‘Little People, Big World’: Zach Roloff Hints at Early Strife Between Himself and Jeremy Roloff
Zach Roloff is still a regular on Little People, Big World. He’s the only one of Matt and Amy Roloff’s kids who has dwarfism, and he shared his story growing up with his average-height twin, Jeremy Roloff. In season 24 of the show, Zach hinted at major strife between himself and Jeremy when they were kids. Here’s what he said.
What kind of dwarfism does Zach Roloff have?
Zach Roloff has achondroplasia, which is the most common form of dwarfism. According to Today, the genetic condition leads to shorter bones due to how it impacts the fibroblast growth factor receptor. Amy Roloff also has achondroplasia.
Amy opened up on Little People, Big World about getting bullied in her childhood. “Things from your childhood can affect you for the rest of your life,” she explained. “And I know it’s affected me for a long, long time, allowing other peoples’ opinions and thoughts matter more than what I truly thought about myself.”
While Zach didn’t have a typical childhood, he mentioned Amy had a more difficult time due to the bullying she experienced. “I’ve never dealt with anything like that,” he said on the show. ” … It wasn’t like I showed up to school every day and the same kid was there ready to go.” Zach also mentioned that having Roloff Farms to go home to was helpful for his mental health.
Zach Roloff said certain aspects of his childhood with Jeremy Roloff were ‘so demoralizing’
While Zach Roloff didn’t endure the same level of bullying Amy Roloff did, he still experienced challenges that his twin, Jeremy Roloff, didn’t have to deal with.
Zach reflected in Little People, Big World Season 24 on growing up with an average-height twin. “I went through it,” he said, according to People. “There’s no real one big moment I had where I was like ‘Oh wow, I have dwarfism.’ It’s like little moments that kind of accumulate, racing at school or playing chase.”
Zach then reflected on how Amy Roloff would yell after Jeremy not to leave Zach behind. The situation felt “demoralizing” to Zach. “Then my mom would yell at Jeremy like, ‘Don’t leave your brother behind,'” he added. “It was so demoralizing because it was such a little brother thing. I’m not the little brother, so.”
Fans who watched the series’ early seasons saw Zach and Jeremy’s brotherhood. But Jeremy left to pursue other business ventures with his wife, Audrey Roloff. An insider alleged to The Sun that the brothers were feuding in 2021. According to the insider, Zach told Jeremy he didn’t feel respected by him, resulting in a major verbal blowout.
Jeremy Roloff thinks ‘Little People, Big World’ did ‘damage’
When Jeremy Roloff first left Little People, Big World, he maintained a healthy relationship with TLC. But years later, he claimed the show was damaging.
“For many reasons, but in short, it became something I didn’t want to associate with anymore,” he told a fan on Instagram. “It’s become that athlete that won’t hang up the cleats, so he’s doing damage to the team and injuring himself in the process. Audrey and I had other things we wanted to do besides fabricating drama on TV.”
It’s unclear how Zach Roloff staying on the show has impacted his relationship with Jeremy over the years. But the brothers’ childhood difficulties likely extended into adulthood.
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