It's been a while since the Duggar clan has been embroiled in a major public scandal.
It looked like real trouble was brewing when a car dealership owned by the family was raided by Homeland Security agents in 2019, but amazingly, almost a year later, no charges have been filed, and the incident remains shrouded in mystery.
For once, Jim Bob might have been telling the truth when he dismissed the whole thing as a big misunderstanding.
In the months since, there have been the usual intra-family flare-ups, most notably the feud between Jim Bob and Derick Dillard.
That one could lead to some messy revelations, as Derick is planning to publish a memoir about his time with the Duggars.
But the Duggars' diehard fans seem mostly unconcerned with the allegations made thus far, including the claim that Jim Bob stole millions from his own kids by pocketing their TLC earnings.
But for several months now, those who watch the family closely have had the feeling that another major storm is brewing in Duggar Land.
And it looks like they're right -- but the source of the impending controversy might be one that nobody saw coming.
And like past PR nightmares, such as the Josh Duggar sex scandals, this one could deal a major blow to the family's carefully constructed facade of wholesomeness.
Fans first noticed something was amiss when the Duggars official Instagram account (the one that's primarily operated by Michelle with occasional input from Jim Bob) unfollowed the Bates family on Instagram.
The Bates, as you may know, are essentially a lesser-known version of the Duggar family.
The Tennessee based clan of 19 kids and two parents starred in a basic cable reality show that focused as much on their ultra-conservative religious beliefs as it did on the challenges of raising such a large brood.
The Up TV series never attracted a very large audience, in part because the Duggars have been starring in such a similar show for so many years.
But the two families remained close -- there have even been reports of Bates boys courting Duggar daughters -- and there was never any bad blood between them.
Or so we thought.
Several fans noticed and commented on the online snub, but it was only when YouTuber Katie Joy reported on it that the Duggars relented and re-followed the Bates.
Clearly, this was no accident.
And that was just the beginning of the highly suspicious social media activity.
It seems the Duggars also had a falling-out with another prominent clan of evangelical influencers.
Jill and David Rodrigues never had a television show, but with 13 kids and a massive social media following, they're almost as big as the Duggars in every way.
On July 24, the long-standing bond between the two families became official when Nurie Rodrigues, the eldest daughter of Jill and David, married Nathan Keller, who is the younger brother of Josh's wife, Anna Duggar.
Josh and Anna were reportedly in attendance at the wedding, but it seems they didn't make a very good impression.
The Nurie family's official Instagram page had been following Anna, but it unfollowed her the day after the wedding.
Interestingly, the account began following Anna's sister, Priscilla, with whom she's reportedly had a following out.
On its own, any one of these incidents might not mean much.
But the fact that all of this following and unfollowing took place within a few days -- coupled with the fact that the Duggars have offered no information despite frequent requests from fans -- seems to indicate that something is seriously amiss.
Is the scandal that's brewing now on par with something as major as the Josh sex scandals?
Probably not -- but you can be sure all of this is tied to some development that Jim Bob would prefer to keep buried.
Let's hope the internet continues to do its thing and unearths this scandal sooner rather than later.
We'll keep you updated on this developing story as new information becomes available.
