Jason & Maddie Duggar Tell All: Meeting on Instagram, Wedding Day Drama & Baby Plans - The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast

Summary5 min read

Summary of "Jason & Maddie Duggar Tell All: Meeting on Instagram, Wedding Day Drama & Baby Plans" - The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast

Release Date: August 13, 2025

In this heartfelt episode of The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast, hosts Jinger Vuolo and Jeremy Vuolo welcome their special guests, newlyweds Jason and Maddie Duggar. The conversation delves into the unique story of how Jason and Maddie met on Instagram, the challenges and joys of marrying into a large family, their memorable wedding day, and their thoughts on future baby plans. Throughout the episode, the couple shares candid insights into their faith journey and how they navigated the complexities of blending into the Duggar family.

1. Welcoming Jason & Maddie Duggar

The episode kicks off with Jinger and Jeremy warmly welcoming Jason and Maddie Duggar to the podcast. Maddie expresses her initial nervousness about joining such a large family, saying:

“Marrying into the family. It was a little nerve-wracking because it's like, okay, now there's, like, 20 adults. I feel like I have to be around all the time.”
— Maddie Duggar [00:07]

2. How Jason and Maddie Met on Instagram

Jason recounts the serendipitous way he connected with Maddie on Instagram. Initially mistaking the 'heart' button for the 'message' button, Jason ended up following Maddie, leading to their first interaction:

“I clicked on that and I'm like, dang, that girl's hot. And that was it, you know?”
— Jason Duggar [03:48]

Maddie reflects on her surprise and cautious optimism when Jason followed her, despite her mother's warnings about potential scams:

“I didn't think I'd meet my future husband on Instagram at all. I had no intentions... I just wanted to look at him on Instagram.”
— Maddie Duggar [04:00]

3. Navigating Their Relationship and Faith

Their initial interactions were filled with the typical uncertainties of an online relationship. Jason shares his initial perception of their connection as platonic:

“We were talking to each other up. We were both really uncomfortable because we had... we couldn't be real with each other.”
— Jason Duggar [14:06]

However, as they began to be more authentic and open, their relationship deepened. Maddie discusses the importance of their shared faith and how it strengthened their bond:

“You bring out the best in me. You truly do, baby.”
— Jason Duggar [54:31]

4. The Wedding Day and Overcoming Challenges

Jason and Maddie describe the whirlwind planning of their wedding, marked by last-minute challenges and natural disasters. Despite initial venue setbacks, their reliance on faith helped them overcome obstacles:

“I was praying... lord, just let us find something. And then it came down to it, and they were like, oh, we're going to charge you an extra 30,000... So we were scrambling to find a venue.”
— Maddie Duggar [57:26]

A significant moment during their wedding planning was witnessing a rainbow, which Maddie interprets as a sign of divine providence:

“It was like, hey, like, I'm going to provide. Like, it's going to be okay.”
— Maddie Duggar [58:31]

5. Integrating into the Duggar Family

Marrying into a family of 19 siblings presented its own set of challenges. Maddie shares her strategy of bonding with the children first to build rapport and ease into the family dynamic:

“Whenever I'd go to the big house for the first few times, I would just clean with the kids. I would just talk about the baby the whole time.”
— Maddie Duggar [50:30]

Jason adds humor about remembering the vast number of siblings:

“I would try to name her siblings in order of age. Maddie and Cam... name her siblings... everything was so last minute.”
— Jason Duggar [51:22]

6. Future Plans and Baby Fever

As they discuss their future, Maddie and Jason express their excitement about starting a family but emphasize the importance of completing their education first:

“We are not expecting. We are not trying to be. We just want to finish up school. I have one year of school left, and I don’t want to worry about a baby before then.”
— Maddie Duggar [62:22]

They highlight the desire to enjoy their current stage of marriage without the immediate pressure of expanding their family, though they admit to experiencing "baby fever":

“We just wanna chill. We just wanna enjoy this time. I can always get pregnant later on, you know, Lord willing.”
— Maddie Duggar [62:25]

7. Embracing Life in a New Environment

Jason and Maddie discuss the transition to living closer to the Bates family in Arkansas, contrasting it with Maddie's upbringing in a smaller town:

“I didn't expect the guy I married to grow up on TV. People from my town know you more than any other town somehow.”
— Maddie Duggar [55:14]

They reflect on the differences between their previous locations and their new surroundings, with Maddie humorously noting the vastness of Arkansas compared to her hometown:

“I'm from the middle of nowhere. We have, like, three red lights, one coffee shop, and a Walmart.”
— Maddie Duggar [55:27]

8. Final Thoughts and Welcome

As the episode wraps up, Jinger and Jeremy congratulate Jason and Maddie on their marriage and welcome Maddie into the Duggar family. The couple expresses gratitude and excitement for their shared future:

“We love you guys. Welcome to the family, Maddie.”
— Jeremy Vuolo [64:37]

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

Maddie Duggar [00:07]: "Marrying into the family... now there's like 20 adults. I feel like I have to be around all the time."
Jason Duggar [03:48]: "I didn't even realize. You can look at all everybody that's followed you who's messaged you."
Maddie Duggar [04:00]: "I didn't think I'd meet my future husband on Instagram at all. I had no intentions..."
Jason Duggar [14:06]: "We were both really uncomfortable because we had... we couldn't be real with each other."
Jason Duggar [54:31]: "You bring out the best in me. You truly do, baby."
Maddie Duggar [57:26]: "I was praying... lord, just let us find something."
Maddie Duggar [62:22]: "We are not expecting. We are not trying to be. We just want to finish up school."
Maddie Duggar [55:14]: "I'm from the middle of nowhere. We have, like, three red lights, one coffee shop, and a Walmart."

This episode offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of Jason and Maddie Duggar, highlighting their journey from a chance online meeting to building a life rooted in faith and family. Their candid discussions about integrating into a large family, overcoming wedding planning challenges, and thoughtfully planning their future together provide listeners with inspiring and relatable insights.

