Caitlin Thompson (Madison on 'This Is Us') Recently Gave Birth — Was She Pregnant on Set?

Fans of This Is Us get to meet the newest addition to the Pearson family. Awww! But of course, this is This Is Us, and the show wouldn't do a very good job at making us cry every episode if something tragic didn't happen. On tonight's episode of This Is Us, Kevin's fiancee and mother of his kids (and Kate's best friend) goes into labor while Kevin is in Vancouver. Bad planning, Kevin! 

While the episode will make you feel all the feels, you might also start to wonder if actress Caitlin Thompson (who plays Madison) was pregnant in real life while this season was being filmed. Sometimes, shows will write in a pregnancy if the actor is expecting (or they'll try to cover it up with muumuus and "strategic" angles like in New Girl and SATC). Here's what we know.

Caitlin Thomas actually gave birth to a son she shares with husband Dan Fogelman (who happens to be the showrunner of This Is Us) sometime in late spring of 2020 (between May and June). This means that she may have been pregnant during production of Season 4, but not Season 5, since production for this season started September 2020. In August 2020, Caitlin shared a photo of her and her son, writing in the caption, "Two and a half months of baby bliss. Hey world, meet Benjamin."

In December, Caitlin posted a six-month update for fans. 

So, while Caitlin may not have been pregnant at the same time as her This Is Us character, she didn't have to do much acting to be a convincing pregnant person.

If you're surprised about Caitlin's pregnancy and her marriage, you're not alone! Caitlin and Dan have been keeping their relationship pretty low-key. It only really surfaced when Madison and Kevin sleep together, because Dan had originally stated that he wouldn't have his wife sleep with Justin Hartley (who plays Kevin) on set. But that was back in 2018.

 "Just FYI: Madison is my wife in real life. And if you thought I was letting her sleep with Justin Hartley on national television you're nuts," he wrote.

Executive producers Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker told Entertainment Weekly that it took two years to convince him that Madison and Kevin deserved a shot. In bed, at least. 

Isaac said, "We’ve just been slowly wearing Dan down since he tweeted that! [Laughs] It took, what, two and a half years, and we did it. It’s something we’ve talked about and had in our heads from early on. There is a different component to Dan that I can’t speak to of what it’s like to put your wife in that situation."

Does Dan want to keep Madison and Kevin's relationship constantly on edge because they're married in real life? Fans speculate they don't stay together, since she hasn't shown up in any of the time jumps, and Dan stated that they wouldn't have an "easy love story," adding, "it’s fair to say they have an up-and-down journey ahead of them." He also hinted, "I think that there’s basically many more chapters in Kevin’s romantic story," per a Hollywood Reporter interview.

The plot likely has more to do with the Pearsons and their baggage than Dan's real-life relationship. Watch This Is Us every Tuesday on NBC at 9 p.m. ET.