Little People, Big World: What Happened To Jacob Roloff? (2024)

From the moment Little People, Big World premiered on TLC in 2006, the Roloffs were fan favorites, even when accusations arose that the "reality" show was anything but. Jacob Roloff, the youngest member of the Roloff family household, was born on January 17, 1997. Jacob left Little People, Big World when he reportedly opted out of his contract in 2016.

Admittedly, the show didn't focus heavily on Jacob or his part in the Roloff family. Rather, the focus was more on his older brothers, twins Zach and Jeremy, who appeared close on the show originally but later had a falling out.

When Jacob dropped out of the spotlight, fans weren't sure what to think. Maybe he preferred to be out of the spotlight, or didn't want to fight for attention with his siblings? It later turned out that there were a few reasons why Jacob Roloff left the family farm.

Updated March 2024: In October 2023, Jacob Roloff, his wife, Isabel, and their son Mateo, moved into a small farmhouse on Matt Roloff's $4 million family farm. Since then, Jacob has been giving updates via Instagram about life on the farm. Because of this, it appears any issues he had with his family have been squashed, and it genuinely looks like Jacob and family are enjoying working as farmers at this stage of their lives.

What Happened To Jacob Roloff?

Jacob Roloff came forward in 2020 with allegations that he was sexually abused

In 2020 Jacob Roloff came forward with the devastating news that when he was a child, the executive field producer of Little People, Big World, Chris Cardamone, had taken advantage of him.

According to Jacob's father, Matt Roloff, the family was devastated and had absolutely no idea that anything had happened until Jacob told them all just before he made the announcement public.

Most people don't know the bizarre backstory of Chris Cardamone and his time on Little People, Big World. Even when Jacob just made the announcement in 2020, super fans of the show suspected that Cardamone had a weird and twisted past with both the family and the show.

Chris joined Little People, Big World as the executive field producer in 2007, and just one year later, on October 20, 2008, he was arrested in Santa Clara, California, for crimes against children.

The Sun spoke with a public information officer who clarified the situation, saying, "The suspect, Christopher Cardamone, was ultimately arrested and booked into the Main Jail in San Jose for felony lewd and lascivious acts with a minor."

Cardamone was held on a $200,000 bond and was released on November 12, 2008, less than a month later.

Jacob Roloff Said He Was Assaulted During Little People, Big World

Jacob Roloff's abuser was a producer on the show

Fans wonder why Chris Cardamone kept working for TLC and on Little People, Big World after the incident. At the time, all the kids were still minors, making up two-thirds of the main cast. It seems unfathomable that the parents and stars of the show didn't know about Cardamone's legal troubles.

October is pumpkin season for the Roloffs, and the show has proved that the camera crews were there for October 2008. Since Chris was a field producer, he definitely would have been at the farm, but he was busy getting arrested in California.

Fans think that there's no way that Matt and Amy didn't know. Many people speculate that Jacob was Christopher Cardamone's victim when he was arrested in 2008. However, that doesn't make sense since Matt and Amy seemed sincere when they said they had no idea about anything bad happening between Chris and Jacob.

The Dark Secret Behind Little People, Big World

Despite being arrested, Chris Cardamon returned to Little People, Big World

After the arrest, Chris Cardamon allegedly kept working on Little People, Big World for the entire time his case was going on. On May 26, 2009, he pleaded not guilty, and in December 2010, he accepted a plea deal and was convicted of child cruelty with possible injury or death. But all the charges were dismissed. Fans think that there's no way to have hidden that from TLC or the Roloffs.

Cardamone spent 73 days in jail after his conviction, which also lines up with when he left Little People, Big World. So, along with his jail stint, he also had to complete substance abuse counseling and maintain employment.

Nevertheless, Cardamone didn't do that because he stopped working on the show around that same time.

Why Did Jacob Roloff Leave Little People, Big World?

Jacob Roloff has never specifically stated why he left Little People, Big World, but has returned to work on the family farm

Jacob Roloff claims that he was sexually abused by Cardamone when he was a minor. Unfortunately, it seems like the Roloffs maintained a close relationship with Chris. Matt even referred to him as Jeremy and Jacob's father figure and mentor at one point.

Eventually, however, Jacob posted an update a year after his first statement saying that publishing what had happened to him had helped him heal from the trauma. It's unclear how his family initially reacted, or whether any of the Roloffs addressed Cardamone later.

However, to date, Jacob Roloff has returned to the family farm to spend time with his dad, even amid his brothers' feuding with Matt over the selling of the family farm. Now a dad himself, Jacob seems willing to forgive his family for creating a situation where he was taken advantage of, even if they never realized it was happening.