''Little People, Big World'' is an American reality television series that premiered on March 4, 2006, and airs on

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

. The series chronicles the lives of the six-member Roloff family farm near

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. Many of the episodes focus on the parents, Matt and Amy, and one of their children, Zach, all of whom have

dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . '' ...

. On August 26, 2010, TLC announced that the sixth season would be the last for the show. However, the show was not canceled and is still on the air as of 2024. In 2012, TLC aired several specials: "Conquering Mount St. Helens", "Breaking Down the Walls", and "Welcome to the Jungle". On October 5, 2012, TLC announced a

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

series – '' Little People Big World: Wedding Farm''. It chronicles Matt and Amy as they jump-start their wedding business on the farm. The series premiered on November 13, 2012, and ran for six episodes. In October 2024, Amy Roloff announced the show had concluded after 25 seasons.

Background

In 2010, Amy Roloff commented on the beginnings of the show: "TLC came to us about five or six years ago, and so we suddenly realized we were given a great opportunity to educate people about dwarfism. When it was offered that we do a show about our lives, my husband and I were like, "Wow, nothing like this has even been on the air." Nothing had depicted dwarfism in an everyday way. Lo and behold, a few episodes turned into six seasons. And here we are."

Premise

The show follows the daily lives of the Roloff family — parents

Matt Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...

and Amy, and their four children: Zach, Jeremy, Molly, and Jacob. Matt, Amy, and Zach have

, while Jeremy, Molly, and Jacob are of average height. Zach and Jeremy are

fraternal twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...

; although Jeremy is of average height, his brother Zach is a little person (4'4", or 132 cm). The family lives on the Roloff Farm, located north of Hillsboro in Helvetia, Oregon, a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of Portland. Later seasons feature the children's marriages, the birth of their children, Amy and Matt's divorce and subsequent relationships with other partners, and the sale of the farm.

Family members

Parents

* Matthew ("Matt") – (born October 7, 1961, in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

) ex-husband and father; Matt's career was in

computer software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...

sales. As the series began, Matt was no longer employed by the company, but was engaged in establishing the business he co-founded, Direct Access Solutions. The company markets accessibility kits for little people to the

hospitality industry The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, food and beverage services, event planning, theme parks, travel agency, tourism, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars. Sector ...

. As the first season ended, Matt started another job as a software salesman with

Amdocs Amdocs Limited is a multinational telecommunications technology company headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri. The company specializes in software and services for communications, media and financial services providers and digital enterprise ...

to provide the family with additional income. Matt's type of dwarfism, diastrophic dysplasia, resulted in numerous childhood surgeries. He walks with the aid of crutches and uses a motorized cart when needed. After his divorce from Amy in April 2016, he began dating Caryn Chandler, the farm's manager. They announced that they will be married in 2024. * Amy Roloff (née Knight) – (b. September 17, 1962, in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

) ex-wife and mother; Amy's type of dwarfism is

achondroplasia Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance whose primary feature is dwarfism. It is the most common cause of dwarfism and affects about 1 in 27,500 people. In those with the condition, the Rhizomeli ...

, and she has experienced very few (if any) complications. Amy is a graduate of

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...

. When not acting, coaching, parenting, or teaching, she is a philanthropist. Her Amy Roloff Charity Foundation makes use of her celebrity by benefiting the needs of kids, at-risk youths, and disability groups. Amy has also given back to the Dwarf Athletic Association of America, helped fund an organization for foster care parents and the kids they have adopted, and supported low-income senior housing and a homeless shelter focusing on keeping family units together. Achondroplasia is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder with 80% of cases identified as a sporadic mutation. Her memoir, ''A Little Me'', was published in July 2019. After her divorce from Matt in April 2016, she married Chris Marek in August 2021 on Roloff Farm and the wedding became a featured episode of the show in season 22 aired later that year.