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Transcript484 lines

[00:00]
Ginger Duggar
We are having a lot of the fam on the podcast, and so today our special guests are Jason and Maddie.
[00:07]
Maddie Duggar
Marrying into the family. It was a little nerve wracking because it's like, okay, now there's, like, 20 adults. I feel like I have to be around all the time.
[00:14]
Jeremy Vuolo
All right, let me quiz you. Name her siblings in order of age.
[00:17]
Jason Duggar
Ooh, Ooh. Maddie and Cam. Okay, good job.
[00:22]
Jeremy Vuolo
Is he right? Is he right?
[00:23]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah, he's right.
[00:24]
Jeremy Vuolo
Okay, now can you do it?
[00:25]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[00:26]
Jason Duggar
Probably not in order, though.
[00:27]
Maddie Duggar
Can you?
[00:28]
Jeremy Vuolo
Yeah, I think I. I always get asked in order, so you have to.
[00:30]
Maddie Duggar
Get asked in order. Okay. Josh, Janet, John, David, Jill, Jessa, Ginger, Joseph, Josiah, Joanna, Jedediah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin.
[00:44]
Jeremy Vuolo
What's going on, guys? Ginger and Jeremy. We're back for another episode, and we are tucked away in Ben's church office.
[00:49]
Ginger Duggar
Yes, we are. We're back in Arkansas here, and we have some very exciting guests for you guys. We are having a lot of the fam on the podcast, and so today our special guests are Jason and Maddie.
[01:03]
Jason Duggar
What's going on?
[01:04]
Ginger Duggar
Welcome to the podcast, guys.
[01:06]
Jeremy Vuolo
Glad to have you.
[01:07]
Ginger Duggar
We're so excited to be here.
[01:07]
Jeremy Vuolo
The newlyweds.
[01:08]
Jason Duggar
Yes.
[01:09]
Ginger Duggar
Yeah.
[01:09]
Jeremy Vuolo
How long you been married?
[01:11]
Maddie Duggar
Eight months. Has it been eight months?
[01:13]
Jason Duggar
It's been eight months. October. Since October 3rd.
[01:16]
Maddie Duggar
Let's go. I guess we stopped counting. I guess we stopped counting months. Just counting down until a year.
[01:21]
Jason Duggar
That's right.
[01:22]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[01:22]
Ginger Duggar
So fun. So, so fun.
[01:24]
Jeremy Vuolo
How's it been?
[01:25]
Jason Duggar
It's been great, honestly. It's been a journey, you know, adjusting to not being single. I think that's a whole thing. A lot of people don't know it.
[01:34]
Jeremy Vuolo
Is a whole thing. Yeah.
[01:35]
Jason Duggar
You know, so that's been good, but it's also, like, amazing. I mean, it's the best blessing ever, you know, I get to spend every day with my best friend, and it's. It really is the best thing ever. Nothing like it.
[01:48]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah, I love it. Yeah.
[01:51]
Jeremy Vuolo
So talk about how you guys met.
[01:56]
Jason Duggar
That's a good one.
[01:56]
Maddie Duggar
Sounds better when you tell a story.
[01:58]
Jason Duggar
Than what I kind of want to.
[02:00]
Maddie Duggar
Hear you tell it.
[02:01]
Ginger Duggar
Go ahead, Maddie.
[02:02]
Jeremy Vuolo
What's the more exciting version? Maddie's version.
[02:04]
Maddie Duggar
Oh, yeah. I wouldn't say more exciting, but it almost sounds creepy when I say it. It's not, but I always clarify that it's not creepy in any way. No, I am not a DM slider. It doesn't matter who you are. I was never a D. But, yeah, I had, like, kind of seen 19 kids and counting growing up. Not really like a whole lot. But my mom and I watched a few episodes. Just our friends recommended it. And then I was on TikTok one day and it was like, where the Duggar kids are now. And I was like, oh, like, this is cool. I recognize this family. So I just watched it and I saw Jace in it and I was like, oh, like he's my age, he's kind of cute. I should just, you know, do what every girl does and look at him on Instagram. So look him up on Instagram, like one of his posts and follow him. And like that was the end of it. Like he was just going to be another cute guy I followed on Instagram. But then Jace just like so happened to see it, I guess you were like, are you pushing the message button?
[03:02]
Jason Duggar
So, yeah, there's. I don't really know how to use Instagram very well. I mean, I've gotten a little better at it, but I clicked on the heart button up in the right. Thinking I was clicking on the message button, which is not the same thing.
[03:14]
Jeremy Vuolo
Right.
[03:14]
Jason Duggar
And I figured out, okay, you can see. I was like, whoa, I didn't even realize. You can look at all everybody that's followed you who's messaged you. You can see it from one place. And I'm like, that's brilliant. I was literally telling somebody the other day they need something like that. And they had it. So, you know, so they had it. And I was like, oh, this is pretty cool. Well, the girl that was like at the top was Maddie, but it had bubble letters. It was like M A D s. So I saw the bubble letters and I was like, that's cool. That's a new feature that Instagram has. Well, it wasn't. It was just like something that she's.
[03:49]
Jeremy Vuolo
Put there like 10 years behind the time.
[03:50]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, literally. So then I click on that and I'm like, dang, that girl's hot. And that was it, you know? And then I saw she's Christian.
[03:57]
Maddie Duggar
You had to stalk me to find out.
[03:59]
Jason Duggar
I did that.
[04:00]
Maddie Duggar
It wasn't a feature.
[04:01]
Jason Duggar
So I gave her a follow. And then it was probably a week later, I was like, wait, I followed that girl. I wonder if she followed me back because accepted it because it was a private account. So then I went back, she accepted it, and I was like, I'm going to message her. Cuz I was telling Jan, you didn't.
[04:14]
Jeremy Vuolo
Slide into the DMs. Jason slowed in the. I said slow. She slid.
[04:20]
Jason Duggar
She just had liked a few videos. So somehow this. When I clicked on that, her name was up at the top of that thing.
[04:26]
Jeremy Vuolo
God's providence.
[04:27]
Jason Duggar
I know.
[04:27]
Maddie Duggar
Truly in Instagram, like, that was not what you think. I didn't think I'd meet my future husband on Instagram at all. Like, I had no intentions. I did think you were cute. Like, I was like, oh, this is a cute guy. And then, like, completely slipped my mind. And then it said, j Stuggar followed you. And I was like, that's so weird. Like, why would he do that?
[04:44]
Jason Duggar
Literally, your mom was like, this has got to be like, some sort of, like, a bot or something.
[04:50]
Maddie Duggar
You were a scammer. And she said, do not text that man back.
[04:54]
Jason Duggar
So, yeah, you're like, I think this is real. I think this is actually him.
[04:58]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah. So you were asking to FaceTime.
[05:00]
Jeremy Vuolo
But real quick, we need a quick little bio. Maddie. Because you say guy, you don't say guy.
[05:06]
Jason Duggar
So what is that?
[05:08]
Jeremy Vuolo
You've got an accent.
[05:09]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[05:09]
Jeremy Vuolo
Where's that coming from?
[05:10]
Maddie Duggar
It's from East Tennessee. Yeah.
[05:12]
Jeremy Vuolo
Wow.
[05:13]
Maddie Duggar
I lose it, but it comes back sometimes.
[05:15]
Jeremy Vuolo
You haven't lost it. I'll just reassure you.
[05:18]
Maddie Duggar
I've lost some of it. It's not as thick as it was, though.
[05:21]
Jeremy Vuolo
Talk thick. Can you talk? Like, the. What would the thick accent sound like?
[05:26]
Jason Duggar
It's like a banjo, you know?
[05:28]
Maddie Duggar
No. When you do get around my grandparents, sometimes you say that you can't really understand. Like, you just agree, like, because they have a really thick.
[05:35]
Jeremy Vuolo
What would that sound like?
[05:36]
Maddie Duggar
I don't know. I don't. I have to be in the same room as, like, Southern.
[05:41]
Ginger Duggar
Yes.
[05:42]
Maddie Duggar
And then it clicks in and I'm like, oh, I can totally relate. But you guys have the LA accents. I just don't know what I can slip back into it sound.
[05:51]
Jason Duggar
I mean, like, we would try to impersonate that, but we can't. You know, it's.
[05:54]
Jeremy Vuolo
I don't think we have accents.
[05:55]
Ginger Duggar
Yeah, no, for sure not. See, I don't slip into it when I'm background people.
[05:59]
Jason Duggar
I don't think I do either.
[06:00]
Jeremy Vuolo
You don't really, but you. There's a few words already I'm picking up.
[06:04]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, but when we first started dating, it was really thick because you were around them a lot. But then when we. Probably five months before we got married, you were down in Arkansas a bunch. She would come and stay in the girls room and stuff.
[06:21]
Maddie Duggar
Because you bullied me out of it.
[06:22]
Jason Duggar
I know. I'm just kidding.
[06:23]
Maddie Duggar
You really didn't.
[06:24]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, but it was like, we. Yeah, but I noticed then she started to change to that, like, whatever. We have, like, a Cincinnati accent or what. I always think it's kind of that, you know, that Ohio accent. Really?
[06:36]
Jeremy Vuolo
So you think you got more Ohio twang than Arkansas?
[06:39]
Jason Duggar
I think it's almost Mom's accent, I want to say, you know, because some of the ways that we, you know, pronounce words.
[06:46]
Maddie Duggar
I don't even think you guys have an accent. Like, you just talk very proper. Yes, but there's no. Like, it's just so flat.
[06:53]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, yeah.
[06:54]
Maddie Duggar
So I don't know.
[06:56]
Jeremy Vuolo
It's proper flat. This is how Southerners have, you know, the deep accents. Look at you. If you don't have that twang, they're, like, boring.
[07:05]
Jason Duggar
Exactly.
[07:06]
Jeremy Vuolo
Like, what's the fun in.
[07:07]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah, yeah.
[07:08]
Jeremy Vuolo
You just say words, how they're written.
[07:09]
Jason Duggar
Exactly. You know, you got to add a little draw to it. Yeah.
[07:13]
Maddie Duggar
I just think everybody can, like, understand you. Like, you're a good middle. Middle ground.
[07:18]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, yeah.
[07:18]
Maddie Duggar
You don't have a city accent, but you don't have a Southern accent. Like.
[07:21]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, well, I do. When I get on the phone, I'll say that.
[07:24]
Jeremy Vuolo
Oh, really?
[07:24]
Jason Duggar
Yeah. It's just a business thing. Just. I think it's what you do, you know, like when Jed gets on the phone. Car salesman, you gotta put on your Southern accent.
[07:32]
Maddie Duggar
I mean, you got to.
[07:33]
Jason Duggar
It's so cool.
[07:34]
Jeremy Vuolo
Really? You're giving away secrets of the trade.
[07:36]
Jason Duggar
Well, it just. It happens. It's not even like something you do or intentional about. It just happens. Your Southern accent will naturally come out.
[07:43]
Maddie Duggar
Well, I think most of your customers have a deep Southern draw, so you gotta. You gotta fit in.
[07:47]
Jeremy Vuolo
Is this Jason Duggar Automotive Sales?
[07:50]
Jason Duggar
No, I do trees, but that's okay.
[07:53]
Jeremy Vuolo
You said Southern cars.
[07:54]
Jason Duggar
I said it's like Jed when he's.
[07:56]
Jeremy Vuolo
Jed.
[07:56]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, you know Jed when he's.
[07:58]
Jeremy Vuolo
Is this Jason Duggar Tree Service?
[07:59]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[08:00]
Jeremy Vuolo
What would you say in your Southern.
[08:02]
Jason Duggar
