Even as media reports that the fate of the Roloff farm in Oregon has prompted tension in the family, Matt, Amy, Zach and more members of the Roloff clan are scheduled to return once more to TV screens, as TLC has announced a new season of “LIttle People, Big World” will premiere in February, 2024.
According to a press release from TLC, here’s some of what to expect from the new “Little People, Big World” season: “Just as the Roloffs settle into a rhythm, family surprises and continued tension give rise to new struggles and questions. After an unexpected proposal, Matt and Caryn excitedly look to the future while building their dream home on the farm, but the constant strain on the family makes them wonder what that future will look like.”
Among the many changes that have happened since “Little People, Big World” began airing on TLC, Amy Roloff and Matt Roloff got divorced, and Amy married a man named Chris Marek.
Which explains why the new season description goes on to say: “While Amy continues to enjoy married life with Chris, she remains unsettled by the family strife. To help bring the family together and support a cause near and dear to her, she decides to throw a fundraiser and enlists Chris, Matt, and Caryn’s help. But it doesn’t take long before the stress rises to the surface. Meanwhile, Zach and Tori are enjoying their busy lives with three kids. However, everything is turned upside down when Zach is rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.”
In case you haven’t been following the behind-the-scenes drama, as The Oregonian/OregonLive and other sources have reported, in 2022, Matt Roloff said in May 2022 that he wanted to sell part of his century-old farm, in Helvetia. At the time, Roloff posted on the Roloff Farms website that he was “downsizing in acres to expand my adventures.” The 16-acre parcel was listed for a price of $4 million.
But the tale took another twist from there. As People magazine reported later in 2022, Roloff announced in an Instagram post that the section of the farm he originally put on the market in May would be turned into “an Airbnb-style travel destination,” as the People story said.
On Instagram, Roloff wrote, in part, “I have decided to pull the small farm off the open market,” and to instead open the farm “to everyone and anyone who wants to spend a few nights in the Roloff family home. Fees will be determined by demand and seasons. More information will be forthcoming soon … but needless to say we are scrambling hard behind the scenes (plus running the busy Pumpkin patch) to convert (re-furnish) the home to be ready.”
However, as “Little People, Big World” viewers have seen, Matt Roloff’s decision sparked tension between him and one of his sons, Zach Roloff, who had expressed interest in buying part of the farm.
In a 2021 Instagram post, Zach Roloff’s wife, Tori, wrote that the family had moved from Portland, to a new home in Washington.
“Little People, Big World” has aired on TLC since 2006. In the early days, the series focused on Matt and Amy Roloff, who have dwarfism, and their children, Zach, who also has dwarfism, Jeremy, Molly and Jacob, who don’t have dwarfism.
The 2024 season of “Little People, Big World” premieres at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20 on TLC. The show can be streamed on fubo, Sling TV and Max.
