TLC Reacts to 'Little People, Big World' Star Jacob Roloff's Accusation He Was Molested by Producer
After Little People, Big World alum Jacob Roloff said that he was molested by a producer of the [...]
After Little People, Big World alum Jacob Roloff said that he was molested by a producer of the TLC reality series when he was a young boy, the network responded to the 23-year-old's claim. TLC said in a statement that it was previously unaware of the "alleged encounter that occurred years ago involving a third party connected to the production" of the reality series. "We are saddened and troubled by this very serious allegation, and TLC will work cooperatively with the authorities," the statement to USA TODAY reads. "Our main focus remains on supporting the Roloff family during this very difficult time."
Roloff, the youngest child of Amy and Matt Roloff, who both have dwarfism, came forward with a "traumatic memory" of sexual abuse Tuesday in a lengthy Instagram post, accusing former producer Chris Cardamone of grooming and molesting him. "It is often much easier to think about things than it is to talk about them, and so this disclosure has been delayed, but through that delay, I have found the fortitude and words," Roloff wrote. "As a child, after what I realize now was a long grooming process, I was molested by an executive field producer for Little People, Big World." He said he does not plan to "provide details of this encounter" but does hope that Cardamone is "never allowed around children again."
View this post on Instagram
Roloff was only 9 years old when the TLC series premiered in 2006; it is currently in its 21st season. He has not appeared on the show since 2016, and his brother Jeremy Roloff and his wife, Audrey Roloff, announced two years later that they too were leaving the show. Jeremy's twin, Zach Roloff, and his wife Tori remain on the series alongside parents Amy and Matt, who divorced in 2015.
In his post, Roloff compared reality television to "voyeurism" and questioned the ramifications of grown-up in front of millions of weekly viewers. "I continue my own contemplation on the voyeurism involved in the entire enterprise of reality television — a massive spectacle of drama and pain and argument and invasion, with a little joy sprinkled over, that viewers watch completely dissociated from the complex humans inside the simplistic 'characters' they see on TV," he said. He concluded by emphasizing that "all fault lies with the predator" and that "no fault lies with any of my family members."
Roloff's wife, Isabel Rock, whom he married in September 2019 at his family's Roloff Farms near Portland, Oregon, supported him in the comments of the Instagram post. "Proud to know you, proud to love you, proud to be your wife," Isabel wrote. Roloff's mother, Amy, also left a supportive message for her son, writing, "I love you forever and always Jacob. I'm proud of you. Now you don't have to feel alone and carry this around anymore."