Are There Duggar Grandkids We Don't Know About? (Jim Bob's Comments Suggest There Are)

It was tough enough keeping track of the Duggar family when they were simply "19 Kids & Counting." But now that 10 out of the 11 married siblings are parents themselves, it's dizzying to remember how many grandchildren there actually are. In fact, fans often suspect there are secret Duggar babies either on the way or as yet unannounced — and a new video seems to confirm those suspicions. 

Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth and her husband Austin welcomed a baby boy on May 17, and recently posted a vlog documenting the blessed event. In it, we see that Gunner James received his first visitors just minutes after his arrival into the world. Siblings Gideon and Evy climbed into their mom's hospital bed for a good look, and Joy's mom, Michelle, got to hold the newest "GrandDuggar." Duggar patriarch Jim Bob arrived shortly afterward with lunch for all. Despite being a very experienced grandfather, he still said, "I can't believe it," upon seeing the newborn.

But a comment Jim Bob made right after has Duggar followers puzzled. As Austin handed the baby over, he asked tentatively, "Is this one the thirrr-tiee-eth?" Jim Bob affirmed, "Yeah, this is the 15th boy, and then 15 girls, and then Jed and Katey's will be the tiebreaker." (Last Christmas, Jedidiah Duggar announced the big news he and his wife were expecting a second child around Joy's due date.) Is that accurate, though? The math doesn't seem to add up, but there are indeed clues that Jim Bob is on target.

According to the latest update from InTouch Weekly, the Duggar grandchild count stands at 28. In sibling order, Joshua has four girls and three boys. John-David has a boy and a girl. Jill has three boys. Jessa has two boys and two girls. Jinger has two girls. Joseph has a boy and two girls. Josiah has one (confirmed) girl. Joy now has two boys and one girl. Jed has a son, and his twin, Jeremiah, welcomed a baby girl on Christmas Day 2022. That makes 13 boys and 14 girls, and Jed's baby girl will make 15. 

Judging from some clues in his online actions, Josiah Duggar may have welcomed another girl under the radar. A video of a 2022 fall family get-together showed his wife, Lauren, with a baby. Then, a follower on the DuggarsSnark Reddit channel also posted a TikTok picture from a few months ago that appears to show Lauren in a maternity dress. So this would make three children for Josiah. 

The final "secret baby" may be brother Joseph's. As The U.S. Sun reported, Joy's YouTube of her gender reveal in November 2022 included a long shot of her family watching the action. Joe can be seen holding a baby under his coat. Since his youngest daughter is already 2 years old, it's entirely plausible he is now a dad of four, which would indeed make Jim Bob and Michelle the grandparents of 30, soon to be 31...at least for now.