but the series was cancelled earlier this summer. Luckily, Lawson’s family has their own UPtv reality series, titled Bringing Up Bates , so Duggar family fans may get to watch a few of Jinger and Lawson’s dates when the show returns early next year.
Do you think Jinger Duggar and Lawson Bates will be the lovers who fulfill Erin’s prophecy, or do you think they’re just good friends?
[Featured Images via Duggar Family / Instagram, Lawson Bates / Instagram]