I don't even know. I can't. I gotta hear it. I mean, if it's an old. If it's an old, you know, dude, then I'm locked in.
[08:09]
Jeremy Vuolo
I like it. So you're Vol, right?
[08:13]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[08:14]
Jeremy Vuolo
And he messages you. Your mom thinks he's a Russian bot. What happens next?
[08:20]
Ginger Duggar
I don't know.
[08:21]
Maddie Duggar
We just kinda. Well, first of all, Jace invited me immediately, basically, to the Duggar New Year's Eve party.
[08:29]
Jason Duggar
Really not knowing where I was.
[08:30]
Jeremy Vuolo
Messaged her and said, hey, come on out to our house.
[08:32]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[08:32]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[08:33]
Jeremy Vuolo
That's the Duggar way.
[08:34]
Ginger Duggar
That is the Duggar way.
[08:35]
Jason Duggar
It's like, come on over.
[08:36]
Ginger Duggar
You know, you don't know who the person is. You don't know if they're gonna murder you.
[08:39]
Jeremy Vuolo
This is how her diary is going, bro.
[08:41]
Maddie Duggar
Welcome. Literally, it is.
[08:43]
Ginger Duggar
It is on a party on. I was in on New Year's. It was on the 4th of July.
[08:48]
Jason Duggar
She was also a loose cannon. Yeah, that lady.
[08:51]
Ginger Duggar
That lady was a little bit of a loose cannon.
[08:53]
Jason Duggar
Crazy.
[08:53]
Ginger Duggar
Alrighty.
[08:54]
Maddie Duggar
I would not have stolen your diary, but I didn't go to the New Year's Eve party. Thank. Yeah.
[08:58]
Jeremy Vuolo
So he's just like, were you guys, like, talking back and forth and then he invites you out?
[09:02]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah. We're talking each other up. We're like, oh, yeah. Well, I went on this mission trip this year. Well, I traveled this. You know how it is when you start talking to someone. You. You're like, oh, what's the best show your best side? So there are paragraphs where it's like, oh, this is how I've served this year, and this is where I've traveled and stuff. So they're funny to look at your.
[09:21]
Jason Duggar
Day been Maddie, you know, and it's like, almost too much, you know?
[09:25]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah. We want to take a break from.
[09:28]
Ginger Duggar
This episode to tell you about Cozy Earth.
[09:29]
Jeremy Vuolo
How'd you sleep last night?
[09:31]
Ginger Duggar
Great. Thanks for asking. Because I was sleeping in our bed when. And we have Cozy Earth sheets on them.
[09:38]
Jeremy Vuolo
Cozy Earth everything. It's amazing.
[09:40]
Jason Duggar
Oh, yeah.
[09:40]
Jeremy Vuolo
I can't wait. I know. I'm at that age in life where you start looking forward to going to bed. And our kids obviously are like, fighting bed, and all we want to do is go to bed. And Cozy Earth has participated in that.
[09:51]
Ginger Duggar
It's been super helpful.
[09:53]
Jeremy Vuolo
It's contributed to that longing to go to bed.
[09:56]
Maddie Duggar
Oh, yeah.
[09:56]
Ginger Duggar
I mean, anytime that you travel, you always say you want to come back and get to bed because of the Cozy Earth sheets.
[10:02]
Jeremy Vuolo
And here's something we got to tell you guys about the Bubble Cuddle blanket. You lose yourself in luxury with the Cozy Earth Bubble cuddle blanket. This blanket offers a combination of comfort and style with its distinctively textured bubble design. Intricately woven from ultrasoft fibers. Showcasing extended plush pile and midweight construction, this faux fur blanket makes the perfect centerpiece for your living room or your bedroom.
[10:24]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[10:24]
Ginger Duggar
And they have a free 100 night trial. So if you don't like their sheets.
[10:29]
Jeremy Vuolo
Then you're gonna like them. I don't keep saying this.
[10:32]
Ginger Duggar
Yeah, but you're gonna like them. So go ahead and get yourself some Cozy Earth stuff.
[10:36]
Jeremy Vuolo
Go to cozyearth.com use Ginger's code. Ginger J I N G E R for 40% off site wide. Okay, we're going to tell you quickly about ZocDoc and ginger needs it right now.
[10:49]
Ginger Duggar
I feel like I need ZocDoc right now. I've never had allergies a day in my life and all day I've been sneezing, my nose is itching, I feel.
[10:57]
Maddie Duggar
Like my eyes get a little watery.
[11:00]
Ginger Duggar
Maybe this is why I need zocdoc right now.
[11:02]
Jeremy Vuolo
Yeah. So go to zocdoc. It's online booking for any of your medical needs. So you need a dentist, you need a doctor, you need a checkup. Are you sick of asking WebMD for goodness sakes?
[11:14]
Jason Duggar
You.
[11:14]
Jeremy Vuolo
You have a problem, you go to WebMD and they go, yeah, it could be the common cold or cancer and it just leaves you spiraling. You need a doctor, go to zocdoc. It makes it so convenient. Honestly, I'm the type of guy who will not go to the doctor because of the inconvenience of scheduling and booking and finding the right doctor.
[11:32]
Ginger Duggar
ZocDoc is a free app and website where you can see, search and compare high quality in network doctors and you can instantly book an appointment.
[11:40]
Jeremy Vuolo
Yeah, with ZocDoc, you can book in network appointments with more than 100,000 doctors across every specialty from mental health to dental health, primary care to urgent care, and more. So here's what you need to do. Go to zocdoc.com ginger j I n g e r to find an instantly book a top rated doctor today. That's zocdoc. Com. That's Z O C D O C dot com Ginger and book an appointment today.
[12:05]
Ginger Duggar
Now back to the episode.
[12:08]
Maddie Duggar
And then we started FaceTiming after that. And yeah, my mom was like, do not FaceTime that man you're gonna face. I'm like, it's not gonna be some foreigner. Like, it's not gonna be like, you know, like somebody like, from a call center. Like, it's gonna be okay. I promise. So it was Jace, and then we just ended up talking.
[12:27]
Jeremy Vuolo
Were you nervous that it would be not Jason when you first did that?
[12:29]
Maddie Duggar
Not really. I was like, okay, like, for this to be a bot, there's too much personality. Like, it didn't. It didn't talk like a year ago. I don't think it was as good. Maybe. I don't know. Maybe it was, but yeah.
[12:45]
Jeremy Vuolo
So what did you say when he invited you out to the party? Were you just like, I can't make it.
[12:49]
Maddie Duggar
I was like, well, where are you from? Which I kind of knew where you guys were from. I didn't know exactly where, but I knew Arkansas, I thought. And I was like, okay, that's still a far ways away because east Tennessee is, like, still at least seven hours from Arkansas. I was like, there's no way this is happening. So I was like, where are you from? And he's like, oh, you know, northwest Arkansas. And I was like, oh, okay. I'm from east Tennessee. Like, that's at least 10 and a half hours.
[13:11]
Jason Duggar
And I was like, wait, what part? I have friends from there. And you're like, Oneida or whatever. So then I was like, okay, you're really, really far away.
[13:18]
Maddie Duggar
Yes. Yeah. Because we live close to the Bates.
[13:20]
Jason Duggar
Family, which is funny. So we talked. We, like, messaged each other for probably, what, like, a week? We FaceTimed at about the week mark.
[13:32]
Maddie Duggar
And then what happened? Babe, tell them what happened after that.
[13:35]
Jason Duggar
Well, and then I was like, hey, I just see us as being friends.
[13:39]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[13:40]
Jason Duggar
Because I was like, I just don't see this going anywhere. I just see us as being friends. And really what it was is, like, we were both. I mean, you said it all the time. We were both really uncomfortable just because we had. I felt like we couldn't be real with each other. It's like, we put up a front. It happens, you know, I mean, if you go on a date, it's going to happen. You know, it's that sometimes that wall is hard to be. It's hard to be real with the.
[14:06]
Maddie Duggar
Person there, especially because we met online.
[14:09]
Jason Duggar
Right?
[14:09]
Maddie Duggar
Like, I was like, okay, this is a guy I don't know. And the only, like, impression of you I had before that was, like, online stuff. And I was like, well, I don't want to look him up. I don't want to learn about him through that. But I've also, like, seen you on the show, and I was like, I don't know. Like, I know I'm very different from them, so.
[14:24]
Jason Duggar
And it's awkward, too. When you're FaceTiming, there's nothing to really break down those walls. Like, you're just talking, and then, you know, it just. It doesn't feel natural. So it was. It was. It just didn't feel natural. We were very. You know, it was. It was odd. But then. So then it was like, hey, let's just be friends. And Maddie was like, oh, okay. All right. Yeah, let's be friends. That's. I'm good with that. And I think we were actually kind of. Well, we were like, I was good with that. Maybe. I don't know.
[14:53]
Maddie Duggar
I. I told you I was good with that, but I was like, I was kind of liking you, but I also knew, like, I couldn't be myself, and you weren't being yourself, too.
[15:01]
Jason Duggar
It was not natural.
[15:02]
Maddie Duggar
But instantly I was like, oh, I can just be myself. And just like.
[15:05]
Jason Duggar
Because I.
[15:06]
Maddie Duggar
There's no pressure of, like, where's this going to go? Like, do I have to maintain a relationship? So I was just myself. And shortly after. I don't think it was the same day, but maybe even the next day, Jase was like, hey, I think I jumped the gun. You have a lot of personality. I was like, so do you. What happened? Where'd this come from?
[15:21]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, it was like, a few days later, and. And. And I was like, okay, I probably jumped the gun on this. Yeah, I probably made a mistake by saying that so soon.
[15:30]
Jeremy Vuolo
Were you guys FaceTiming at this point?
[15:31]
Jason Duggar
We were. We would FaceTime, and we had stopped.
[15:35]
Maddie Duggar
Whenever you said we would be friends, like, we stopped.
[15:37]
Jason Duggar
We were just texting.
[15:38]
Jeremy Vuolo
Were you guys, like, talking for, like, hours and going, whoa, this is happening too fast. This is so unknown.
[15:43]
Jason Duggar
We would text throughout the day.
[15:45]
Maddie Duggar
We would talk throughout the day, and we would FaceTime, like, in the evenings, maybe once a day or once every other day. Yeah, for like, an hour or something. So it was, like. It was kind of moving fast, like. But we wanted to get to know each other, and it's hard when you're long distance getting to know each other.
[16:00]
Jason Duggar
I was like, I'll just, you know, be intentional, make the time, you know, get to know each other. But I. I think when we finally were like, okay, all the pressure's off. Let's just have, like, enjoy each other's company, like, just. Just friends, you know? Then I was like, okay, she's not just a friend. Like, you know, I.
[16:16]
Maddie Duggar
This is.
[16:17]
Jason Duggar
I want more than that, you know.
[16:19]
Maddie Duggar
Oh, she has personality. We can get along. Yeah, it was really good after that.
[16:23]
Jason Duggar
Yeah. And I. Yeah. And I feel like it from then on, you know, that's. I. That's when I told you. Then I was like, okay, like, you know, I want to maybe be a little bit more than that. And then you were. You were about to, like.
[16:37]
Maddie Duggar
