The Duggar Family Appears to Lift Moratorium on Planned Social Media Announcements With Joy and Austin Forsyth’s Pregnancy Announcement
A Duggar baby is on the way, and this time, the announcement came amid only mild speculation. Joy and Austin Forsyth have announced that they are expecting their third child, days after John David and Abbie Duggar announced the arrival of their second child. With another announcement in such rapid succession, we can’t help but wonder if the Duggar family is lifting its moratorium on public announcements.
Joy and Austin Forsyth are expecting a baby
Joy and Austin Forsyth took to Instagram on Oct. 5 to announce that they are once again expecting. Joy, who married Austin in 2017, has been at the center of pregnancy speculation rumors for months. Austin and Joy are parents to Gideon Forsyth, 4, and Evelyn Forsyth, 2. Joy also suffered a late-term pregnancy loss in 2019.
Along with an Instagram announcement, Joy and Austin Forsyth opted to upload a YouTube video chronicling how they found out they were pregnant. Joy noted that they had been trying for baby #3. The baby, whose gender has yet to be revealed, is due in May 2023.
The Duggar family seems to be breaking the moratorium on social media posts
Shortly after Josh Duggar was convicted of possessing and receiving child pornography, the Duggars slowed down their social media posting. News from the Duggars barely trickled out, and several family members opted to walk away from the spotlight completely. Most of those who opted to stay in the spotlight remained quieter than usual.
Joy was one of the siblings who went quiet after Josh’s conviction. She posted in February 2022 before taking a lengthy Instagram break, returning to regularly scheduled posts in August. The return to Instagram came after Josh was sentenced to more than 12 years behind bars and was transferred to an out-of-state federal prison.
Joy isn’t the first Duggar to make a big announcement in recent months, though. Jill Dillard returned to the platform over the summer to announce her family’s move and the arrival of her third child. John David Duggar and his wife, Abbie Burnett, announced the arrival of their second child, too, albeit begrudgingly. Jessa Seewald has remained active, sharing her renovation project on YouTube, and Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo have announced large projects despite Josh Duggar’s legal drama.
Will the other Duggar couples return to social media?
Jim Bob and Michelle have remained relatively quiet, and the Duggar family’s official Instagram has gone mostly dormant. It seems unlikely that the family patriarch and matriarch will be returning to the public eye, at least not anytime soon. Several adult Duggar children are following suit. Anna Duggar, Josh Duggar’s wife, remains largely quiet on the platform, too.
Joseph Duggar and his wife Kendra Caldwell have all but disappeared from Instagram. The couple was fairly active in sharing family photos until Josh’s legal issues. Josiah Duggar and his wife, Lauren Swanson, took the most aggressive action to protect their privacy. The couple has wiped their Instagram of most pictures, including all photos of their daughter, Bella Duggar.
Both couples are rumored to have welcomed new children into their families without public announcements. Even Duggar family members who remain active on social media have changed their posting styles. Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, have kept their children’s faces out of their most recent social media posts. Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo are doing the same.
Joy and Austin Forsyth’s big news might hint at a new season for the Duggars. Still, followers shouldn’t expect things to go back to exactly as they were in the past. The supersized family is unlikely to return to sharing all major and minor milestones via social media.
