Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo’s weekend wedding was supposed to be a happy affair, but it looks like one attendee wasn’t exactly thrilled to be there. There’s speculation that Jinger broke the heart of longtime friend Lawson Bates by marrying Jeremy, and a few of Lawson’s tweets suggest that he didn’t enjoy watching Jinger walk down the aisle with another man.
As Us Weekly reports, Jinger Duggar , 22, and Jeremy Vuolo, 29, tied the knot Saturday afternoon in Arkansas. They invited around 1,000 family members and friends to their wedding, and 24-year-old Lawson Bates was on the guest list. The Bringing Up Bates star made his presence at the wedding known by tweeting a photo of himself holding Jessa Duggar’s 1-year-old son, Spurgeon.
???????? pic.twitter.com/gJOq0XEMwM
— Lawson Bates (@lawbates) November 6, 2016
On the day of Jinger and Jeremy’s wedding, Lawson tweeted two cryptic messages that got longtime Duggar watchers talking. There’s speculation that the Christian country singer has feelings for Jinger, and some Duggar fans believe his tweets are evidence that he’s upset about her marriage.
In one tweet, Lawson hints that he’s been comparing himself to someone.
As long as you’re comparing, you’ll never be content.
— Lawson Bates (@lawbates) November 5, 2016
In another tweet, he reveals that he was “out of sorts” the day before Jinger Duggar’s wedding.
If you saw me last night & I was a lil out of sorts, srry; It was quite a day.????
— Lawson Bates (@lawbates) November 5, 2016
Commenters on the Free Jinger web forum are speculating that Lawson Bates’ pre-wedding tweets are about Jinger and Jeremy .
“It seems like there was something between Jinger and Lawson. It might have been as simple as flirty eyes and longer conversations, but in their world that is a big step. Lawson could have even asked Jim Bob about courting or pre-courting (a special friends) relationship with Jinger. She might have been interested… then Jessa pushed her towards Jeremy,” one commenter wrote.
Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo on their wedding day: Saying ‘I do’ was ‘surreal’ https://t.co/Bx1tREniYz pic.twitter.com/LBXc0st02b
— People Magazine (@people) November 7, 2016
Last fall, there were rumors that Lawson Bates was courting Jinger Duggar. As Radar Online reports, Jinger and Jeremy attended an Arkansas Razorbacks game together last October, and Lawson made a rather suspicious move after their outing — he tweeted and deleted a video of Jinger sitting next to him in the stands. Lawson and Jinger were also photographed standing next to each other at Amy Duggar’s wedding last September, and Jinger appears in the background of a Twitter photo that Lawson shared a few days after the event.
Jinger Duggar and Lawson Bates spotted together at cousin Amy’s wedding – @MailOnline http://t.co/Ad7M3jCekm
— Wedding News (@NewsWedding) September 26, 2015
That same month, Amy Duggar told Entertainment Tonight that she had asked Jinger about Lawson. Jinger reportedly responded by telling her cousin that “rumors are rumors.”
A few months after Jinger Duggar and Lawson Bates were last photographed together, Jinger went on a mission trip to Central America with her family. This is where she started to develop feelings for Texas pastor Jeremy Vuolo , one of the members of the Duggars’ mission team. According to Jeremy’s website, he asked Jinger’s father, Jim Bob Duggar, for permission to get to know Jinger better on December 11, 2015. Jinger and Jeremy didn’t make their courtship official until June 20, 2016, and the couple got engaged just one month later.
Jinger’s other relationship announcements were also followed by cryptic tweets from Lawson Bates. On the day of her engagement , Lawson reportedly tweeted and deleted the words “Truth matters.” A month earlier, he had posted two mysterious messages that were possible responses to the People announcement that Jinger and Jeremy were officially courting .
Things aren’t always as they seem…
— Lawson Bates (@lawbates) June 20, 2016
???always tells…
— Lawson Bates (@lawbates) June 21, 2016
Could these tweets be about Jinger Duggar leading Lawson Bates on and eventually ditching him for Jeremy Vuolo? Or is it possible that they’re about Jeremy’s past? Jeremy was portrayed as a godly, humble preacher on Counting On , but he was a bit of a wild child during his college days. As the Inquisitr previously reported, the former soccer pro has admitted to partying and drinking alcohol, and he’s probably not a virgin. Jeremy has also been arrested for getting drunk and harrassing a police officer .
Jeremy’s past was never brought up on Counting On , even though it was likely a very big deal to Jinger’s conservative Christian parents — the Duggars don’t drink, and remaining abstinent before marriage is extremely important to them. According to the Daily Mail , Jim Bob Duggar makes sure that his daughters’ suitors meet his very strict requirements by asking them to fill out a 50-page questionnaire.
Could Lawson Bates be bitter that Jeremy Vuolo earned Jim Bob’s approval to court Jinger Duggar despite his bad boy past? What do you think?
[Featured Images by Jeremy Vuolo /Facebook, Lawson Bates /Instagram]