Zach and Tori Roloff are bidding farewell to Little People, Big World.
After nearly two decades, Matthew Roloff and Amy Roloff’s son and his wife of eight years have announced they are not returning to the longtime TLC series, making the 25th season their last.
“We are done. That part of our lives, that chapter has closed,” Tori proclaimed in a new episode of their joint podcast, Raising Heights.
Added Zach, “I think the chapter has closed regardless of us being asked back or not.”
Explained the dad of three, “This last cycle was rough between the family, the farm deal and we’re done with that. We’ve moved on.”
Zach, 33, made his reality TV debut as a teenager with his parents and three siblings — who have since left the show — back in 2006. The series went on to chronicle their everyday life, including Matt, Amy and Zach’s experiences living with dwarfism. “Being on television is what I know,” he said, “and all the experiences that come with that.”
As for what went into their decision to leave, Zach discussed wanting to avoid putting pressure on his children to participate in the show, which would complicate filming. The two acknowledged that it is difficult to film with kids and Tori noted that their firstborn son, Jackson, has already expressed not wanting to be involved at certain times. However, they also made it clear that they do not blame their kids for ultimately deciding not to continue with the show.
Added Tori, “I do feel like it was also time for us to move on because I didn’t want, personally, to hate your family.”
Seemingly referencing family conflict, Matt said, “I’ve been speaking the same tune for a long, long time and we needed an adult in the room in multiple scenarios throughout this whole journey that never came.”
Despite their grievances, the couple also acknowledged what they enjoyed about the show, including the fun experiences they’ve had, the people they’ve gotten to meet, and the privileges they’ve been afforded as a result of their reality TV fame.
Back in 2022, Tori shed light on their intention to leave the show, writing on Instagram during a Q&A session, “I think our time is definitely coming to a close but we’re trying to enjoy it while it’s here!”
At the time, Tori added that their exit would be because of “all the misconceptions people have of us and our family because they only get to see what TLC shows them.”
Around that same time, Zach also addressed their future on the show, telling ET, “We take that day by day or week by week or month by month, so we take that one step at a time… Every year, we kind of reevaluate where we’re at and if we have more positive things to share.”
He added, “Just about the time we say, ‘Ah, man, we can’t do this anymore. It’s too embarrassing, it’s too hard,’ then somebody comes up to us in public and says how touched they are and how their family is going through some of the stuff.”