Joy-Anna Duggar may have broken away from some of her controversial family’s strict housekeeping, but a new vlog has sparked concerns among fans about her husband, Austin Forsyth.
Earlier this week, Joy-Anna appeared in a video posted to her YouTube accountFollow The Forsyths, and it documented a week in their lives, including a father-and-son camping trip with Austin and Gideon, Joy-Anna homeschooling her kids, and family time.
But fans were alarmed when the family came home from church and Austin asked Joy-Anna if she remembered the “message” preached at the service.
Reality TV fan account Without a crystal ball uploaded a clip of that segment from the vlog and fans slammed Austin for “humiliating” her by “interrogating” her when she was “exhausted.”
Joy-Anna Duggar may have broken away from some of the Duggar family’s strict regimens, but fans are concerned for her husband, Austin Forsyth, after a vlog she uploaded
The clip began as Joy-Anna, Austin, and their three children – Gideon, Evie, and Gunnar – came home from church.
“Okay, Gunnar is upset. We got home from church and he says, “Feed me five minutes ago,” Joy-Anna explains as Gunnar fusses in her arms.
She went on to say they “stayed late” and it was a “long night” but would definitely end on a positive note, adding that “it was really good.” Good camaraderie.’
Then Austin asks questions: “What was the message like?”
Joy-Anna, seemingly taken aback, says “it was a great message,” adding, “It was phenomenal.”
She then playfully jokes, “What, do you want me to say?”
However, Austin goes further and asks, “What were (the pastor’s) three points?”
“I don’t remember the points anymore. They all started with a P,’ she replied.
The clip started when Joy-Anna, Austin and their three children – Gideon, Evie and Gunnar – came home from church
Fans were most concerned after the family came home from church and Austin asked her if she remembered the “message” preached at the service
Once home, Austin wonders, “How was the message?” Joy-Anna, seemingly taken aback, states that ‘it was a great message’, adding, ‘It was phenomenal’
She listed “provision” and “protection,” but struggled to name the third, which was “privilege.”
Meanwhile, in the background, her children are shouting ‘mama’. She then closes the video with a light-hearted farewell.
While the couple seemingly tried to play it off as a cute moment, fans sensed there was more going on beneath the surface.
In the comments section of the clip uploaded by Without A Crystal Ball, fans commented on how “exhausted” and “beaten down” Joy-Anna looked.
Throughout the vlog, Joy-Anna consistently comments on how exhausted she is, claiming she’s been “trouble staying awake” and “been so busy lately.”
“This poor exhausted young woman. I am so sad for her,” one person wrote sympathetically.
‘Poor Joy Anna looks exhausted and tried! That’s what happens when Joy Anna marries and has young children, and a husband who doesn’t care,” added another.
In the comments section of the clip uploaded by Without A Crystal Ball, fans commented on how “exhausted” and “beaten down” Joy-Anna looked
“I imagine this is pretty harmless teasing on his part, but she just looks so ragged right now and the baby is fussing and she’s literally talking about how exhausted she was. It just wasn’t the time,” said a third person.
The same user added that “maybe he should have taken the little one away from her and told her to rest and put her feet up if she was so exhausted.”
Others chimed in and agreed that he should focus on helping her instead of putting more pressure on her.
“Maybe he can help with the fussy baby instead of giving her a pop quiz,” one comment read.
“A decent husband would put the kids to bed after her probably tiring day and let her rest. Not questioning her about theology while she had three small children to care for during the service,” another wrote.
The same user noted how her current lifestyle seemed to reflect the way she had grown up in the Duggar household.
“The poor girls went straight from a cramped family with little education to 24/7 childcare and multiple pregnancies,” they added.
Others chimed in and agreed that he should focus on helping her instead of putting more pressure on her
Someone else agreed, writing: “She literally went from homeschooling to marriage and babies.”
One user even commented on how he reminded them of her dad, saying he was a classic “Jim Bob choice.”
Another fan aptly pointed out that even if they were still following the strict Christian regime that Jim Bob and Michelle had instituted, he still didn’t handle the situation properly.
“All he’s accomplishing by calling her out is showing his shortcomings. In a Christian marriage, he is supposed to be the spiritual leader,” they wrote.
“He is in charge of his family’s (sic) knowledge and teachings of the scriptures. If they don’t know or can’t remember, that shows his lack of leadership and not her lack of knowledge. He literally shows himself badly.’
Some fans thought this could be an indication of more problematic behavior from Austin.
“The way she snapped ‘it was a great message’ was her true response and she tried to soften it with a smile and play it off,” one social media user wrote.
“About being in a controlling relationship in the past, there are some big red flags in this video and she’s starting to get tired.”
Some users thought this could be an indication of more problematic behavior from Austin
He also recently criticized her hair after cutting it, which goes against the rules of fundamentalism
Others were quick to mention his past behavior, specifically citing the way he reacted to her hair on their wedding day.
He also recently criticized her hair after cutting it, which goes against the rules of fundamentalism.
In November 2022, Joy-Anna shared with viewers on a recent YouTube video she got “The Chop.’
“I’m going to get my hair cut. I’m so, so, so excited!’ she was excited.
“I’ve always had long hair…but I thought it would be nice for winter and this pregnancy to mix it up.”
Even though she didn’t cut it too short—she kept her hair just below her shoulders—Austin made it clear how he really felt.
“It’s a little short,” he said when he saw her new haircut.
When she pressed him about what he thought, all he could say was, “I don’t hate it.”
While sharing that he thought the haircut was “cute,” he made it clear that he wanted it longer.
Then, in a jerking move, he jokingly called her a “dirty dog.”
This also upset fans, as they felt she didn’t deserve to be given derogatory names – even as a joke – about her haircut.