Katelyn Koryn Duggar (née Nakatsu) (born July 29, 1998) is the first child and first daughter of Kory Nakatsu and Kim Flanigan.
She is the sister of Lauren Nakatsu. She is the half-sister of Jamie Brock and Reed Roberts.
She is the wife of Jedidiah Duggar and the mother of their two children, Truett and Nora. She will be the mother of their twin daughters.
Early life[]
Katelyn as a child
Katelyn Koryn Nakatsu was born on July 29, 1998, in Arizona, to Kory Nakatsu and Kim Nakatsu. She was the couple's first child, and they went on to have one more child after her.
Although Katelyn was her father's first child, she was her mother's third. Katelyn has two older half-siblings through her mother. After her parents' divorce, her parents had equal joint custody of Katelyn and her sister Lauren. Her father was in charge of education and her mother was in charge of healthcare. Both Katelyn and Lauren maintain relationships with their mother and older half-siblings. They were bridesmaids in their half-sister's wedding and attended their mother's wedding in 2019, which gave them three step-siblings, two step-brothers and one step-sister, until their divorce in 2021.
At the time of Kory and Kim's marriage, the family was Christian, albeit not involved in the IBLP or ATI. Katelyn and her siblings went to public school and participated in a relatively "normal" American childhood.
Sometime in early 2005, Katelyn's parents divorced. On August 1, 2009, Katelyn's father got remarried to Kerry Sheppard.
Katelyn went to public school through the 8th grade, until 2012. At that time, her father made the decision to pull the girls from school and begin homeschooling them. He cited their desire to be "accepted by the world" as his reasoning. She and her sister were raised as active participants of Bill Gothard's Institute in Basic Life Principles, and regularly attended the yearly Advanced Training Institute conferences in Big Sandy, Texas. She graduated on May 24, 2016.
Growing up, Katelyn took harp lessons.
Katelyn was saved when she was 15 years old.
Katelyn participated in Journey to the Heart, a Christian retreat for teens and young adults to spend time focused on God.
Katelyn enjoys the mountains, sunshine, being with people, laughing and chatting with friends and family, and playing her harp at hospice facilities.
Personal life[]
Courtship[]
Katelyn and Jedidiah Duggar chose to keep their relationship private and never made an official statement regarding their relationship until their wedding. Photos from their engagement and their wedding invitation were leaked to the public, but neither of them confirmed anything.
In 2020, Jedidiah's older sister Jessa posted a video on her YouTube channel. The video featured the Duggar Family's annual fall festival at their home. In one scene, the children were painting pumpkins. Jessa asked Jedidiah if he was making one for his "sweetheart". Another shot showed a pumpkin with "Katey" painted on.
On August 22, 2022, Katelyn and Jedidiah posted a video on their YouTube channel talking about their love story. They first met in April 2019 in a brief encounter when Jedidiah invited Katelyn to a youth retreat that summer. In February 2020, they both signed up for a week-long prison ministry retreat in Florida. Neither of them knew that the other had signed up until they had arrived there. They would talk to each other during breakfast and at night after returning from their respective prison ministry groups. They both left the retreat having feelings for each other and prayed that they would be able to see each other again. In May 2020, Jedidiah's father Jim Bob Duggar invited him and his twin brother Jeremiah to go with him to pick up a greyhound bus that he had recently purchased in Phoenix, Arizona, near Katelyn's house. Jedidiah, Jeremiah, and Jim Bob stayed at Katelyn's family's house during their trip. Jedidiah used their stay as an opportunity to get to know Katelyn and her family better. During the trip, Jedidiah's sister Jinger and her husband Jeremy visited them and Jedidiah told Jinger that he thought Katelyn was the one. After Jedidiah came home from the trip, he called Katelyn's father Kory Nakatsu wanting his permission to get to know her and their family better. In August 2020, they began talking regularly and visited each other once a month.
Engaged
Engagement[]
On March 18, 2021, it was announced via the Nakatsu Family blog that Jedidiah Duggar got engaged to their daughter Katelyn on February 14, 2021. He proposed to her at Amy's Wedding Barn in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The church was decorated with flower petals and candles. Katelyn walked with Jedidiah down the aisle and he proposed to her at the front of the church. They then ate a romantic meal in a clear igloo, sat by the fire, made s'mores, and watched fireworks. Jedidiah said that when they got engaged, it was -13°F and snowing. Their engagement was featured on their YouTube channel.
Just married
Marriage[]
On April 3, 2021, Katelyn married Jedidiah Robert Duggar at Barn at the Springs in Springdale, Arkansas. The couple shared their first kiss at the altar. The wedding was officiated by Noel Cwenar. Katelyn's maid of honor was her sister Lauren. Her bridesmaids were her half-sister Jamie, Jedidiah's sisters Jinger, Johannah, and Jordyn, her friend Lydia Poteet, and four unknown friends. The flower girls were Jedidiah's nieces Meredith and Felicity. Jedidiah's best man was his twin brother Jeremiah. His groomsmen were his brothers Joseph, Josiah, Jason, James, and Justin, his brother-in-law Austin, his friend Joseph Shoemaker, and one unknown friend. The ring bearer was Jedidiah's nephew Marcus. Jedidiah's sister Jana was a pianist and Jedidiah's brothers Jeremiah and Jason were singers at the wedding. Their wedding was featured on their YouTube channel.
Their honeymoon destination is unknown. Based on pictures, the couple spent time on a beach.
Baby Truett
Motherhood[]
On September 5, 2021, Katelyn and Jedidiah announced that they were expecting their first child, due April 2022. The due date was later revealed to be May 2, 2022. On January 7, 2022, they revealed that they were expecting a boy. On May 3, 2022, Katelyn and Jedidiah announced that their son, Truett Oliver, was born at 6:34 p.m. on May 2, 2022, at Willow Creek Women's Hospital in Johnson, Arkansas. He weighed 8 pounds and 5 ounces, and was 20 ½ inches long. His birth was featured on their YouTube channel.
Baby Nora
On December 16, 2022, Katelyn and Jedidiah announced that they were expecting their second child, due May 23, 2023. On December 30, 2022, they revealed that they were expecting a girl and that they would be naming her Nora Kate Duggar. On June 2, 2023, Katelyn and Jedidiah announced that their daughter, Nora Kate, was born on May 24, 2023, at Willow Creek Women's Hospital in Johnson, Arkansas.
On July 18, 2024, Katelyn and Jedidiah announced that they were expecting twin daughters. This will be the first of the Duggar grandchildren to be twins. On September 15, 2024, Katelyn revealed that she was 22 weeks pregnant, putting the due date at January 2025.
Career[]
Prison ministry[]
Katelyn volunteers at a women's prison ministry program in Florida.
Pilot[]
On April 13, 2020, Katelyn received her private pilot's license.
Wedding involvement[]
Katelyn was a bridesmaid at her half-sister Jamie´s wedding to Logan Brock.
She was a bridesmaid at her family friend David Keller's wedding to Hannah Reber on November 19, 2021.
She was a bridesmaid at her friends Andrew Patton and Gabrielle Patton´s vow renewal ceremony in April 2022.
