Scandal: Kerry Washington pregnancy and how it could affect the show

After Kerry Washington announced her first pregnancy, Scandal fans waited with bated breath to find out what it would mean for Olivia Pope. Would she be pregnant with Fitz’s (Tony Goldwyn) baby? Or would she be relegated to hiding behind giant purses?

The answer, amusingly, was the latter, which created a “find the bump” game for Gladiators. To be honest, the bump wasn’t that hard to find, hidden behind lamps or chairs while Washington was mostly shot from the chest up during season 3.

RELATED: How 20 Stars Hid Their Real-Life Pregnancies on TV

Now that Washington has announced her second pregnancy, will ABC’s political fixer drama go the same route? Or is it time for Olivia Pope to welcome a mini-Gladiator? ABC is not commenting as the network reportedly mulls several options ahead of its May 17 upfront presentation. Here’s what could happen:

Per TVLine, the Shondaland drama may get pushed to midseason, allowing a long hiatus for Washington. That would likely mean Olivia Pope would not be pregnant once the actress starts filming again. There’s also talk of the episode order being trimmed, much like Washington’s pregnancy when season 3 was cut to 18 episodes.

Second verse, same as the first. But don’t you want to see more of the hilarious ways Scandal attempts to trick viewers?

Technically, they already did that, but Olivia got an abortion. Maybe Olivia could have a change of heart this time around and decide to keep the next baby?

Here’s another one of those gifs… just because. (h/t TVGuide.com)

Scandal airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.