If you're a fan of the show, then you've probably heard the news by now:
It looks as though Chelsea Houska is quitting Teen Mom 2.
In some ways, the move is a total shock.
In others, it's been a long time coming.
Chelsea has yet to make an announcement herself, but her father, Randy Houska, essentially confirmed the news in a recent tweet.
"Well kids, that's a wrap," he wrote.
"Been a fun run on @MTV @TeenMom #teenmom2 What's next Seriously, tho, it has been a part of @ChelseaHouska entire adult life," Randy added.
"We all expanded our horizons and grew as people #NoRegrets See ya all on the flip side."
It's not hard to see why fans jumped to the conclusion that Chelsea's time on the show has come to an end.
But if that's the case, her decision raises a number of new questions.
FIrst and foremost, why would she decide to walk away from such a massive paycheck during a time of such economic uncertainty?
Chelsea is pregnant with her fourth child at the moment.
And while she's likely saved more cash than some of her fellow former Teen Mom stars (the perpetually broke Jenelle Evans comes to mind), Houska also has a lot of expenses.
She and husband Cole DeBoer recently built a farmhouse in their native South Dakota, which looks to have cost them a pretty penny.
And with three mouths to feed and a third on the way, we're sure the expense was keenly felt.
Speaking of Cole, he would also lose his paycheck if Chelsea quits, as it seems unlikely that fans would continue to take an interest in his story if his wife was no longer appearing on camera.
Chelsea's not the type to enter into a decision like this without considering it from all angles, so you can bet there's a strategy involved.
And that strategy likely involves protecting her children's privacy while continuing to rake in large amounts of cash.
According to The Ashley's Reality Roundup, Chelsea's retirement will be announced during this season's reunion special, which was filmed (remotely, of course) in October, but will not air on MTV until later this month.
“The girls were filming from their homes, along with Dr. Drew [Pinsky] and Nessa, and at the end when all of the girls were on-screen together with [the hosts], they let Chelsea make her announcement to them,” a source told the outlet
“Chelsea told everyone that she has decided that it’s best for her family if they move on from the show, and that it was a really hard decision, but that she feels like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.”
In recent weeks, frans have accused Houska of exploiting her daughter Aubree by creating fake drama involving the girl's father in order to spice up her storyline.
Even if Aubree was not aware of the grift, these fans say, she'll be damaged when she gets older and realizes her mother lied about her father on national television.
These allegations remain unproven, of course, but one thing we know for sure is that Chelsea will be just fine, financially.
She's the most popular Teen Mom in the history of the franchise, and she's capitalized on that popularity with a fashion line and numerous other business ventures!
Chelsea continues to enjoy a massive following on social media, and she seems to genuinely enjoy interacting with fans.
So while you may not be seeing her story on Teen Mom 2 anymore, you can be sure you'll be still be able to check in on Chelsea and the growing DeBoer clan!