Children

* Zachary Luke (born 1990). Married Tori Patton on July 25, 2015, on Roloff Farm, where they met after working together. They have three children, Jackson Kyle (born May 12, 2017), Lilah Ray (born November 19, 2019) and Josiah Luke (born April 30, 2022). Tori is average height while all three children have dwarfism. As of 2023, they had moved to Washington and are the only children and grandchildren featured on the show. In February 2024, they announced on their podcast that the currently airing season of the show would be their last. * Jeremy James (born 1990). Married Audrey Botti in September 2014 on Roloff Farm. They have four children, Ember Jean (born September 10, 2017), Bode James (born January 8, 2020), Radley Knight (born November 8, 2021) and Mirabelle May (born May 23, 2024) * Molly Jo (born 1993). Married Joel Silvius on August 5, 2017, on Roloff Farm. * Jacob George (born 1997). Married Isabel Sofia Rock on September 7, 2019, at Roloff Farm. They have a son, Mateo (born December 2021). They do not post any pictures of their child's face online. Jacob has not appeared on the show since 2016. He lives and works on the family farm.

Episodes

Ratings and Reception

The first season of ''Little People, Big World'' generated adequate ratings for TLC (especially in the 18–49

demographic Demography () is the statistics, statistical study of human populations: their size, composition (e.g., ethnic group, age), and how they change through the interplay of fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and migration. Demographic analy ...

), leading to the show's renewal for a second season.Crupi, Anthony. (April 24, 2006)
"TLC Gives Little People 2nd Run"
''Mediaweek''. Retrieved May 8, 2006. Critical reviews of the series have been generally positive, citing the show's positive portrayal of little people.Gelman, Pam
Series review
''Common Sense Media''. Retrieved May 8, 2006. Conversely, other reviews have claimed that the show has a

voyeuristic Voyeurism is the Sexual attraction, sexual interest in or Human sexual activity, practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, Human sexual activity, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. ...

bend to it (albeit a nonsexual one), but allows the viewer to feel good about watching because it is not outwardly or overtly exploitive.Kennedy, Dan. (March 24, 2006)
"Will TLC's new reality show change our perception of dwarfs?"
''Slate''. Retrieved May 8, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia. (March 4, 2006).

''The New York Times''. Retrieved May 8, 2006. The September 30, 2014, finale of ''Little People, Big World''s eighth season broke series records; 2.3 million total viewers tuned in to watch Jeremy Roloff marry his long-time girlfriend, Audrey Botti. The finale was the highest-rated episode in six years among women 25–54 and was number one on cable in the 10:00 pm timeslot among women 18–49 and women 18–34. The wedding finale capped the series' highest-rated season, in which it averaged 1.9 million viewers per episode. Since the show began airing, Roloff Farms has become an extremely popular tourist destination. While the farm and its many attractions have long been available for public viewing during pumpkin season (October), it began receiving far more visitors than can be accommodated. During the 2006 season, more than 30,000 people arrived to buy pumpkins and tour the farm, which only had space for a few hundred vehicles. The farm was shut down temporarily by Washington County deputies on one Saturday in October 2006, due to massive traffic. Area residents have complained about the

gridlock Gridlock is a form of traffic congestion where continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill. The term originates from a situation possible in a grid ...

caused by the visitors, as well as about the increased media scrutiny the show has brought. The Roloffs receive a large amount of correspondence. One report said as many as a dozen emails per minute arrive from supporters, however, the family did not confirm it. The increased exposure, however, has led to safety concerns for the family, who now deal with trespassers and fans. They have since installed a security gate on their property.

Controversies

In 2007, Matt Roloff was arrested on DUI charges. While he was found not guilty of the DUI, he was found guilty of refusing to submit to a blood alcohol test. As a result of his refusal, his driver's license was suspended for three years, because he had previously admitted guilt in a drunken-driving diversion program that he completed in 2003. In 2020, Jacob Roloff claimed that he was groomed and molested by former producer Chris Cardamone during the production of the series between 2007 and 2010, when Roloff was between the ages of 10 and 13 years old. While Roloff did not divulge details of the abuse, he emphasized that "all fault lies with the predator" and that "no fault lies with any of my family members." TLC responded to the allegations by saying "We are saddened and troubled by this very serious allegation, and TLC will work cooperatively with the authorities. Our main focus remains on supporting the Roloff family during this very difficult time.”

References

External links

* * {{TLC Programming 2000s American reality television series 2010s American reality television series 2006 American television series debuts 2010 American television series endings 2013 American television series debuts 2024 American television series endings Works about dwarfism American English-language television shows Television series about children Television series about families Television shows filmed in Oregon Television shows set in Oregon TLC (TV network) original programming Washington County, Oregon Hillsboro, Oregon Oregon culture 2020s American reality television series Television shows set on farms American television series revived after cancellation