Joy-Anna Duggar’s Husband Austin Forsyth Says He ‘Took a Lot of Heat’ for Not Wanting Son’s Birth Filmed

Austin Forsyth is recalling when he took stand against filming Counting On.

On the latest episode of The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast, Austin, 31, recalled pushing back when it came to filming the birth of his first child, son Gideon, 6, whom he shares with wife Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth. (The pair are also parents to Evelyn, 4, and Gunner, 1.)

“I don’t remember us having really big, like, ‘Oh, no, y’all can’t show this or whatever,’ [but] I think we did push back about having Gideon,” he told hosts Jinger Duggar Vuolo and Jeremy Vuolo. “I didn’t want any film crew there. I took a lot of heat for that.”

Austin recalled that the decision went against the precedent set by Joy-Anna’s sisters, explaining, “That’s something which Jessa and Jill, I believe, had already had Spurgeon and Israel [on the show], so I should have thought about it.”

“It’s not something that, as a single guy, crossed my mind like, ‘One day, I’m going to have to make the decision if I’m going to have the network with cameras in our face,’” he continued.  “There’s a lot you just don’t know how [to handle].”

Austin admitted that appearing on the TLC series — which aired from 2015 to 2021 — didn’t come naturally to him.

“I didn’t really trust the producers or the camera guys — not that the camera guys really had anything to do with the production,” he shared. “I remember the producer telling me, ‘It used to be so hard getting stuff out of you and you always seemed like we were trying to entrap you or you always would think a long time about your answers and we just wanted something spontaneous.’”

The former reality star — who married Joy-Anna in 2017 — added, “I don’t know really why I got that [way]. I guess I was thinking if I’m gonna be on camera and this is gonna be out there forever, I really wanna be careful what I say.”

Since the show came to an end, the couple has embraced “a different life” away from the cameras.

“We have three kids and just so much has happened over the last five years,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Wow, I guess we did do that. And someone almost has to bring it up like, how was it being on the show or whatever? I’m like, well, I guess we did do that. Yeah. So it’s kinda weird.”

Those changes also include a recent move, which Joy-Anna announced on Instagram in September.

“WE ARE MOVING! 🏡” she shared alongside a picture of the family of five. “This is our LAST family picture in our home of almost 5 years!”

“We’re a sweaty mess after moving but this picture starts a new adventure!” she continued. “We are so so excited to see what the next few years hold.”