Earlier this week, we learned that Kendra Caldwell is pregnant with her second child.
The news came as a surprise to fans, as Joseph Duggar's wife just welcomed her first child in June of 2018.
Of course, the Duggars are unusual in their devotion to procreation, but that's not the only way in they're unlike other families.
As you're probably aware, the Duggar courtship rules comprise a bizarre custom designed to pair up young couples -- very young couples, in some cases -- to ensure that they'll be able to begin breeding as early as possible.
The majority of Duggar courtships result in marriage -- but that's not always the case.
The most famous example of a Counting On romance that did not go according to plan is the courtship of Josiah Duggar and Marjorie Jackson, which resulted in a secretive breakup.
But it looks as though that's not the only instance in which a Duggar parted ways with his first courtship partner.
In June of 2017, The Hollywood Gossip interviewed a former employee of the Duggars' who informed us that prior to her relationship with Joseph, Kendra was courted by Jedidiah Duggar.
The tipster told us that Joseph took an interest in Kendra during her relationship with his brother, and he promptly "bumped [Jedidiah] out."
Understandably, there was a period of hostility between the brothers that ended only when Jed wrote a letter granting his blessing for Joe to pursue a relationship with Kendra.
Jed is four years younger than Joseph, and that may have entered into Jim Bob's thinking when it came time to help settle the conflict between brothers.
The Duggars are part of the Quiverfull movement, which holds that it's the responsibility of every Christian to have as many children as possible in order to populate the Earth with believers.
As such, Jim Bob would likely prefer to see his 22-year-old married off before his 18-year-old son, with the thinking that the younger brother still has plenty of time to find a partner.
For obvious reasons, the Duggars worked hard to bury this scandal, and for the most part, they were successful in doing so.
Our source tells us this is far from the only time that the family swept such an incident under the carpet, knowing it wouldn't sit well with their conservative fan base.
"There's a whole world that goes on that really isn't so," says the insider.
"When the cameras aren't rolling, it's a whole different life."
The insider confirmed that Jim Bob has worked hard to create an illusory world that's to the liking of millions of fans over the years.
He sees his role as a media mogul as his divine calling, and the millions he's made as a TV star as his reward for spreading his unique gospel.
And Jim Bob will reportedly do anything in his power to prevent his carefully-constructed facade from crumbling, including burying any sign of an awkward love triangle.