'Scandal' star Kerry Washington is pregnant: Will Olivia be expecting as well?

"Scandal" actress Kerry Washington, who plays Olivia Pope, is expecting her second child with husband Nnamdi Asomugha. And in the wake of this, ABC has trimmed the Season 6 episode from 22 to 16, reported TVLine, adding that the network is also mulling delaying the show's return until midseason.

ABC, which is scheduled to announce its fall schedule later this month, has not confirmed if it will delay the show's return.

When Washington became pregnant with her first child back during Season 3, ABC had cut down the show's episode order from 22 to 18. Washington was also given less screen time as her pregnancy wasn't written into the show. It remains to be seen what Shonda Rhimes has in store for Washington's Olivia this time around, considering it wasn't long before Olivia became pregnant with Fitz's child and decided to get an abortion.

The abortion scene was praised by a lot of viewers with many pointing out that what Olivia did with her body was her business and she had no obligation to tell Fitz about their unborn child. The abortion episode was discussed during a PaleyFest Q&A and a fan questioned Rhimes if Fitz will eventually learn about Olivia's abortion.

"My question is, does he have to?" Rhimes replied, according to Entertainment Weekly. "A woman made a choice about her body that she legally has the right to make. I haven't actually decided, but I wonder sometimes. We talk about it a lot."

If Washington's pregnancy isn't going to be incorporated in the storyline, it will be interesting to see how the show covers up the actress' pregnancy. Last time, the show used a number of props such as lampshades and handbags to cover up Washington's baby bump. The actress was also seen wearing large coats to cover up her growing form. Click here to see the interesting ways the show hid Washington's first pregnancy.

"Scandal" airs Thursdays on ABC.