I was about to put a stop to it because Jace had said, let's be friends. And then I was like, oh, great, let's be friends. But then Jace was still kind of a little flirty with me, and I was like, an hour away. I was praying. I was like, lord, if this guy doesn't either say something and go back on it or, like, he doesn't stop and just, like, really figure out how to just be friends with me, I'm going to have to say something. And I was like, lord, I don't really want to say something. That's so awkward.
[17:03]
Jeremy Vuolo
Well, you said you were an hour away.
[17:05]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[17:07]
Jeremy Vuolo
Oh, an hour.
[17:08]
Jason Duggar
I thought you were, like, driving an hour out to.
[17:10]
Maddie Duggar
I was an hour from saying, like. I was like, lord, like, I'm gonna give it an hour. Like, I don't want to text him back immediately. That sounds weird. But he was like, oh, like, I don't know. I think you'd seen a picture of me, and you're like, oh, that's really cute, or something like that. And you were still, like, very more than friendly. So.
[17:27]
Jason Duggar
But you came back, and I remember. I remember talking to. I think it was Noah.
[17:32]
Jeremy Vuolo
Sure.
[17:33]
Jason Duggar
I. I called him, and I was like, dude, I think I may have stuck my foot in my mouth on this one. Like, you know, and so it was good to talk through it with a bro. And. And I realized I was like, you know, it's. I think it's. I think it's really easy when you. You know, for me, it was easy just to. To want to have that distance. You know, maybe it was some things in the past that I hadn't worked through, but. And I kind of took that, you know, maybe took that out on you a little bit at first, but I started to realize, you know. Yeah. I think when you're. When you're honest and when you're real with each other, when you don't, you know, put up a front, then, you know, I just started to realize that, you know, it was. It really was. It was you that I wanted to spend, you know, spend my life with, get to know better, at least at that point.
[18:18]
Jeremy Vuolo
I mean, how long did it take for you to get to that point where you're like, I want to marry this girl?
[18:23]
Jason Duggar
Well, we. From the time that we met until we were married was 10 months.
[18:28]
Jeremy Vuolo
So met as in, like, started talking online.
[18:33]
Ginger Duggar
So when was the first visit? Did you go out there, Jace, or did she come to Arkansas?
[18:39]
Jason Duggar
After we finally, like, after. I was like, okay, hey, I jumped the gun. I think it was probably a week from then.
[18:48]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[18:48]
Jason Duggar
And it was, like, late one evening.
[18:50]
Maddie Duggar
You decided. Yeah. The night before. Because it was going to be the only weekend you could do it.
[18:54]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[18:55]
Maddie Duggar
So he ended up coming to visit because if not, he was about to leave the country for, like, two weeks.
[19:00]
Jason Duggar
Oh, that's right.
[19:00]
Maddie Duggar
And it was going to be two months.
[19:01]
Jason Duggar
We're going to Italy and all of. Basically, Italy and all over all of Europe.
[19:07]
Maddie Duggar
Basically.
[19:08]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[19:09]
Maddie Duggar
So. Yeah.
[19:10]
Jason Duggar
So it was like now or never type thing, because we were going to leave the next weekend. And so we were like. I was like, I'll just come up there right now. And Maddie's like, no, you won't. Like, yeah, I will. I'm gonna. I'm gonna drive. I think I drove that first time, didn't I? Yeah. And then after that, I. I just knew, okay, this is where the Lord has me. You know, this is where he's got me. I feel like when I was in that initial part of, like, maybe before we were. Before we had ever spent that time with each other, I feel like I initially, I came into it with obviously, some reservations. You know, you meet someone online, I think that's probably a wise thing to have some reservations, but. And you want to spend that time with them, but in person to get to know him. Right. But I think I also. I think the Lord grew me a lot, even up until that point, because some of my reservations were not, you know, for the right reasons. I don't think they were of the Lord. You know, they were just like, probably fleshly reasons or, you know, and so I started to realize that, and I was like, okay, you know, I need to release those things. And the Lord really worked on my heart in those ways. And, you know, it's probably some of the conservative things that I grew up in, too. And it's like, you know, some of those things don't matter quite as much. You know, there are some of those things that are important, you know, salvation and. And, you know, some of the different doctrine points, but also other things like that are maybe not as clearly in scripture, you know, and so when you kind of step. Step back, look at it as, okay, is this biblical? Not biblical. I think it gives you that freedom in Christ to say, okay, you know, who is. Who is. I think that was it for me. Who were you as a person? What was your heart for Christ? And when I got there, I saw that, you know, you were serving in your church that, you know, you had made your faith your own, you know, instead of it just being something that I think, you know, it's pretty easy to let your faith be your parents. And if you're in a really, like, really, really, you know, strong Christian home and you're in a Strong Christian home.
[21:26]
Maddie Duggar
But definitely wasn't the picture of conservative.
[21:31]
Jason Duggar
Of the conservative side.
[21:32]
Maddie Duggar
It definitely was different for you to have to step out. I definitely the most different girl you ever dated.
[21:40]
Jason Duggar
And to see that you had stepped out of that and even, you know, you're in college and your faith was your own. You know, you were, you're with the girls that you're with. You guys are encouraging each other in the Lord like to see you in your natural habitat, if you will. You know, showed me that, hey, this girl's legit.
[21:57]
Maddie Duggar
You were watching me in my natural habitat.
[22:00]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[22:00]
Maddie Duggar
Okay.
[22:01]
Jason Duggar
But it's like your faith is your own. And I think that was the, that's the thing that just most attractive to me.
[22:08]
Ginger Duggar
We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Range Leather.
[22:11]
Jeremy Vuolo
Yeah, Range Leather is a phenomenal leather company and I know we're always looking for gifts for your husband or for your kids or whoever and you want high quality stuff at a good price. Range Leather is your solution.
[22:25]
Ginger Duggar
They are American handmade leather products with a lifetime guarantee. Made in Wyoming. Yeah.
[22:31]
Jeremy Vuolo
And you can even do customization stuff so you can get your own logo on your hat. This is Range Leather. Love this hat. It's a Christian owned and run business. So if that encourages you to check them out, go to rangeleather.com their bags ginger. I love their bags.
[22:49]
Ginger Duggar
I love their bags. So they have all different options that you can choose from. They make the best gifts. And I have the Mesa bag and it's incredible. I mean just the perfect tote for any little items you have. It could be a purse, it can be used as a diaper bag which is the season I'm in currently with a little one. And so it's the best thing.
[23:10]
Jeremy Vuolo
Go to rangeleather.com use code ginger j I n g r for 15 off. Explore the website. There's something in every price range and there's something for everyone. You could really do a one stop shop for any kind of gifting.
[23:25]
Ginger Duggar
We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about function health.
[23:28]
Jeremy Vuolo
Yeah. So I don't know about you, Ginge. Well, I do know about you because you send me reels all the time. We are overloaded with information in our world, especially with social media and a ton of it saying, you know, you can't eat eggs anymore or running's bad for you. Running's good for you. Just never know if you want to know how you're doing health wise. Function health is your answer. It gives you all of the data on what's going on inside your body. It gives you blood samples. It lets you know if you're healthy and if you're not, where you're not and how to improve your health.
[24:02]
Ginger Duggar
Yeah. You can test over 160 biomarkers, from heart and hormones to toxins, inflammation, and stress.
[24:10]
Jeremy Vuolo
Yeah. So learn more about your health by going to function Health. Join using our Link. The first 1,000 people to join get $100 credit toward their membership. That's a big deal. You get a hundred dollars credit toward your membership. For the first thousand that sign up, go to functionhealth.com ginger j I n g e r Use gift code ginger100 to sign up and get started on really taking your health seriously. So that's functionhealth.com ginger use code jinger j I n g e r 100100 to get that special offer for our listeners only.
[24:45]
Ginger Duggar
That's amazing.
[24:46]
Jeremy Vuolo
Now, you had seen the show, so did you know about what the show was and why they had a show? Because of some of the convictions or because of some of the way they did family or whether it was, like, modesty standards or things like that? How familiar were you with the world he was in?
[25:03]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah, I had watched a good enough bit of it to kind of understand that, okay, I'm definitely, like, him branching out. And so I was a little concerned. I was like, oh, no. Like, oh, I'm nervous. Like, I did not have the same. I don't have the same modesty standards. Like, modesty is important, but it's not the same, obviously. And I was like, okay. Like, I don't know if I'm gonna be the same as them. And I didn't know, like, the iblp, I didn't know what that was. I'd never heard of that before Jace.
[25:36]
Jason Duggar
And.
[25:36]
Maddie Duggar
And so I kind of like, I was trying to stay away from researching anything about Jace to not have any reservations. But, okay, this is a secret.
[25:46]
Jason Duggar
I bet you didn't.
[25:47]
Maddie Duggar
I did listen to the first few chapters of your book, actually, because I was scared. I was like, okay. Like, I want some truth to this. I didn't listen to a lot of it, but I had never heard of, like, the iblp. I had never heard of it. And I was like, okay, but you had a lot of hope to everything. It wasn't like, okay, this is terrible. You're getting into something that you shouldn't be. And I didn't tell him that until far down the line either, because I was like, I don't Want him to think I'm, like, a creepy stalker. But I was like, I want some insider ness that's not from a news article. So I, like, listen to the first few chapters just to be like, okay, okay, these people are normal. They're still Christians. But I just didn't know. I was a little confused. So, yeah, it was, like, a little scary at first just because I was like, okay, what if I'm too different for him? But then I was like, well, he knows who I am, and I'm not hiding it. So obviously, like, he is branching out, but in a way that is okay for him and true.
[26:47]
Jason Duggar
I think it helped us to both be ourselves because, like, we. That was even something we talked about towards the beginning. And you would occasionally. You wouldn't up front, you wouldn't upfront ask those questions. You just kind of drop them out there and then let me explain them.
[27:04]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[27:04]
Jason Duggar
