Everything We Know About Matt and Amy Roloff’s Divorce

Fans of Little People, Big World were devastated in 2015 when Amy and Matt Roloff announced that they had decided to file for divorce after nearly 30 years of marriage.

The couple, who had raised their family on TLC for years, share four kids together — twins Jeremy and Zach, 27, Molly, 24, and Jacob, 21 — and were a picture of a perfect marriage for many.

But more was going on behind the scenes than people might have guessed.

The couple finalized their divorce in 2016, and promised they would remain friendly to make things work not only for their family, but for the show and their business.

But what else do we know about the split? Read on to find out more.

The divorce in their own words

When Amy and Matt announced in 2015 they were filing for divorce, they summed up what was going on with their relationship pretty well in a statement to TLC.

“After 27 years of marriage, it is with great sadness that we have come to the difficult decision to file for divorce. We are proud of what we have accomplished together, including raising our four wonderful children, who have grown to become remarkable adults and building our strong and ongoing successful businesses,” the statement said at the time.

“Our kids and our ever-growing family, and the love and support we have for them, will be our priority. We will continue to work together side-by-side in the daily responsibilities for our many current ventures. We would like to thank our family, friends, and all our fans for their continued support and understanding during this difficult time.”

 

They initially tried a trial separation

A year before they announced they were splitting for good, the couple experimented with a trial separation, in which Matt lived in the guest house.

“Last year, it was long and tough,” Matt said on the couple’s TLC show. “Amy and I had a lot of tensions, so right around Thanksgiving, I thought I would move over to the [guest] house for a little bit…Amy and I stuck it out for years when maybe we shouldn’t have. I never quite felt at home in my own home, so something needed to change.” 

Amy added that they never learned to live together as a couple after marriage. “It’s not my choice for him to leave,” she admitted. “I am saddened by it. It’s been 26 years. We don’t have a plan for how we’re going to work this out, so it’s not going to be easy.”

They had different ideas on what marriage means

In Matt’s book, Against Tall Odds, the reality personality talked about how he and his ex-wife had very difference conceptions of commitment, despite the issue not being mentioned specifically while announcing their split.

“While Amy puts commitment at or near the top of her list, I would put it further down,” he wrote. “Amy tends to be more of a committed-to-a-fault kind of person, while I see most commitments — with some very notable exceptions — as flexible and negotiable.”

 

 

They kept the divorce equitable

Dividing up 28 years worth of memories and possessions can be hard work, but Amy and Matt tried to keep the process as even as possible — even if it was a tough process.

“We’ve worked out a ‘Your stuff’s yours and my stuff’s mine,’” Matt said on Little People, Big World. “I don’t think we have any conflict there. It’s a little hard to divide up 28 years of belongings. It’s not a fun process.”

Amy added, “This is hard. Life happens sometimes and we don’t plan for that to happen to us. It’s just what is happening to us right now.”

Holidays have been especially hard

Divorce is obviously an emotionally taxing process, but neither Matt nor Amy were expecting their first holiday season apart to be as hard on them and their kids.

“Going through a divorce, this is really going to be my first Thanksgiving without anybody here, like no family,” Amy said in a heartbreaking episode of Little People, Big World. “I’m torn as to what to do because I have never had to deal with this. It is a tough life moment for me right now.”

Zach and Jeremy chose to spend the holiday with their wives’ families too, making the season even lonelier. “We knew [divorce] was going to be hard,” Matt said, “but what we didn’t realize is that you have to share your kids with the in-laws.”

 

Matt’s moved on!

Matt is currently dating longtime girlfriend Caryn Chandler, who worked with the couple as farm manager on Roloff Farms before the divorce.

“We enjoy the same sort of social settings, and company and friendship,” the 56-year-old said of his girlfriend in an episode of Little People, Big World. “Amy and I didn’t have that. It’s different. This is a really neat person that’s full of life and I think she’s cute.” 

The two appear to be pretty serious, and spent the holidays together this year.

 

…and so has Amy

Amy is also seeing someone new. The 53-year-old has been dating boyfriend Chris Marek for a little over a year, and the two are often spotted on her social media accounts cuddling up and kissing.

Marek even met the TLC personality’s children in May, and spent Thanksgiving with Amy as well as her four kids.

Things have gotten so serious, that a diamond ring spotted on Amy’s right hand set fans into a frenzy thinking the two had gotten engaged. 

But they haven’t said anything of pending nuptials…for now.

 

They all still work together

Despite the difficulties of divorce, Matt, Amy and Matt’s girlfriend have been able to keep their family business together.

Roloff Farms is still up and running, recently completing a successful pumpkin season alongside children Jeremy and Zach, as well as their wives Audrey and Tori.

And there’s no plans to change it up anytime soon. When fans asked Amy on her Facebook page if she had moved off the farm after being spotted in front of a different home while handing out Halloween candy, she responded with an emphatic, “No!”

“Yes, I haven’t moved,” Amy replied. “I love living on the farm and having the kids come by all of the time. I was at Chris’s house helping to hand out candy to all of the kids that came by. So fun. My kids had other plans.”

 

 

They’re coming back to your TV screens soon!

Despite rumors that Little People, Big World was being cancelled, Jeremy revealed last week that the show would indeed be returning to TLC with a new season in March. 

Jeremy posted some behind-the-scenes snippets on his Instagram Stories showing him and Audrey being interviewed by the TLC film crew alongside 4-month-old daughter Ember.

“We’re currently wrapping up some scene-work for the season here. Last couple of scenes!” the 27-year-old said.

The new season will reportedly concentrate on the birth of Ember as well as the early days of Zach and Tori’s son Jackson.

We can’t wait for the new season!

 

Photo credit: TLC