Matt Roloff is getting candid about the future of Little People, Big World and the direction
it could go in — if it winds up having a future at all.
Sitting down with ET’s Cassie DiLaura, Matt opened up about whether or not his TLC
document will be returning for season 26, calling it “the million-dollar question.”
“[The season 25 finale] definitely was, as you know, a season finale. Whether it was a series finale or not, I don’t think anybody really knows,” Matt shared. “I don’t even think the network knows.”
As Matt explained in a lengthy Facebook post in April, the future of the series is still murky, and he explained to ET that “several cast members, some family members, have expressed desire to move on to different projects and things.”
“But Little People, Big World is kind of like the little engine that could. Every time we think it’s coming to a stop, somehow it keeps going,” he added. “So I’m afraid to say yeah, at this point… I honestly don’t know.”
Matt Roloff
Matt Roloff, star of ‘Little People, Big World,’ on TLC. – Peter Kramer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
That being said, Matt shared that there’s “conversations that are going on” at the network and he praised TLC and the show’s producers for their care and consideration when it comes to his family.
“They’re always checking in on us, making sure we’re doing good,” Matt said. “The network has been very good and the production folks have been very good about keeping tabs on how we’re doing and how we’re feeling and where we’re at. And right now, we’re just enjoying kind of an extended break.”
Little People, Big World premiered in 2006 starring a then-married Matt and Amy Roloff and their four kids. Over time, all of their kids except Zach exited the show — although Zach announced his exit after the most recent season came to an end.
Additionally, Matt and Amy wound up getting divorced in 2016. He subsequently got engaged to his fiancée, Caryn Chandler, who has been a part of the show in recent seasons.
“During the production cycle, it really can be tough on you,” Matt shared. “If we never go back, you know, I think that’d be OK. I think we all feel very happy with the journey of Little People, Big World.”
However, Matt explained that he also wouldn’t be opposed to returning for a future season, if given enough time and the right situation presents itself.
“I would say maybe not immediately, but if we want to do a [season] 26 and we want to plan it out in the future, I would say yeah,” Matt shared. “I’ll be ready. I’ve had a nice little downtime, we’ve stopped filming late August/early September, so I’ve had some good relaxing time down… so if they came to me and said, ‘Wanna do something else?’ I’d say, ‘OK, let me hear about it.'”
Ultimately, when he looks at the legacy of the show, Matt explained that he feels the series did a lot for furthering the public view and opinion of little people across the world.
“I think Little People, Big World has really laid out a pretty incredible legacy in terms of society’s perception of little people and anybody with differences, you know?” Matt explained. “I think we’ve made a lot of progress in society. So I would like to see a new season delve a little deeper into that. Into what the impact [has been].”