Last month, the Duggar faithful rejoiced following the announcement that Jessa Duggar is pregnant with her second child.
After all, procreation is what made this family famous, so a year without a Duggar pregnancy is like a Patriots game in which Tom Brady fails to throw for a touchdown.
(Unfortunately for Pats fans, there’s bound to be a few of those this year.)
Anyway, the news that Jessa would be the next Duggar daughter to deliver a bundle of joy was met with an avalanche of heartfelt congrats, but also a fair amount of speculation.
When you examine the evidence, it’s not surprising that many fans believed further Duggar pregnancy announcements were on the way.
After all, just last year, there was talk of Jill and Jessa getting pregnant at the same time.
And this wasn’t mere tabloid gossip, mind you.
The sisters stated on multiple occasions that they’d like to get knocked up at the same time.
Add to that the rumors that Jinger Duggar is pregnant (hence, her accelerated courtship with Jeremy Vuolo), and you can see why some Duggar aficionados believed that Jessa’s announcement would be the first of many.
In fact, the interest in the Duggar ladies’ uteruses has expanded to the point that in-laws are now being pulled into the fray.
Yes, rumors that Anna Duggar is pregnant by her disgraced husband, Josh Duggar, have ramped up in recent weeks, with many fans and supposed insiders insisting that an announcement is forthcoming.
So what’s going on here?
Could there actually four Duggar babies on the way?
Well, according to those who know best, the Internet has once again proved to be fertile ground for unfounded BS.
Michelle and Jim Bob generally make a point of not addressing online rumors, but in a recent blog post, the founders of the famous fam indirectly shot down reports that there are multiple Duggars currently in gestation:
“We are so thankful for our wonderful 32 years of marriage, 19 children, plus our daughter and sons in laws, and going on 7 grandkids.”
Not a direct denial, but probably as close to one as we’ll get.
Of course, there remains the possibility that Jim Bob and Michelle are either unaware of one of their daughters’ pregnancies or that they’re being evasive in order to avoid a scandal.
Until recently, Jill Duggar was living in a Zika hot zone with her husband and son, and the news that she got pregnant in Central America (or shortly after returning home) would be sure to result in backlash from fans.
And anyone who’s familiar with the family’s strict rules of courtship knows that the revelation that Jinger engaged in premarital sex would be a major blow to the family’s reputation as devout evangelicals.
So despite frequent reports to the contrary, for now it looks as though only one additional Duggar child is soon to enter the world.
But knowing this family, the wait for another won’t be a long one.