From the moment they debuted on TLC in 2009, The Little Couple stars Bill Klein and Jen
Arnold have won the hearts of millions of fans, documenting their hardships and successes,
as well as the adventures of their two adorable children, Will and Zoey.
And while it might be a smash hit, but there's more to this show than meets the eye.
Real life vs. screen life
It might seem like Klein and Arnold have the perfect family.
But as the couple's memoir, Think Big, reveals, their most challenging struggles aren't included
on the show.
When the couple returned home from India with their newly adopted daughter Zoey in October
2013, it wasn't the heartfelt moment they had envisioned.
Klein revealed, "While our three-year-old son ran around playing with his toys, our
two-year-old daughter wailed next to the front door.
I had just introduced Zoey to her new home for the first time, but she didn't want anything
to do with it, and she didn't want to be near her new daddy."
And even happy moments are often staged for the show.
Although birthdays and anniversaries are featured on-camera, Arnold told HuffPo that the family
hosts the real celebrations when cameras aren't rolling.
She said, "We try to remind each other that dinners out with the cameras don't really
count and that we still need to have a separate celebratory dinner for us."
Kids first
Despite William and Zoey being a major part of the show's ongoing success, the time they
spend on camera is deliberately slim.
Klein told Glamour, "The large majority of what we do is off-camera because we want them
to...experience what they want to experience without it being something that they have
to do in front of an audience."
Fan frenzy
Much of the action on the show takes place at the family home, but with all that exposure
comes a very devoted fan-base.
Klein revealed, "We've had people come to the door or tear pages out of books and write
full-length notes and stick them in our mailbox...We've had people come on Christmas Eve and all sorts
of occasions."
As flattering as the gestures may be, they still cause some apprehension.
Arnold added, "We do of course prefer when they send us a letter, since when we are at
home that is obviously our private time…I do get it though because people watch us and
feel like they know us!"
Harsh critics
The Little Couple has garnered countless fans, averaging a whopping 2.1 million viewers back
in 2013.
But despite its popularity, the show's stars have endured their fair share of criticism,
especially when it comes to their parenting.
When the couple first announced they were adopting two children, they received a flood
of "comments on how crazy it is to be adopting two kids at once."
While it wasn't something the couple had planned, they felt it was meant to be.
When Klein and Arnold started the 11 month-long adoption process for William in 2012, they
had no idea Zoey's adoption would begin as well.
Arnold told The Wrap, "For those people who said, 'You're crazy,' well, it's just kind
of like life...hopefully, it's a blessing that we'll figure out a way to handle."
Personal battles
Arnold and Klein are known for sharing a positive message and showcasing an uplifting outlook
on life on their show, so no one was expecting Klein to step forward and admit to having
battled depression and suicidal thoughts when he was younger.
My depression drove me to the brink of climbing out on the ledge in my dormitory and contemplating
taking a jump."
He reassured fans, he feels better as time goes on, but admitted that the battle never
truly ends, revealing that he experiences "bumps along the road every year, to deal
with."
Heartbreak
After the couple adopted Will, and were finalizing Zoey's adoption, they got some surprising
news.
Klein wrote of his wife, in Think Big, "'I'm pregnant,' [Jen said in] complete and utter
disbelief.
After going through two years of fertility treatments and surrogacy followed by miscarriages,
this was unexpected, to say the least!"
It was later that they learned the heart-breaking news that the pregnancy was not viable.
The family soldiered on,as Klein wrote, "I will see Jen's beautiful smile, and Will's
never-ending joy, and Zoey enthusiastically hopping and skipping along, and just think,
'When did I win the Powerball of life?'"
Sunshine state
The couple and their two kids have been living in Houston, Texas, where Arnold has worked
as the medical director of the Simulation Center at Texas Children's Hospital.
However, viewers tuning into the The Little Couple's ninth season will notice a major
change of scenery, as the family packs up its belongings and makes a big move to Florida!
The relocation was inspired by Arnold's acceptance of the position of medical director of the
Simulation Center at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.
She also agreed to work as a part-time assistant professor with Johns Hopkins University and
coach parents on how to care for premature babies once they leave the hospital.
Arnold said, "The opportunity at Johns Hopkins All Children's is a perfect fit personally
for me [and] professionally with the growing education and research resources at the hospital."
Walking the line
Blogger August Pritchett, a student at Armstrong State University, argued that "Reality shows
on modern television that feature [people with disabilities] are not much different
than the circus freak shows from a hundred years ago."
Pritchett, who herself has a disability, pointed out that many TLC shows, such as Little Women
of LA, "tend to focus on the fact that these people are different from those who are 'normal'
in order to convince viewers to watch them."
Honing in on The Little Couple, she applauded them for, quote, "educating viewers about
dwarfism."
"I have dwarfism, which makes me shorter than others…"
"Daddy, somebody called me a baby in karate."
"I can't stand seeing my kids in pain at all."
But Pritchett warned that even shows with good intentions can have a negative impact,
writing, "Inspiration porn is a term applied to situations when a disabled person is sooooooo
inspiring because they do normal things...Having reality programs that feature those who accomplish
so much despite being disabled could become inspiration porn that makes viewers pity and
objectify them."
What's next?
With the show caught in the middle of an ongoing legal battle between TLC parent company Discovery
Communications and the show's production company LMNO, fans of The Little Couple weren't sure
when they'd be keeping up with their favorite TV family at all.
But despite the ongoing dispute, fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief when it was
announced in July 2017 that the show would return to TLC on September 19, 2017.
"A lot has changed since the last time you saw us."
As TLC revealed, "This season, the family brings us along for some exciting travels
from Washington D.C. all the way to London."
And of course America's favorite kids will be making an appearance!
TLC teases, "Adorable Will and Zoey are older and more independent, and while that means
a whole new set of challenges for the parents, this family is only growing closer and stronger!"
Thanks for watching!
Click the List icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus, check out this other cool stuff we know you'll love too!