You know, and so it was like, even with all of the whole IBLP circles, you know, it was. It was something I knew that you were concerned about. You just mentioned a little bit of something about it towards the end of the week that we spent with each other, and I was like, ah, nice that. Because really, you had read probably some of the articles, and when you read some of that stuff, you're like, whoa, like, that's crazy. And if you, you know, if you had thought that maybe that was something that we were still pretty heavily in, it would be, you know, pretty crazy stuff.
[27:36]
Maddie Duggar
But I got to know you because it was like, okay, I'm not dating the whole family, so it doesn't matter if everybody has different opinions. Like, I just got to know you and where you stood and what your beliefs were. And so that was good.
[27:48]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[27:48]
Maddie Duggar
Because, like, even, like, yours and Ginger's, they aren't the same. And I knew that. I was like, I'm gonna read the book, but I'm also gonna know. Like, I eventually stopped because I was like, I feel a little wrong in this, like, not telling Jace that, hey, I'm listening to this book, you know, that your sister wrote. So. Yeah. But, yeah, so eventually I was just like, okay, I'm gonna get all of my information from him. Because people online don't know. Like, it's not inside of your head and who you are and your beliefs. So I just listen to you.
[28:17]
Ginger Duggar
That's such a tricky thing because we, you know, like, being in such a public space, you have your lives on TV from when you're a kid, Jace, all the way up until you're Older and so Maddie could see all of that. She could go watch all of the episodes, maybe that she didn't even watch. But then at the same time, it's not a bad thing. But then it also does provide that challenge of like, okay, now so much of my life is public. But also there are sides where people haven't seen and they don't truly know who you are because maybe they will come up with an assumption of who they. What the character they remember of you on the show. And so that's really cool. I love how you guys were able to just talk through things and be real about exactly what you saw and what your concerns were about things. But then also just getting to know Jace for who he was, that's a challenge. It's so hard when you're in the public space and I think those walls that you were talking about, I don't know how, I guess just. It's something that happens in almost any relationship. And so how do you, like, break down those walls and say, okay, no, we want to be real? Cause there still is that excitement about a potential relationship. There are all the things that you're looking forward to chatting about. But then at the same time, it does put up a wall. Like, when you're in the public eye, you're gonna be guarded. You don't wanna say too much.
[29:44]
Jeremy Vuolo
It's like being a drawer on a high profile court case. And the judge is like, don't read the news because you have to just see the facts for what they are. And, you know, like, if I type in CNN.com, like, this is gonna be all over the page.
[29:58]
Maddie Duggar
Yes.
[29:58]
Jeremy Vuolo
And I don't. I can't. I'm a juror. I have to make an objective decision. And so you're dating this guy who his whole life has literally been on tv. The good, the bad, the ugly. And you're sitting here going, okay, I think I genuinely like this guy for who I know him to be, so I'm gonna make him my news source. Yeah, that is an interesting challenge. But it sounds like you guys work through it pretty thoroughly.
[30:20]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[30:21]
Jason Duggar
Yeah. I think it showed a lot of. Of restraint on your side that you did. Because that's. It's easy to do that, you know, it really is. Especially if. Yeah, I mean, it's easy to find all those things and then even make assumptions off of who the family is. Right. And then say, okay, well, that's. You can just copy, paste or, you know, or whatever it is. You can pick any, any member of the family. And then say, okay, well, maybe. Maybe there's a part of that that's him. But I think it's really good just to step away from all that and say, all right, who is he As a person?
[30:54]
Maddie Duggar
And.
[30:55]
Jason Duggar
And you did a really good job of that.
[30:56]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah, I did. Cut it out. I was like, this is not good, because it's a really good. Everything says everything different, too. Any source you go to is totally different. So I'm like, okay, I may as well just talk to Jason about it.
[31:08]
Jeremy Vuolo
So, yeah, it's something about our culture, too. We. We do whittle people down to a headline and we forget, just like every single one of us, if somebody had one tagline about our life, even the critics. I'm speaking to the critics, even people listening who are like, if somebody whittled down your life to one headline of one action or something like that, you would say, wait, but there's more to me than that. Wait a second. Let's talk. Like, you don't even know me.
[31:37]
Maddie Duggar
Exactly.
[31:37]
Jeremy Vuolo
And yet we feel this, like, ownership over people in the public space to go, oh, I know who that person is.
[31:43]
Jason Duggar
Right. Yeah.
[31:44]
Jeremy Vuolo
Oh, I know what they're like.
[31:44]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[31:45]
Jeremy Vuolo
It's like, you've never even said two words to them. And so now, that doesn't mean you can't see real things about people from the public space, because people's actions have consequences and those sort of things. But you wanted to get to know who he was and where he stood. So did a lot of those conversations. Were those just, like, interrogations? Like, in a sweet way, but, like, questions like, what about this? What about this? What about this? What about this? And are you just explaining your life? How did those conversations go? Were you asking her questions as well? Like, you're both trying to get to know each other, right?
[32:15]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah, we both have terrible memories also. So I'm like, let me think back. But, no, I don't think so. I think I tried to make it as natural as possible because I was like, I don't want to interrogate him. And some of the things, like, they're not super important right now. Like, I would love to know them before we think about the idea of marriage. But I was like, they're not so important right now that I have to drop him and never think or talk to him again. So it was just fairly natural. Like, the biggest things I would ask you, I think, like, the IBLP one was kind of big. That's the only one that, like, sticks out to me because I know there were More. But I just remember being like, okay, like, hey, like, I'm a Christian too, but what does this look like for you?
[32:56]
Jason Duggar
Right. Yeah, because that's something. That'd be something if. If you. Yeah, if that was still the case. That'd be wild. You know, you'd be. You'd be splitting, you'd be out, you know, but for me, I mean, it was. It was. It was just something. I think when we got together, there were some of those questions that were asked right off the bat, maybe first. First week or whatever. And I mean, being long distance, there's a lot of conversations that we were able to have.
[33:23]
Maddie Duggar
And that was good conversation. Can't do anything together except talk.
[33:28]
Jason Duggar
Yeah. So I think the first weekend when we hung out, we had already talked through a lot of things, and we. I knew, you know, I mean, because there's, you know, if you meet somebody online, I feel like there's even more questions that you want to know because you don't have any context. So I. I was like, all right, you know, there was some. Some of those maybe more doctrinal type questions, but it was really just to lock down, you know, what is. What's your view on salvation and on, like, the really actually true, important things, you know, and then really, once you get the feel, I feel like that was it. I got the feel of, like, where your spirit was at, you know, where your walk with God was at. And then I knew, okay, at the end of the day, if these, if the main points line up, if a few things are not, whatever spot on, we're going to grow together in the Lord. Like, and if we. If our hearts are right and the right place, you know, and if we're both teachable and growing in Christ, then we'll grow together and we'll, you know, be stronger for it.
[34:25]
Maddie Duggar
We definitely did, too, because my, like, my journey and testimony with Christ, which has been kind of, like, public lately, like, definitely grew a lot through our dating. Yeah. So, like, I had, like, my main points, but I also learned a lot, like, through you and through our relationship, too. So it was like a journey together.
[34:42]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[34:43]
Ginger Duggar
And I want to get into that because I think it's. And I really appreciate how you've shared your journey. Getting baptized just a couple of weeks ago, and I saw that, and it was so encouraged because I feel like there's so many who grow up in a Christian home. They have so much knowledge. There's head knowledge of the Bible, like you were talking about a minute ago, and making your faith Your own. When you realize, like, there often is. It's hard to, like, nail down, like, okay, this is a specific time, and that's okay. Some people realize, like, it's hard to remember exactly, like, this is the date, this is the time, all of these things. But you see that heart transformation that the Lord is working in you. And I think that I was so encouraged just to see how you very publicly shared your story and your walk of faith and how the Lord had led you to realize, like, you were seeing. Okay, I don't know exactly. You know, Like, I think you were baptized maybe before you were saved, and then you wanted to make that public declaration that you were the Lord's and to get baptized. And I think that's a huge thing, because it can be. Some people can be embarrassed by that and think, oh, I was. I'm too old. Like, I just got married. People are gonna think bad of me. All of those things that come to mind. And I really appreciate how you do that. So tell us a little bit. Just. I mean, I kind of shared some of that, but, like, tell us a little bit about that journey.
[36:10]
Maddie Duggar
