Why Jed Duggar's Baby Announcement Has People Seeing Red
After quietly courting Katey Nakatsu for over a year, Jedidiah "Jed" Duggar became a married man earlier this year. His parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, couldn't have been more proud, and a representative for the couple said that the wedding was "beautiful" and that the whole family was "so happy for them" (via People). As for Jed, he wrote on Instagram that Nakatsu was "the answer to his prayers." He wrote, "We have enjoyed quietly developing our relationship over the past year and every moment together has been amazing!"
A pregnancy announcement was soon to follow news of their wedding, in classic Duggar fashion — and Jed and Katey did not disappoint. The new couple let the world know that they are expecting their first child together. On Monday, September 6, Jed took to Instagram to share the news — but while some fans were overjoyed for the soon-to-be parents, others were a bit distracted by the way in which they made the announcement.
Was Jed Duggar's announcement insensitive?
In the Instagram picture, Jed Duggar and wife Katey kissed and held up a sign that read, "And then there were 3. Baby Duggar. Spring '22." Cute, right? Well, it's what Jed wrote in the caption of the photo that the public has deemed insensitive. It reads, "She tested positive, but not for Covid," pairing the caption with a cheeky winky face (via People).
While the overwhelming majority of comments on the photo are from fans who are thrilled for the couple, others weighed in that perhaps Jed's statement was in poor taste. One user wrote, "Cringey caption, bro," while another noted, "a pregnancy announcement making a joke out of covid. How fun." Katie Joy, host of the podcast "Without a Crystal Ball," even went as far as to call out Jed and Katey on Instagram for being "so insensitive" during the recent nationwide COVID-19 surges. "Covid is raging in Arkansas right now," she wrote. "The facts are that no one in Arkansas should be joking about the current state of Arkansas & Covid."
And indeed, there's truth to Joy's claims. The couple's home state of Arkansas has been experiencing frightening surges of coronavirus as of late, with only 43% of citizens in the state being fully vaccinated, a daily average of 1,775 new cases, and over 7,100 deaths in Arkansas alone, per The New York Times.