Duggar was born in Tontitown, Arkansas as the second child and first daughter of Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Ruark. Jana and her twin brother John David were seen by their parents as a blessing from God in response to their decision to stop using birth control after a miscarriage of their elder sibling who was named Caleb Ryan, although the gender was unknown. Their parents then went on to have seventeen more children, totalling in ten boys and nine girls. She was homeschooled as a child.
Career
Television
Duggar began her public life as a member of the family featured in the documentary 14 Children and Pregnant Again, which talks about daily life of the family from the "time they wake up" to the "time they go to sleep". The documentary aired on the Discovery Health Channel. Another documentary, Raising 16 Children was produced on the same channel in 2006, when Duggar's sister Johannah was born. This was followed by another feature, On the Road with 16 Children about a family cross-country trip. On September 29, 2008, 19 Kids and Counting began as a regular series based on the Duggar family. The show's final episode aired May 19, 2015 and was formally cancelled on July 16, 2015 due to her brother Josh's scandals. Another series, , starring Jessa and her sister Jill, premiered on December 13, 2015. Various other family members were featured on the show. It followed the Duggars present lives after 19 Kids and Counting was cancelled. The new version of the show called Counting On returned in 2017. The show follows the lives of the older Duggar children, with the early episodes focusing specifically on Jill and Jessa. After its first season, the show expanded to include the rest of the Duggar children and their respective families. Notable events throughout the show have included the weddings of Jinger to Jeremy Vuolo, Joy-Anna to Austin Forsyth, Joseph to Kendra Caldwell, Josiah to Lauren Swanson, and John-David to Abbie Burnett as well as the pregnancy announcements of Jessa, Jill, Joy, Kendra, Jinger, Lauren, and Abbie. The show has also featured the births of nine grandchildren out of a total of seventeen; four births were featured on 19 Kids and Counting and four were not aired on either show. On May 28, 2020, it was announced that the eleventh season will premiere on June 30, 2020. However on June 10, 2020, it was announced via the Counting On Facebook page that the season premiere was pushed back to July 7, 2020.
Books
Jana Duggar co-wrote the book Growing Up Duggar:It's All About Relationships with her sisters Jill, Jessa and Jinger. It was released on March 4, 2014 by Howard Books. The book focuses on life in the Duggar home, their social relationships, and religious beliefs.
