Jessa Lauren Seewald (née Duggar; born November 4, 1992) is an American television personality. She is known for being part of the cast of

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an As ...

's reality shows ''

19 Kids and Counting ''19 Kids and Counting'' (formerly ''17 Kids and Counting'' and ''18 Kids and Counting'') is an American reality television series that aired on the cable channel TLC (TV network), TLC for seven years until its cancellation in 2015. The show f ...

'' (2008–2015) and ''

Counting On ''Counting On'' (formerly ''Jill & Jessa: Counting On'') is an American reality television show that aired on the cable channel TLC from 2015-2020. A spin-off show of ''19 Kids and Counting'', it features the Duggar family: Jessa Seewald, Ji ...

'' (2015–2021). She also co-authored a book with her sisters Jana,

Jill Jill is an English feminine given name, a short form of the name Jillian (Gillian), which in turn originates as a Middle English variant of Juliana, the feminine form of the name Julian. People with the given name *Jill Astbury, Australian res ...

and Jinger titled ''Growing Up Duggar: It's All About Relationships''.

Career

Television

Seewald began her public life as a member of the family featured in the documentary ''14 Children and Pregnant Again'' (2004), 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 her 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, ''

'' (formerly ''18 Kids and Counting'' and ''17 Kids and Counting'') began as a regular series based on the Duggar family. The series was cancelled in 2015 due to her brother

Josh Josh is a masculine given name, frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given names Joshua or Joseph, though since the 1970s, it has increasingly become a full name on its own. It may refer to: People A–J * "Josh", an early pseudonym of S ...

's scandals. Another series, '' Jill & Jessa: Counting On'', starring Seewald and her sister Jill, premiered later in 2015. The series was cancelled in 2021 due to Josh Duggar's arrest.

Book

With three of her sisters, Seewald co-wrote ''Growing up Duggar'', a book published by Howard Books, in 2014. The book describes growing up in the Duggar home, social relationships, and their religious beliefs.

Personal life

Seewald was born in Tontitown, Arkansas, as the fifth child and the third daughter of

Jim Bob James Robert Morrison, known as Jim Bob, is a British musician and author. He was the singer of indie punk band Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. Biography Jim Bob played in various bands during the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Jami ...

and Michelle Duggar's 19 children. She married Benjamin Seewald on November 1, 2014. Together, the couple have four children: Spurgeon, Henry, Ivy, and Fern.

Sexual abuse victim

In a June 2015 interview on '' The Kelly File'', Seewald identified herself as one of the girls sexually abused by her oldest brother, Josh Duggar, when he was a teenager. She described the abuse as "mild inappropriate touching," saying it occurred while she was sleeping and fully clothed. Seewald further stated she became aware of the abuse after her parents told her what had occurred following her brother's confession. While Seewald described the abuse as "very wrong," she decried those referring to her brother as a "child molester" or a "pedophile" or a "rapist", saying, "that is so overboard, and a lie, really." Regarding the police reports describing the abuse while she was a minor being released to the media, Seewald said, "the system that was set up to protect kids...it's greatly failed."

References

External links

Jessa & Ben's Love story
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seewald, Jessa 1992 births Living people American women writers People from Washington County, Arkansas Participants in American reality television series Duggar family 21st-century American women