Well, I definitely had all the thoughts that you just said, but eventually it just came down to, okay, it doesn't even. Like, it doesn't matter what other people think, because I was afraid. Like, I was afraid of people who know me and people who don't know me. I'm like, what are they going to think? Like, am I a fraud? Like, living this life? Because I. I say I've never struggled with a belief in God. I've never struggled in the belief that, like, Jesus walked on this earth and he died for my sins. Like, I never struggled with the head knowledge of it, but I always put, like, the weight on myself to do the saving. I was like, what if my prayer wasn't strong enough? What if I wasn't heartfelt enough? What if I didn't repent enough just now? And so I have this amazing mentor that's at our new church that we just found. And she was just like, you know what? That sounds like a workspace relationship. I was like, no, surely it's not. Like, I never want to be workspace. Like, I don't want to be a workspace person. And she was like, it is, though. She's like, you're struggling because you think your relationship with Christ is relying on your works. And I was like, I am. So I really just put, like, all the faith into myself. And I was like, okay, Lord. Like, this is imperfect. And she was like, let's just nail it down here. She's like, maybe you have already given your life to Christ. Because over the years, I prayed the prayer often. I was like, lord, just save me. But then it would be a week later and I'd be right back at church and praying, lord, please save me. And so it wasn't me doing anything wrong, but I just wasn't putting the faith in Christ that he did at that time. And I would just be like, okay, nope, we'll just do it again next week. And so I just lived in fear. And so that especially activated, like, even after we got married, I would go through seasons just of like this doubt and this fear. I'm like, well, I don't know where I'm going. I don't know. Like, I know that I want to follow the Lord, but I don't know what I'm doing. And so, yeah, when I was seven, I thought I got saved, but I really did it with pride. I know it's hard to look at a 7 year old and be like, you're so prideful. But I did it because I was like, I want to make everybody in the room happy and everybody look at me and be like, oh, she just got saved. That's amazing, because I knew they looked at the little kids with excitement. And I look at a little kid the same way if they say, oh, I just gave my heart to the Lord, you know, But I was like, okay, I just want to make everybody happy. I don't really understand what I'm doing, but I know that everybody's going to really just be so excited. And so later on I got baptized and then I think my Bible collected dust for like the next 10 years. I became a Sunday school teacher, actually, which, that was my big part where I was like, oh, what if I'm a fraud? But I had such like a heart that I was like, I want to teach these little children about Jesus. And so that was really hard coming to the conclusion that I was like, what if I was misleading them? And people were like, no, well, your heart was in it. Like, I really, like, I really was studying for them. Like, I wasn't studying the Word for me, I was studying it for them and I was learning and I was teaching them my head knowledge, but my heart just wasn't there in my own relationship with Christ. So it really took a lot. It took a big leap of faith to especially share it online too. So because there was a lot of questions, it was like, well, you already did this. Like, why are you doing it again? I was like, just because, like I wasn't all there the first time. Like it was, I wasn't in it like the Lord. I didn't invite the Lord into it. It was me doing it. So yeah, it was really just. It was amazing. Like my mentor just helped me through that and there's been a lot of mentors along the way that have had the same conversation, but it just never. I was just never in a season. And so Jace has a similar testimony and that's actually what helped me just like to be able to talk through him, through it, with him.
[39:44]
Ginger Duggar
100%.
[39:44]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[39:45]
Jason Duggar
And I think it's pretty. It's common things, you know, when you grow up in a Christian home, when that's strongly encouraged at a young age. And I think it's a good thing that it is. Obviously that's great, you know, when, when Christ is encouraged and when you grow up around good examples like that, that's awesome. That's a good thing. But it's, you know, it's an easy trap to fall in though, where, you know, you make that commitment at a young age and then you think that, that, you know, you don't really recognize what it is maybe that you're doing. And then as you get older, you start to realize, okay, maybe that was pride, maybe that was myself. For me, it was as simple as it didn't click. That Christ loved me specifically and that he saved me specifically. Like just, just me. If it was just me, he would have saved me. And that, you know, it just then, you know, and it's, it's really the Holy Spirit that does that, right? Like he, he, you know, the Lord comes and he lays that on us and he really starts to grab a hold of us and show us who he is. Shows. Shows us Christ. And so that's, you know, I mean, it was probably seven when I first, you know, prayed the prayer, right? And then it was 11, 11 and a day. 11 and two days, right. Like you know, every day when I was 11, 12, 13, living in absolute fear, you know, waking up, cold sweatshirt, I would go to my parents room and would sleep next to their bed. Like at the age of 13, just because I literally couldn't sleep. And then it was when I turned 15, it just finally clicked and I was like, you know, I've been living for myself. I've been living selfishly. This isn't right, you know, this isn't of the Lord. And you know, it was when I was talking with a friend and he just clearly shared the gospel with me. It was actually Jackson Bates, and, you know, he just clearly shared it with me, and I was like, whoa. Like, it makes sense, you know, and it's. It was something as simple as just resharing the gospel again and going through it, and it was like, whoa, Christ died for me. That's so awesome, you know, So I think everybody's journey of faith looks a little different. You know, some people, they get saved at 5, and they, you know, they're of the consciousness, I guess. Remember that? I don't remember anything before the age of 11, but, you know, that's great. So. But, you know, it's. It's just. I think everybody's journey of faith looks a little different. It's already been neat for us to both see how since, you know, ever since you've made that leap of faith and you've recommitted your life to the Lord, and really, like, I've already seen that change in your heart, that peace in your heart. And, you know, now being baptized already, there's been people coming up saying, that's like, that's my story. That's something I went through. That's something I struggle with.
[42:42]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah, I think that's something God has, like, really used to reassure me because I was so scared about it. And I was like, what if my testimony. Like, you know, I don't know how to tell people my testimony. And then it happened, like, two days after, like, I had rededicated my life or maybe even first got my salvation. Who even knows? But two days later, someone's at our kitchen counter, and they're like, hey, you know, just starting a conversation about Christ. And I was like, oh, by the way, I just, like, got saved and I'm getting baptized. And they're like, what? And so I just go, like, naturally through my testimony, not even realize I'm giving my testimony because I'm like, oh, that's such a big thing. Like, you know, people are always so scared to do that sometimes, but just, like, I'm naturally giving my testimony, and they're like, wait, I struggle with the same thing. And I feel like it really is so common in Christianity just to be like, I struggle with the same thing, but I feel like nobody else relates. And so I was even scared to tell Jace at first because I had dated someone before Jace, and I had kind of told them that I was struggling with that. And they were like, if you're struggling with that, like, I don't want to ever talk to you again. And so it was just so, like, scary for me because I was like, oh no. Like, you know, Jace is going to do the same thing. And I do understand that, like, you want to be sure that somebody has the same faith as you. But I had the same faith. I was just like, hey, I just want to have this assurance. But Jace, whenever Jace found out, he was like, well, let's work on this. Like, you know. And so we just worked through it. And you know, I've always had that belief, but it was just so scary. But I think, yeah, there is a lot of pressure and like, especially our circles, you know, to know that, you know. And I feel like some people don't like, always talk about that too.
[44:24]
Ginger Duggar
Most definitely.
[44:25]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[44:25]
Ginger Duggar
I mean, I was baptized when we moved after we moved to California, because I realized, I think the time I kept thinking about it and I was like, I remembered being saved at 14, but I was never baptized after that. I was baptized before a couple years because I had pray to prayer at 6 and it was the same thing I just for years had after that. I was living for the Lord, loving the Lord and there had been wrestlings before that. And I think that it was interesting at the age of. How old was I? Goodness, how old was I?
[44:59]
Jeremy Vuolo
14?
[45:00]
Ginger Duggar
No, like when I was baptized in 20.
[45:02]
Jeremy Vuolo
Oh, goodness. 27.
[45:04]
Ginger Duggar
Yeah, probably 27.
[45:06]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, 28.
[45:07]
Ginger Duggar
It wasn't that many years ago at our church. Our big church. Yeah, I had the baptism link I sent out to the family and I was like, I just, like, I was never baptized as a believer. And so it was something that, you know, for so many years, it was kind of like humbling. I was like, wait, I didn't think too much about it. But then we went through times where I was like, oh, wait, I really want to obey the Lord and have this Baptism doesn't save you. For anybody who's listening to this, like, baptism is not like a ritual thing that we do that saves us. It's an outward. It's an outward picture and like representation of just us being buried in Christ, raised to walk in newness of life. It's a public proclamation that we are the Lord's and it's awesome and a gift that we get to partake in when we are a believer. And so I think that was something that it was really amazing to be able to do. But at the same time, you do have those thoughts. Like, oh, my goodness, I've been married to a pastor for all these years and I just realized, like, wait, I. I wasn't saved Then. And I really wanted to do this. Those things are humbling. But it's also, like, there doesn't need to be this pride around it, thinking, okay, I have to keep up this perspective of what people think of me, because then that's just pride and it's not right and it's the wrong motivation. And so I think that that is. It was. I was so encouraged to see when you posted about it, too, because I think that is huge. Yeah, I love that.
