Matt Roloff, an American businessman, television personality, farmer, and author, is best known for starring in the TLC reality series “Little People, Big World” since 2006. The show documents his family’s life with dwarfism. Roloff’s net worth is estimated at $6 million. Born on October 7, 1961, in San Francisco, he has diastrophic dysplasia, which required 15 surgeries during his childhood. His younger brother Sam also has diastrophic dysplasia, while another brother, Joshua, passed away at 34 from a heart condition.
In the early 1980s, Roloff worked as an extra in the film “Under the Rainbow” and appeared as an Ewok in the 1985 Star Wars TV movie “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.” He later pursued a career as a computer programmer in Silicon Valley before moving to Beaverton, Oregon, to work for Sequent Computer Systems.
In 1990, Matt and his wife Amy purchased a fixer-upper farmhouse in Helvetia, Oregon, transforming it into Roloff Farms. The farm, expanded to 109 acres, features attractions like a medieval castle and a pirate ship. It welcomes around 30,000 visitors annually during pumpkin season.
“Little People, Big World” premiered on March 4, 2006, and has aired over 340 episodes across 21 seasons. Matt serves as an executive producer of the show, which has spawned several specials and a six-episode series called “Little People, Big World: Wedding Farm.”
As a motivational speaker, Roloff has spoken at various universities and events, including conferences for The Association of Legal Administrators and Kids Included Together. He has made guest appearances on shows like “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” He has authored three books: “Against Tall Odds” (1999), “Little Family, Big Values” (2007), and “Little Lucy, Big Race” (2018).
Matt married Amy Knight on September 12, 1987, after meeting her at a Little People of America Convention. They have four children: twins Zachary and Jeremy, daughter Molly, and son Jacob. Zachary, like his mother, has achondroplasia, while the other children are of average height. After 26 years, Matt and Amy separated in March 2014 and finalized their divorce in May 2016. Matt then began dating Karen Chandler, his assistant for a decade.
Matt is the president and co-founder of the Coalition for Dwarf Advocacy and a former president of Little People of America. He co-founded Direct Access Solutions, marketing a short-stature accessibility kit to the hospitality industry. He has also visited US troops in Iraq and helped secure medical attention for an Iraqi family with children who have dwarfism.
In 2003, Roloff was charged with DUI after swerving his car into a ditch, completing an alcohol diversion program to have the charges dropped. In 2007, he faced another DUI charge, but the case was dismissed due to jury misconduct.
In 1990, Matt and Amy bought their initial 109-acre property in Helvetia, Oregon, for $185,000. After their divorce, Matt bought Amy’s share of the property and listed the primary 16-acre section for $4 million in 2022.
