‘Little People, Big World’: Roloff Family Talks About How They Almost Went Broke

The Roloff family from Little People, Big World talk about how they almost went broke in a book titled Little Family, Big Values. Radar Online shared on Friday that Matt Roloff admitted to making some unwise decisions that nearly cost the family everything.

According to the report, the Roloff family farm in Oregon that’s been the focus of many Little People, Big World episodes almost had to be sold in 2011 to make up for some “foolish financial decisions.”

Roloff family patriarch, Matt Roloff, 54, wrote in the 2008 book — authored by the entire Roloff family — that, at one point, he lost a lucrative tech job that had been keeping the family afloat, but instead of looking for more work right away, Matt focused instead on a non-paying position with a non-profit organization. Matt was the president of a nonprofit organization for “people of short stature and their families” called Little People of America, since he also suffers from dwarfism.

Matt recalls that he focused a lot on Little People of America, neglecting family financial responsibilities as well as other responsibilities. The Little People, Big World star wrote that he wasn’t spending time with his wife, Amy Roloff, 51, or the couple’s four children, who are now grown, Jeremy, Zach, Molly, and Jacob.

“I wasn’t spending enough time with Amy and the kids or tending to their needs, and I wasn’t tending to our finances as well as I should have. It wasn’t long before our resources began to dry up and we were in trouble.”

After admitting to his family that he had “messed up,” Matt Roloff says that he finally realized the seriousness of the situation and that they could lose the 36-acre Roloff family farm located in Helvetia, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, Oregon. As Radar Online reports, both Matt and Amy began working to dig themselves out of a financial disaster. Amy, who also suffers from dwarfism, took a job as a preschool teacher at a Christian school, while Matt started a business and sued the tech company that had fired him.

1 yr anniversary <3333 @amyroloffCF we miss u @mattroloff @JeremyRoloff pic.twitter.com/Sv2FWmttkb

— ruby malak (@rubyymalak) May 26, 2016

Matt Roloff claims the tech company fired him for dwarfism, a medical condition he was born with that causes him to be short in stature. Matt also accused the tech company of “humiliating and offensive” treatment because he’s a “little person,” a condition that eventually landed the family their own reality TV series on TLC. Little People, Big World gave the Roloff family a huge financial boost in 2006 when TLC aired the premiere episode of the first season of the reality show that follows the lives of all six members of the Roloff family, three members with dwarfism and three of average height.

TLC describes Little People, Big World as a show that depicts dwarfism in everyday life, with only a few episodes turning into 10 seasons.

“TLC came to us about five or six years ago, and so we suddenly realized we were given a great opportunity to educate people about dwarfism. When it was offered that we do a show about our lives, my husband and I were like, ‘Wow, nothing like this has even been on the air,'” said Amy Roloff in 2010.

Little People, Big World certainly brought the Roloff family out of their financial slump with a loyal fan base and solid ratings. The Season 8 finale episode brought in a record-breaking 2.3 million viewers who tuned in to watch Jeremy Roloff marry long-time girlfriend Audrey Botti.

‘Little People’ Star Audrey Roloff Claims Husbands ‘Have Authority’ Over Wives’ Bodies https://t.co/SgNbolrHv9 pic.twitter.com/9Xjh97A0Eb

— Uli Schaefer (@mb4uli) May 27, 2016

Even though Matt Roloff says the family has “bounced back with a vengeance” from near financial ruin, he says he regrets his poor decision-making and lack of attention to his family, which may have led to the Little People, Big World couple’s eventual separation and divorce after nearly 30 years of marriage, as reported by TV Guide in 2014. Matt admits he never made commitment a priority in their marriage, saying that while Amy always put commitments to the top of the priority list, he would always put them further down.

New episodes of Season 10 of Little People, Big World show the couple now living separately, with both Matt and Amy still on the Roloff family farm. Catch new episodes of Little People, Big World on TLC at 9 p.m. EST for what’s being called their “second act.”

[Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images]