[46:35]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah, I'm glad I did. I was really going back and forth. I was, maybe I should, maybe I shouldn't. But I was like, no. Like, if I can do the outward proclamation just in front of my body, my church body, like, why can't I tell other people about it? And so I was like, even if I get judgment from people, either it's people that don't know the Lord or people whose hearts aren't right with the Lord. So it's like, it doesn't matter what they think because it's like, they need to hear it. And so there was even, like, a lot of comments on that post that was like, oh, this is my same story. And I was like, oh, that's just, like, so reassuring. But I feel like it is something that needs to be talked about more because I always had the mindset. I was like, I don't care if you're 9 or 99, I'm going to celebrate your salvation and your baptism with you. But whenever it came to myself, I was like, this is embarrassing. I'm scared. I don't want to make this step out. Like, when the pastor at church is like, okay, like, hey, just make this step of faith. I was like, no, that's not me. He's not talking to me, you know? And so it wasn't the pastor that led the prayer, but every Sunday he does the prayer. He's like, hey, pray with me. Just like, here's a prayer of salvation. But I was going to our mentor's house to actually fill out the membership application for a church, and I went there, and she kind of already knew that I was struggling with doubts of salvation. I just slipped it in the conversation and then ran over. I was like, yeah, so anyways, how's your day? I was like, hey, I'm struggling. Doubts of salvation. But, yeah, how are you doing? Like, you know, I'm not a person to be like, hey, let's talk about this. And so the next time I came, I was like, hey, here's my membership form. I was like, yeah, I think I've nailed it down. I think, Jason, I have nailed it down. Like, don't worry. And she was like, are you really not having any doubts? I was like, shoot, you've caught me. Like, I am having doubts. And so that was the first time, like in my entire life, I think anyone ever walked me through the gospel as baby walked me through the gospel as she did, liked. And that was so humbling for me, but I needed it because no one had ever done that for me. Like, not to say that it's wrong on those people that didn't because I knew some things in depth about the Bible. Like, I knew I had done big studies and taught classes and everything. So everybody's gonna think outwardly, oh, she's doing okay in her faith. But that was the first time anyone had ever sat down and been like, here's the whole gospel. Like, do you know this? Do you believe this? And it was so humbling because I was like, I do, but like, I never heard it said like that. I do, but I've never heard it in full, you know, so it was just like, it was just amazing just to be able to do that. And I'm like, I hope I can someday do that for someone else because, like, it is just so common. But it's more common than we think.
[49:10]
Jeremy Vuolo
I love that so much changed so quickly for you and your life. How old are you?
[49:14]
Maddie Duggar
21.
[49:15]
Jeremy Vuolo
How old are you, Jace?
[49:16]
Jason Duggar
25.
[49:18]
Maddie Duggar
Do you remember?
[49:18]
Jason Duggar
Okay, just making sure. I just, just changed. So I gotta keep up with that.
[49:22]
Jeremy Vuolo
Hey, you guys are spring chickens. Yeah.
[49:24]
Jason Duggar
Thanks, Jeremy.
[49:25]
Jeremy Vuolo
Yeah, you're welcome. You have one brother.
[49:27]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[49:28]
Jeremy Vuolo
What's it like marrying a guy with 18 siblings?
[49:30]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah, it's definitely different. I feel like it wasn't like as shocking and world altering as some people think. Like, it's amazing. I'm really glad that it's a big family because I love kids. I love working with kids and being around kids. And I wasn't gonna have any nieces and nephews before I had children because my brother is 15. About to be 15. Yeah. So like marrying into the family, it was a little nerve wracking because it's like, okay, now there's like 20 adults I feel like I have to be around all the time. Like, you know, I'm work, I'm used to working with kids. So whenever I'd like go to the big house for the first few times, I would just clean with the kids. Like, I would be like, oh, let me hold your baby, and then just talk about the. Let's just talk about the baby the whole time, you know? Oh, this is.
[50:12]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, you know, it's nerve wracking. Yeah, it was definitely.
[50:14]
Jeremy Vuolo
Hey, it's nerve wracking for not just you. I mean, it's. That's an intimid. Intimidating place to walk into for the first time.
[50:19]
Jason Duggar
Oh, yeah. You're just still freaked out.
[50:21]
Jeremy Vuolo
It's a massive group of people, and everybody knows everybody, and you're trying to figure what's up from down. Is this a cousin, an uncle? I still go in there and go, oh, yeah, I'm sure he's related. Oh, not related.
[50:31]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah. I just talk to people like I know who they are. Yeah, we.
[50:35]
Ginger Duggar
Kind of a Southern way. Kind of Southern way.
[50:37]
Jeremy Vuolo
Just the other night I went in there and I looked at a young lady there. I said, have we met before? And she said, I don't think so.
[50:43]
Maddie Duggar
No. Okay. Okay. Yeah, that's good.
[50:46]
Jeremy Vuolo
And it was Elijah's wife. Yeah. And so I'm like, okay. I didn't, you know, who's who, so.
[50:53]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, that's so funny.
[50:54]
Maddie Duggar
It's okay. Yeah. Sometimes I forget names.
[50:56]
Jeremy Vuolo
Was it tough for you to remember her brother's name?
[50:58]
Jason Duggar
Oh, it's. It's so tough.
[50:59]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[51:00]
Jason Duggar
I mean, it's like chase. How's that? Totally. Well, I mean, I feel like when you remember 19 names, that's all you can remember. Like, that's it. You actually.
[51:09]
Maddie Duggar
Your brain's full.
[51:10]
Jeremy Vuolo
Capped out. Yeah.
[51:11]
Jason Duggar
And I had to remember my own in that. Right. So then true. 20 is tough.
[51:15]
Maddie Duggar
It's a lot.
[51:15]
Jeremy Vuolo
All right, let me quiz you, because you always get this, and I always get this. All right. Name her siblings in order of age.
[51:23]
Jason Duggar
Ooh, ooh. Maddie and Cam. Okay, good job.
[51:27]
Jeremy Vuolo
Is he right? Is he right?
[51:28]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah, he's right. Cam is not older than me.
[51:32]
Jeremy Vuolo
Okay, now can you do it for Jason?
[51:35]
Maddie Duggar
Oh, my goodness. Yeah.
[51:37]
Jason Duggar
Probably not in order, though.
[51:38]
Maddie Duggar
Can you?
[51:39]
Jeremy Vuolo
I think I. I always get asked in order, so you have to get asked in order.
[51:42]
Maddie Duggar
Okay. Josh, Janet, John, David, Jill, Jessa, Ginger, Joseph, Josiah, Joanna, Jedediah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johanna, Jennifer, Jordan, Josie. Okay. I did it right. That was impressive.
[52:01]
Jeremy Vuolo
Flawless.
[52:01]
Jason Duggar
That's the first time that you've actually been able because normally you'll mix up like I did do some order.
[52:07]
Ginger Duggar
You did. You did amazing. And you did the twins in order.
[52:11]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[52:12]
Ginger Duggar
That's impressive.
[52:13]
Maddie Duggar
Well, the show intro did help, like it did.
[52:18]
Ginger Duggar
This is my wife, Michelle. Welcome to the Duggar Home.
[52:20]
Jeremy Vuolo
Like, it starts out episode react of that first one 14 children and pregnant again.
[52:25]
Maddie Duggar
Oh, yeah.
[52:25]
Jeremy Vuolo
And Jackson is born on tv.
[52:28]
Jason Duggar
Oh, I know.
[52:28]
Ginger Duggar
That's why we could not get over that.
[52:30]
Jeremy Vuolo
Well, I was watching the episode and then it's like, boom. Whoa. They show it.
[52:34]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[52:34]
Ginger Duggar
And he said, hey, did you know that Jackson was born on tv? Yeah.
[52:42]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[52:43]
Jeremy Vuolo
But that was that famous intro.
[52:44]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[52:44]
Jeremy Vuolo
And everybody's going down.
[52:45]
Jason Duggar
Well, he's. He's like that TV show, you know, we've always said, Jackson's like that TV show. You know, it's. What's that? The Truman Show.
[52:53]
Ginger Duggar
Truman Show.
[52:54]
Jason Duggar
Oh, yeah.
[52:55]
Maddie Duggar
His whole life has been on tv.
[52:57]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[52:57]
Maddie Duggar
Yep. Wow.
[52:58]
Jeremy Vuolo
Has that been something that you. As you've talked to Jason, like, he's got these. Everybody has a different life experience, but what's that been like, getting into his world and understanding maybe things that he thinks about that you've never thought about, Maybe because of public perception or being on tv.
[53:15]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah. Jace is so chill. I will say that that's what I think of when you ask that. Like, Jace is so chill. Nothing bothers him. Nothing gets to him. I think you guys have just, like, experienced so much, dealt with so much. Like, you just are so chill. You just, like, you know how to deal with any situation. Like, you're always calm. You can always seek the Lord. And sometimes I'm just like, what's going on? Like, how are you reacting so calmly? Like, I don't know. Just any situation we get into, I think, like, you're just prepared or ready, or you're like, this doesn't surprise me.
[53:50]
Jason Duggar
I'm probably. I'm probably screaming on the inside, not.
[53:53]
Ginger Duggar
Much phase as you.
[53:54]
Maddie Duggar
No, not at all. Yeah, definitely. Like, I mean, I didn't grow up on TV or in the public eye or anything. Like, I went to a high school and graduated with 70 people. And, like, that was the most people I'd been around. Like, but you've, like, been in the public eye and people know who you are. Like, you're online and you don't care what people say about you online. And me, I'm like, I don't know about you. Should I say something? I might. And you're like, babe, no, it's not worth it. But I'm like, I don't know.
[54:20]
Jason Duggar
She wants to call him out. I'm always like, there's no sense.
[54:24]
Jeremy Vuolo
Hey, they're all Russian bots. Don't even want to try.
[54:26]
Maddie Duggar
I'm a blunt person, but I try to calm it down for you.
[54:30]
Jason Duggar
Being honest, kid. Yeah.
[54:31]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah. You balance me out very well. I Will say that just like. Yeah. You balance me out very well. We'll say that.
[54:38]
Jason Duggar
And you do, too. You bring me out, you know? You bring out the best in me. You truly do, baby.
[54:44]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah. It is. I mean, it is different. I didn't expect, like, the guy that I married to, like, grow up on tv.
[54:49]
Jeremy Vuolo
Sure.
[54:49]
Maddie Duggar
Like, you know, to be a household name sometimes, you know, like, you don't expect that. I feel like people from my town, like, know you more than any other town somehow. Like, you walk into a room here and nobody knows who you are. And I'm like, that's great. Love that. We walk into anywhere in my town and people are like, oh, my gosh, it's Jason Duggar. I'm like, how do you know this? We, like, I'm from the middle of nowhere.
[55:12]
Jason Duggar
Oh, yeah.
[55:12]
Maddie Duggar
Like, there's a Walmart.
[55:14]
Jason Duggar
Like, there's the Boondocks, and then you drive 45 minutes from there, and then you're in Oneida.
[55:19]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[55:19]
Jason Duggar
I mean, her town.
[55:21]
Maddie Duggar
So it is different. Like, that's different. I'm like, okay. But, yeah, no, it's been chill.
[55:26]
Jeremy Vuolo
Wow.
[55:26]
Ginger Duggar
How has it been living in the big city of Arkansas? Because you're talking about the boondocks. This is, like, big city.
[55:32]
Jason Duggar
Oh, yeah.
[55:32]
Maddie Duggar
Compared to where I'm from, we have, like, three red lights, one coffee shop, and a Walmart.
[55:38]
Jason Duggar
Wow.
[55:39]
Maddie Duggar
So it's very different. I'm like. I had not done a lot of interstate driving before coming here.
[55:44]
Ginger Duggar
Crazy.
[55:45]
Maddie Duggar
But everything here is interstate driving. Yeah. I taught myself how to drive on the interstate in college because my college was, like, three minutes off the interstate. But my town, you have to drive almost 40 minutes each way to get to the interstate.
[55:57]
Jeremy Vuolo
Whoa.
[55:58]
Maddie Duggar
Like, from my house, you are out there, 40 minutes from the interstate. I live, like, a. Like, a few exits up from the Bates. Yeah. So that's just the middle of nowhere. Yes, it is.
[56:07]
Jason Duggar
It's literally she's like, 45 minutes from the Bates.
[56:10]
