Humble celebrity
Camera crews are always following Amy Roloff
and her family = even when she makes a stop
at CMU during summer vacation.
By Barbara Sutherland Chovanec
When Amy Roloff agreed to let film crews document her family’s life, she was sure the reality TV show would last just three episodes.
Now four seasons later, “Roloff” is a household name as fans sit down Monday evenings to catch up on the lives of Amy, her husband, Matt, and their children, Jeremy, Zach, Molly, and Jacob.
Little People, Big World follows everyday life on the family’s 34-acre farm near Portland, Oregon.
After some initial reluctance from Amy and the kids, the family embraced the idea of cameras focusing on them in order to shed light on the abilities and experiences of little people. Amy, Matt, and son Zach are little people. The other three children, including Zach’s twin, Jeremy, are average size.
Amy says among their fan mail are notes from average-size parents who have a dwarf child.
“We’ve had a lot of e-mails from people saying how much our show has given them a feeling of confidence that ‘our kid is going to be OK,’” she says.
“We don’t claim to say that all little people have lives and experiences like ours. It’s just a glimpse into
one family.
“I call it more of a documentary,” Roloff says. “They’re just here with cameras, and we just do our thing.”
Mass appeal
What began as a show about how little people live in an average-sized world quickly gained general appeal for viewers who see a regular American family and draw similarities between the Roloffs’ lives and their own.
“My husband has all these crazy ideas that maybe other dads wished they could do,” Roloff says. “And I’ve had people with cancer say the show inspired them and helped them get through a difficult time.
“It’s wonderful the stories that I’m able to hear. Never in a million years did I think I would have this opportunity.”
The Roloffs have been guests on Oprah and have been featured in People magazine and The New York Times. But through all the media attention and fame, Amy focuses on keeping the family grounded.
“I tell the kids, ‘Your job is school. Remember who you are, remember your faith, remember who your friends are.’
“This is a moment in our life, but it cannot be our life, because this will eventually go away,” Roloff says. “I still want them to have a normal childhood.
“We’re just regular people doing our thing and trying to be who we are.”
And that’s humility worth celebrating. •
