‘Welcome to Plathville’: Some Fans Think Olivia Plath Is Just as Manipulative as Ethan’s Mom
It’s no secret that Olivia Plath and her mother-in-law Kim Plath don’t get along. The Welcome to Plathville stars’ fractured relationship is an ongoing plot point on the family’s TLC reality show.
After years of tension, Olivia and her husband Ethan Plath finally cut off his conservative parents for good because of their toxic behavior, though that decision has made it difficult for them to maintain relationships with Ethan’s siblings who still live at home. While many fans of the show have applauded Olivia’s ability to set firm boundaries with her in-laws, other viewers have criticized the way she’s behaved. Some even think she’s engaging in the same kind of problematic behavior as Ethan’s mom.
Olivia Plath takes a stand
On the September 7 episode of Welcome to Plathville, Olivia made it clear that she wasn’t budging when it came to her no-contact rule for Ethan’s parents. Her sister-in-law Moriah Plath had asked Olivia to perform with her at her first gig. Olivia said she was happy to support Moriah, but she couldn’t agree to perform if Kim and Barry Plath would be there.
Olivia acknowledged that her refusal to see her in-laws put Moriah in a “weird place.” She said she was happy to not participate in the performance so that her sister-in-law’s other family members could be there. But Moriah decided that she wanted Olivia to be there during the concert.
Some ‘Welcome to Plathville’ fans question Olivia’s motives
Olivia isn’t willing to compromise when it comes to seeing Kim and Barry. Some Welcome to Plathville viewers have cheered that decision. But others say her lack of flexibility on the issue is a problem.
“Does anyone think that Olivia should just deal with it? Seems she’s making it about her when it shouldn’t be,” one person commented on TLC’s Instagram.
“There is no middle ground with her. Her way or the highway and Ethan is getting ran over in the process,” another wrote.
A few have even said she’s displaying some of the same controlling behaviors as her mother-in-law Kim.
“Olivia loves to put everyone in that position,” wrote one critic. “Acting like she doesn’t have an agenda is hilarious. She knows she can manipulate those kids to do whatever she wants. Her and their mother are the exact same.”
‘Poor Ethan married his momma,” commented someone else.
“Olivia is manipulative and gaslights Ethan all the time,” another person agreed.
But Olivia also has her defenders.
“I respect Olivia and Ethan for putting their own mental health first,” one person wrote.
Olivia said she and Ethan Plath almost hit ‘rock bottom’ during filming ‘Welcome to Plathville’ Season 3
Recent episodes of Welcome to Plathville have also chronicled the tension in Olivia and Ethan’s marriage, which is often related to their relationship with his parents. The two have spoken openly about their struggles, admitting in the past that they’ve even considered divorcing. In a recent interview with Us Weekly, Olivia shared that their relationship was at one of its lowest points ever when they were filming the current season of their reality show. But, she said, things eventually improved.
“Our relationship almost had to hit rock bottom for us to kind of wake up, prioritize and actually deal with our own problems,” she said. “It really sucked hitting rock bottom. When we started the season, pretty much, like, everything [was] not going well at all and kind of came to a head within the first few weeks. It also means that as uncomfortable as the first few episodes and scenes are going to be, it gets a lot better. It gets worse before it gets better. … We’re in a much better place now.”
Welcome to Plathvillle airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
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