Nathan Bates Is Engaged! Learn More About His Relationship With Fiancée Esther

Once upon a time, the Duggars introduced the world to their good friends, the Bates family, who went on to have their own reality TV show, Bringing Up Bates, on UPtv and several seasons later, the Bates kids are courting, getting married, and having babies on par with the Duggars’ weddings and new additions.

One of the 19 Bates kids, Nathan Bates, will be 28 in 2021 and by the standards set in their religious and social circles, it’s relatively old to not be starting a family yet.

But is Nathan Bates married yet? It could be said that John David Duggar waited until close to his 30th birthday and Jana Duggar isn't even married or courting yet, so if Nathan isn't married, it's totally fine. But some fans who have followed the Bates family as closely as others follow the Duggars might be wondering about his relationship status as it currently stands.

Well not yet — but as of May 2021, he's officially engaged to Esther Keyes, who turns 24 in 2021.

On May 24, Nathan took to Instagram to reveal the big news. "She said YES!!! I get to marry the girl of my dreams @ekeyes97," he captioned a carousel of photos from the big day.

“We are excited to start making future wedding plans!” Esther told Us Weekly at the time. “But at the moment, I’m trying to just soak in all of the joys of being Nathan’s fiancé!”

Nathan and Esther started courting in October 2020 and became Instagram official that December. It's unclear when they're planning on tying the knot, but chances are it'll be before 2021 is over.

In 2016, Nathan started courting, or dating, a girl by the name of Ashley Salyer. Typically, in their family, when someone begins courting another person, it is with the intent of marriage and very rarely do courtships not work out. Unfortunately for Nathan and Ashley, however, that’s exactly what happened.

Viewers watched their relationship struggles on Bringing Up Bates and it was revealed in the show that the pair decided to end their courtship amidst issues they couldn’t quite get past. They explained it as being unsure that God wanted them to be married.

Through the years, there have been rumors linking Jana Duggar, who is also notorious for remaining single despite being older than all of her sisters who have been married and had kids already, to Nathan. Jana is close to the Bates family in general and, when she has been seen mingling with the family, fans have jumped to the conclusion that she must be dating one of them, namely Nathan.

Rumors have also swirled on and off about Lawson Bates, Nathan’s older brother, dating Jana. But, like the rumors regarding Jana and Nathan, the ones that place her as Lawson’s bride-to-be also appear to be false. Obviously merging the Bates and Duggar families would be a match made in reality TV heaven. For now, however, they remain their own separate entities.

Even though Nathan isn't married yet, he is still featured on Bringing Up Bates and he has a number of jobs to keep him busy while he waits for Miss Right. He has gone on numerous mission trips over the years as an emergency medical responder, helping those in need in Guatemala and the Philippines. He is also a flight instructor, which shouldn't be a huge surprise as that seems to be a *thing* in the Duggar family too.

Watch Bringing Up Bates on Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST on UPtv.