'Counting On' New Season: Joy-Anna Duggar Gets Engaged to Beau, Longtime Friend Austin Forsyth

Another Duggar daughter is set to walk the aisle after “Counting On” star Joy-Anna Duggar and boyfriend Austin Forsyth got engaged on March 2, Thursday. The couple has known each other for almost 15 years and officially announced in November of last year that they had begun courting.

"We just got engaged!" Joy-Anna said to Us Weekly. "I’m so excited to be engaged to my best friend — Austin made it so romantic, it’s amazing."

According to Austin, he is overwhelmed with emotion as he is expecting significant changes in their relationship as he and Joy-Anna enter the engagement phase. "I'm so excited to be engaged, because that means the next step is marriage, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for us!” he said.

Only weeks after Joy-Anna’s sister, Jinger, tied the knot with former professional soccer athlete Jeremy Vuolo, it was confirmed on “Counting On: Season 2” that Joy-Anna herself had been spending much time with a long-time friend, Austin. The pair then admitted to having an intimate relationship on the special “Counting On: Jinger Wedding” episode.

Prior to the “Counting On: Season 2” finale, Austin explained that he chose a spot somewhere in a peaceful, forested area to enter into his courtship with Joy-Anna. Calling it a special location, he said it was a place where he had been coming to pray and spend time with the Lord.

In a “Counting On: Season 2” episode, Austin was featured as he asked Joy-Anna’s father, Jim Bob Duggar, if they could start their relationship. He told the Duggar patriarch that he admired his girlfriend’s character and her commitment to the Lord.

"She's such a diligent worker. She gets all the younger siblings working. She's a good delegator — and, of course, her beauty,” Austin explained.

Following these statements, Jim Bob described Austin as a “good guy and that he would be honored if his daughter’s longtime friend would start courting her already. The “Counting On: Season 2” finale was aired on February 27 on TLC.