After Little People, Big World was canceled by TLC after 25 seasons, members of the Roloff family are breathing a sigh of relief, while having mixed feelings over the impact the show has had on their lives since it premiered 18 years ago.
“The feeling for most of the family is a huge sense of relief that it’s over. Matt [Roloff]was the only one that wanted to come back for another season, everyone else was done a long time ago,” a source exclusively tells In Touch.
Over the years, Matt, 63, and ex-wife Amy Roloff‘s four children stopped appearing on the show. The final holdout was son Zach Roloff and his wife, Tori Roloff, who announced in February that they wouldn’t be returning to Little People, Big World for a 26th season.
“They’re happy to have the show behind them, but they’re still dealing with the scars of years on camera. Everyone knows who they are now. Everywhere they go, people recognize them, and it can feel weird,” the insider says of the Roloffs.
“The show brought fame and money, but it also meant that every piece of family drama played out for the world, from Matt and Amy’s divorce to the tensions with their kids,” the source continues.
Matt and Amy, 62, were married for 28 years before finalizing their divorce in 2016. They raised their four children — Zach, 34, and his fraternal twin Jeremy Roloff, daughter Molly Roloff and son Jacob Roloff — on the family’s sprawling Oregon farm.
“When Zach and Jeremy clashed with Matt over buying part of the family farm, that put a huge wedge between them that still doesn’t seem even close to being resolved,” the insider explains. “They’re all trying to get back to normal life, but it’s not easy, there are still a lot of family rifts and unresolved issues.”
Jeremy, 34, and his wife, Audrey Roloff, left Little People, Big World in 2019. He appeared on 17 seasons of the show. That same year also saw the departures of longtime stars Molly, 31, and Jacob, 27, who went on to lead private lives.
Zach and Tori, 33, cited a greater desire for privacy, especially for their young children, when they announced during the February 22 episode of their “Raising Heights” podcast that they were leaving LPBW.
“We are done. That part in our lives, that chapter has closed,” Tori explained while they were still appearing in episodes that were airing on season 25.
Zach revealed that the couple had not been formally asked to return for season 26. “I think the chapter has closed regardless of us being asked back or not. We made it pretty clear we’re done with that chapter for multiple reasons, he stated. “This last cycle was rough between the family, the farm deal, and we were done with it. We moved on.”
Tori explained how the couple’s oldest child, son Jackson, had already expressed how he was uncomfortable having his life filmed for reality TV.
“Our oldest, Jackson, has voiced things he doesn’t want to be a part of with filming and the show, and I think that as a parent, we’ve really taken that to heart. I think that was a huge reason for us stepping away,” she told listeners.
