Jim Bob Duggar Give Updated Duggar Grandchildren Count in Recent Video, Seemingly Confirms Unconfirmed Babies
Jim Bob Duggar has been relatively quiet on social media since his eldest son, Josh Duggar, was convicted of possessing and receiving child pornography. However, he just appeared in a YouTube video posted by Joy-Anna Forsyth, his ninth child and fifth daughter. During his brief cameo, Jim Bob gave an updated count of the number of grandchildren he has, including ones on the way. The Duggar family patriarch claims that there are now 30 Duggar grandchildren in the family. If that count is accurate, Jim Bob may have just confirmed the mystery children that family followers have long suspected have been born since Josh Duggar’s incarceration.
Jim Bob Duggar claims there are now 30 Duggar grandchildren
Joy-Anna Forsyth and Austin Forsyth are expecting a brand new baby in May 2023. The couple, who are parents to Gideon and Evelyn Forsyth, excitedly shared their big news via YouTube. More recently, they uploaded a video sharing their family’s reaction to the big news. In one clip, Joy’s father, Jim Bob, commented that Joy’s baby would be the 30th Duggar grandchild born into the family.
Jim Bob’s comment might seem like a simple statement, but things aren’t exactly as they appear in the Duggar family. For months, Duggar family followers have been speculating about the likelihood of a few Duggars choosing to welcome new children without making an official announcement. Jim Bob’s headcount doesn’t match the number of babies the family has announced. So, did he finally confirm that a couple of Duggars have had children without mentioning it?
The official count is currently 27, including those yet to be born
Jim Bob has set the Duggar grandchild count at 30, but it’s obvious that, if that count is correct, he’s including Duggar grandchildren who have not yet been officially announced to the public. According to Fandom, there are currently 27 confirmed Duggar grandchildren. Joy and Hannah’s pregnancies are included in that number.
The most recent baby born in the Duggar family is Charlie Duggar, the second child of John David Duggar and Abbie Burnett. The couple was reluctant to share the news of their pregnancy but did so after Duggar family followers spotted Abbie sporting a baby bump in May. The new addition was born sometime in September. According to the announcements, Charlie should be the 25th baby born into the family.
If that is correct, Hannah and Joy’s upcoming babies would be Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 26th and 27th grandchildren, respectively. Since Jim Bob insists that there are 30 grandbabies, including those on the way, there are three unknown children in the family. So, who are they?
Fans have speculated about Joseph Duggar and Josiah Duggar both welcoming new children without mentioning it
Following Josh Duggar’s arrest, most of the Duggar family stopped posting to Instagram. Since his sentencing, several Duggars have returned to social media, albeit differently than before. Some have chosen to stay completely out of the spotlight, seemingly for good. Joseph Duggar and his wife, Kendra Caldwell, have largely stopped posting on social media. Josiah Duggar and his bride, Lauren Swanson, have wiped their Instagram page of pictures and stopped sharing new photos. They are the two couples fans largely believe have welcomed babies without telling the world.
Still, that would only bring the grand-Duggar count to 29, so who is the other baby? One Reddit user theorizes that Jim Bob was counting the baby Joy lost late into her pregnancy in 2019. That, however, doesn’t seem to make sense. Several other Duggar daughters and daughters-in-law have suffered miscarriages, albeit none as late along in the pregnancy. If Jim Bob counted pregnancies that ended in a miscarriage or stillbirth, the number of grandchildren would be substantially higher. It seems far more likely that at least one other Duggar is currently expecting. Jessa Seewald or Claire Spivey seems like the most likely Duggar family members to be quietly expecting a child, although there is no evidence to support that theory.
