For the better part of the past decade, diehard Duggar fans have been rooting for Jana Duggar to find the right man, settle down, and start a family of her own.
Now, she’s well on her way toward doing exactly that, but sadly, she it looks as though she feels compelled to keep her first serious relationship a secret.
The problem, of course, is that the Duggars are much less public than they used to be as a result of Josh Duggar’s arrest on child pornography charges.
The entire clan is keeping a lower profile as a result of this latest scandal, which means Jana’s big moment isn’t as big as would’ve been at any previous point.
Jana is being courted by Stephen Wissmann these days, and these two lovebirds are going to great lengths to hide their love from prying eyes.
Obviously, the important thing is that she finally found love, but we’re sure she’d prefer to celebrate her relationship openly, rather than keeping everything on the down-low like the fundamentalist equivalent of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck.
Jana and Stephen are pressing on despite the obstacles, and it seems that they’re gradually becoming less secretive in their interactions.
According to a new report from YouTuber Katie Joy, Jana was "spotted with her rumored boyfriend Stephen Wissmann in Nebraska" over the holiday weekend.
The couple attended a Fourth of July event in Seward, Nebraska (which bills itself as "Nebraska’s Fourth of July City"), and it looks like they didn’t care who saw them together.
Stephen and his family are a musical bunch, and they often perform together at wholesome family events such as the Seward celebration.
"The Wissmanns were there performing. Jana was seen walking around the event with Stephen," Joy confirmed on her Instagram page this week.
So it sounds like Jana and Stephen aren’t necessarily hiding their relationship anymore.
But that doesn’t mean they’ll be making a big announcement anytime soon.
No, these days the Duggars are well aware that they’ve worn out their welcome, and even a fan favorite like Jana would attract quite a few negative comments if she were to gush about her boyfriend on Instagram.
That’s not fair, obviously, but you can’t blame folks for lashing out at the entire family given the horrors of what Josh has done.
For years, Jim Bob and Michelle kept Josh sheltered from all consequences as they continued to sell themselves as America’s most wholesome family of fundamentalists.
It’s Jana’s misfortune to find Mr. Right at a time when the world has finally caught on to what a bunch of treacherous snakes her parents and older brother are.
But things could be a lot worse.
It’s Josh, Jim Bob, and Michelle who are hated by the public these days, and most people recognize that Josh’s siblings are victims in all of this.
There may even come a time when some of the Duggar kids are free to return to television.
Of course, doing so would probably mean cutting ties with Jim Bob and Michelle.
That puts Jana in a tough spot, as no one has been more loyal to the Duggar patriarch and matriarch over the years.