Maddie Duggar
Oh, yeah. But I'm 45 minutes in the middle of nowhere. Yeah.
[56:14]
Ginger Duggar
Like, way out in the windy roads.
[56:16]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[56:16]
Jeremy Vuolo
Wow.
[56:17]
Ginger Duggar
Crazy.
[56:18]
Jeremy Vuolo
Hey, so we gotta talk about your wedding. Your wedding was fantastic.
[56:20]
Jason Duggar
Oh, yeah.
[56:21]
Jeremy Vuolo
It was a beautiful wedding.
[56:21]
Ginger Duggar
It was so pretty.
[56:22]
Jeremy Vuolo
We loved it.
[56:23]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah. It was a blur.
[56:24]
Ginger Duggar
I loved. Yes. I loved the backdrop. It was actually really pretty. I remember we went over there for the rehearsal, and when we were doing the rehearsal, I think there was, like, a guy. Either on the rehearsal or the day of the wedding, there was a guy down there, the tractor. Behind in the tractor. He was like, Bailing hay or cutting the grass or something, I think. And I don't know if he realized what was happening up the hill.
[56:49]
Maddie Duggar
No.
[56:50]
Ginger Duggar
And he was like, that was the background. And I kind of loved that. It felt kind of rustic and, like, you had the cross that was the backdrop, and then you had this beautiful landscape and then these mountains. So I love that. But everything about your wedding was gorgeous.
[57:04]
Maddie Duggar
Thanks.
[57:05]
Jason Duggar
The whole story of how we found that Venue two is, like, crazy, because we were. I mean, obviously everything was so last minute. And what we were. We, like, two months out until we were gonna be married? Was it even sooner?
[57:21]
Maddie Duggar
Well, we did pick the venue before we got engaged.
[57:24]
Jason Duggar
Right.
[57:25]
Maddie Duggar
So maybe it was.
[57:26]
Jason Duggar
But it may have maybe like a month and a half. Because I remember they were like, okay, at. At the 60 day mark, you. You know, whatever. You. You know, you get the first payment or whatever, like your deposit. So it was like, oh, I'll give both deposits. Cause we're that close. Like, that's how close it was.
[57:42]
Jeremy Vuolo
Wow.
[57:43]
Jason Duggar
But, like, just the whole way it worked out, we looked at probably six or seven venues, maybe even more.
[57:49]
Maddie Duggar
We had one venue, and they kind of drug us along for a while, thinking they could do it just basically because they knew who Jace was. And they were like, oh, yeah, we can do it. We can do it. And then it came down to it, and they were like, oh, we're going to charge you an extra 30,000 or something like that because you guys have a big group. And I was like, you did not tell us, like, three weeks ago. So we. We were scrambling to find a venue, and. And I was like, okay, like, that's. That's not cool.
[58:15]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[58:15]
Maddie Duggar
So we were scrambling to find a venue, and we had drove all over Tennessee because I was like, I want it to be where my home is, because a lot of my family can't travel that far. Like, I still have all my grandparents. And I was like, I want them to be able to travel, and I want, like, the Tennessee mountains in the background. Like, I. I knew what I had my heart set on.
[58:31]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[58:32]
Maddie Duggar
And so there was one left. We were like an hour and a half out. Or we could go an hour home.
[58:37]
Jason Duggar
It was like, the one that we didn't want to go to as well, because it was middle of nowhere. Middle of nowhere. It was a little further drive outside of Knoxville. And so. But we're like, all right, let's just do it. Let's buckle down. Let's do it. We pull up and it's like, wow.
[58:52]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[58:53]
Jason Duggar
This Is beautiful. Yeah, we met. We met them, you know, and Brad and his wife, they're like. They're so sweet.
[58:59]
Maddie Duggar
They're the sweetest people. And it was so crazy, too, because the day of, there was a rainbow, like, above our venue. And I was like, all right, Lord. Like, I was literally praying. I was like, lord, just let us find something. Like, I'm done looking at venues. I'm about to just have it in my backyard. Like, I don't want to do this anymore. And I think there had been a rainbow, like, on the way back to Tennessee, too. And it was like, hey, like, I'm going to provide. Like, it's going to be okay. Because it was kind of a stressful time. I was like, I don't know if I'm going to get everything done. Like, we wanted to get married sooner than later. And I was like, I don't know if I can get everything done. I didn't realize how much stress it was gonna be. Like, even with a wedding planner, it's still a lot of planning, so. But the Lord still was like, hey, I'm still here. Like, your wedding's gonna happen, and it's gonna happen because of me. And I was like, okay. Like, this is good. This is great. It's a great place.
[59:48]
Ginger Duggar
And then I remember we were driving to your venue on the day of the wedding, and it was right after some big storms, and so we literally got down to your exit. After driving on that interstate for a very long time, we got down to the exit of the venue, and beyond that, the entire interstate was shut down.
[60:11]
Maddie Duggar
Interstate was gone.
[60:12]
Ginger Duggar
It was. It was wiped out. Literally, the interstate was.
[60:14]
Jason Duggar
The whole interstate was gone. Yeah.
[60:16]
Ginger Duggar
And so it was. It was really incredible how you could make it to that point. And there were police officers directing you off the interstate to the venue.
[60:27]
Maddie Duggar
Yeah.
[60:27]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[60:28]
Ginger Duggar
Which was wild.
[60:29]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[60:29]
Maddie Duggar
Because we.
[60:30]
Jason Duggar
We were. I'd messaged Brad and the. The venue owner, and I was like, hey, like, are you still there? Did you float away? Like, is there. Are you okay? Is everything good? And. And, you know, thankfully, I mean, because it was. It was bad. Like, it literally washed.
[60:46]
Jeremy Vuolo
It was. The north floods.
[60:47]
Ginger Duggar
Yeah.
[60:47]
Jason Duggar
Yeah. And it washed i40 out.
[60:49]
Jeremy Vuolo
Yeah.
[60:50]
Jason Duggar
And the. Literally. Yeah, that exit was. That was it right there.
[60:53]
Ginger Duggar
There was no electricity at a lot of places, but your venue had electricity.
[60:58]
Maddie Duggar
Still had electricity. And the only reason why we were allowed to do it there is because they have well water, too. Because nobody had clean water. Nobody had water there. Everything was shut down. Yeah. It was so sad just because the roads leading up to it, like, the venue is on a mountain. So thankfully, like, it wouldn't have gotten affected by the flooding, but maybe the water, electricity. But the roads leading up to it, it was so devastating because the people were, like, stripping their houses out and, like, yeah, it was devastating. Like, some people were not happy that we still had our wedding there, but I'm like, it is devastating, but, like, we can't move it. Like, there was nothing that we could do.
[61:33]
Jeremy Vuolo
And all the. So much of the family was coming from helping in the disaster areas.
[61:38]
Maddie Duggar
Oh, yeah.
[61:39]
Ginger Duggar
They literally flew in. I remember there were so many who flew in that. That late at night, like, right in time for the wedding.
[61:47]
Jason Duggar
My groomsmen, like, literally came in the night before from helping on the deployment and then went back, you know, after the wedding.
[61:54]
Ginger Duggar
As soon as it was done.
[61:55]
Maddie Duggar
It was awful. It's taken them so long to recover. They're still not even completely recovered.
[61:59]
Jason Duggar
Yeah.
[61:59]
Maddie Duggar
But, yeah.
[62:01]
Jason Duggar
Crazy.
[62:02]
Jeremy Vuolo
Well, we're so excited for you guys as you begin this journey together. Eight months in.
[62:07]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, that's right.
[62:09]
Jeremy Vuolo
So what's the immediate future looking like for you guys?
[62:12]
Jason Duggar
Well, you want to go ahead and tell him, babe? No, I'm just kidding.
[62:16]
Maddie Duggar
No, you can tell him, me all the time. We are not expecting at all. We are not trying to be.
[62:23]
Jason Duggar
Stop saying that. We're expecting. That's for whoever's listening.
[62:25]
Ginger Duggar
We're just trying to finish up school.
[62:27]
Maddie Duggar
Yes, I'm trying to finish up school. Like, we love babies. I love kids. We get baby fever. Like, you know, But I. I want to wait and I want to just enjoy this time. Like, I can always get pregnant later on, you know, Lord willing. But I just. Right now, we just want to chill. And you're still getting to know each other. Like, we know each other, but you're still getting to know each other. First year marriage, and so, yeah, I wanna wait till after school. So I have one year of school left. I graduate next May, and I'm like, I don't wanna worry about a baby before then, you know? So I think we've got some time. So immediately, no babies? No babies at all.
[63:05]
Jason Duggar
Nothing like that.
[63:06]
Maddie Duggar
We just babysit and get humbled whenever we do babysit.
[63:10]
Jeremy Vuolo
Yeah, Well, I tell young couples in your position this all the time. Get your judgment out. Like, enjoy it. I mean, like, genuinely sit at dinner, watch misbehaving children look at each other, say things like, we would never let our kids do that.
[63:23]
Jason Duggar
Oh, yeah.
[63:24]
Jeremy Vuolo
Yes, sir. No, ma'. Am. Like, that kind of stuff.
[63:26]
Maddie Duggar
It's true.
[63:26]
Jeremy Vuolo
Because once you have the babies, you won't be able to do that.
[63:29]
Jason Duggar
All that is out the window.
[63:30]
Jeremy Vuolo
So enjoy it. Enjoy the judgment. Because when you have the babies, judgment free zone. It's like you all of a sudden go, oh, wait, yeah, yeah. Our kids don't behave perfectly.
[63:40]
Jason Duggar
Oh, I know.
[63:42]
Jeremy Vuolo
What a sweet season. And so you're working, you're in school. Are you taking a full lo of classes?
[63:47]
Maddie Duggar
So I took a break. Just because of the wedding. I took like a half load. I was doing homework on our honeymoon. Where'd you go for your honey? Italy and Greece. So I'm like, overseas, like, okay, what time is it there? I have to submit this assignment. So unbelievable doing that. And then I just took this semester off, so I've just been, you know, just getting used to the area. And I think it's been really good just kind of getting to know some people in the area and getting plugged in at our church and stuff. But then I'll start by class in August and then almost be done.
[64:15]
Jeremy Vuolo
I love it.
[64:16]
Ginger Duggar
Exciting.
[64:17]
Jeremy Vuolo
Well, thanks for hanging out, guys. We could talk for hours. Appreciate your you telling your story too, Maddie. And it's good for everybody to get to know you. It's good for me to get to know you. We've never even really sat and connected.
[64:27]
Maddie Duggar
Not really. Yeah, we haven't.
[64:29]
Jeremy Vuolo
You guys spend some of the day together, but yeah, this is fun. It's really special. Hey, you got a good one, Jace.
[64:34]
Jason Duggar
Yeah, she's the best.
[64:35]
Maddie Duggar
I got a good one too.
[64:36]
Jeremy Vuolo
Congrats, you guys.
[64:37]
Maddie Duggar
Thanks.
[64:37]
Jeremy Vuolo
We love you guys. Welcome to the family, Maddie.
[64:39]
Maddie Duggar
Yes, welcome. It's great.
[64:42]
Jeremy Vuolo
All right, guys, well, thanks for hanging out and we will be back next week, so see you then.