Since its debut, it's a show that has won countless fans and spawned some spinoffs,
yet there's a lot that even hardcore viewers may not realize about this
popular reality hit. Here's the untold truth of Little Women: LA.
Jasmine Arteaga Sorge has become a fan favorite on Little Women: LA, but when she was just 18 years
old she had different aspirations when she stepped in front of Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell to
audition for the third season of American Idol. As a video of her audition demonstrates, she appeared
a bit nervous in front of the judges, but her diminutive size belied a powerful set of pipes
that she put to good use on Christina Aguilera's "I Turn To You." Her performance is halted after
about 30 seconds, however, when Cowell holds his hand up motioning for her to stop singing.
As Monsters & Critics recalled, both Cowell and Jackson (judge Paula Abdul was apparently MIA
for the audition) liked what they'd heard, and sent her through to the Hollywood rounds. While
she made it to the top 100, she was ultimately sent home in the group round of eliminations.
Viewers of Little Women: LA followed the marital journey of Christy McGinity from
the very beginning. For those who'd been paying attention,
news that she and husband Todd Gibel were divorcing likely came as no surprise.
What did prove interesting, however, was how ugly the couple's divorce proceedings became,
with McGinity's divorce filing containing some truly shocking allegations.
According to legal documents obtained by The Blast in 2019,
McGinity met Gibel while filming the first episode of Little Women: LA and she alleged
that from the get-go, he was only using her for money and celebrity status. Furthermore,
she claimed he promised to find a job after moving in with her in California,
but instead remained unemployed during the entire course of their marriage.
McGinity's most eyebrow-raising allegation, however, was that she and Gibel had never once
even had intercourse. Based on that claim, McGinity initially sought an annulment;
according to TMZ, she ultimately settled for the next best thing by agreeing to a divorce.
Terra Jolé is not only a star of Little Women: LA,
she's also one of the show's executive producers, and a producer of several
of its spinoffs. During an appearance on the Share Your Shine podcast, Jolé admitted that
her dual roles as star and producer have led to some tension between her and her co-stars.
"You had no motherf------ business asking him anything about if I talked to him."
Asked about the tough balance involved in juggling her on-camera
and behind-the-scenes roles, Jolé admitted that there has been plenty
of past drama between her co-stars. Not all of them, she explained,
were on friendly terms with each other when she invited them to be a part of the show. She said:
"I think that was the easiest part for me was casting friends and
enemies [...] I never thought I would give so many of my enemies a job."
Given that Little Women: LA has remained a fixture on the Lifetime network since its debut in 2014,
it's no secret that there are a lot of viewers who tune in to watch the
exploits of Terra Jolé and her cohorts. One of those fans is none other than Eddie Murphy.
During a 2019 appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan, the Beverly Hills Cop star explained that
when he relaxes at home, he turns on Little Women: LA. This wasn't even the first time
Murphy declared his love for the series. A few years earlier, during a 2016 Q&A presentation for
the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, Murphy was asked about which television shows he'd become
obsessed with. He name-dropped the show, and called it and its spinoffs great television.
Jasmine Arteaga Sorge has been candid about her struggles with hair loss,
and in 2019 she partnered with Hair Club to share her personal experiences.
Hair Club - which specializes in hair restoration and replacement - issued
a press release announcing she'd be speaking at a company-sponsored event
in California to answer questions from other women experiencing similar issues.
In a profile on the Hair Club website,
Arteaga Sorge revealed that her struggles date back to her childhood. Born with thin hair,
she recalled other children calling her "baldy" or asking her whether she was ill. She said:
"It was extremely difficult as a little girl to understand why
my hair was different [...] It brought me to tears many times."
Arteaga Sorge credited Hair Club for its judgment-free consultation,
and said the results greatly helped her confidence and feelings of self-worth.
A 2018 episode of Little Women: LA titled "Sins and the City" followed the women as they embarked
on a trip to Las Vegas. One notable cast member missing was Jasmine Arteaga Sorge. In an interview
with Hollywood Life, Arteaga Sorge discussed the health issues that prevented her from joining her
co-stars, revealing that she had subsequently overcome those issues and found strength.
"This trip has been so awesome, and the only thing that's missing, really, is Jasmine."
"I concur!"
While she didn't elaborate in that interview, she made a previous appearance on the daytime
talk show The Doctors, in 2017, to open up about the health concerns she was experiencing.
"With my type of dwarfism, it does also affect my immunity,
[putting me] at higher risk for leukemia or lymphoma because my white blood count is lower."
Arteaga Sorge admitted that this elevated risk level left her in a constant state
of anxiety. She pointed out that her sister suffered from leukemia,
making her even more worried about her health issues.
Given that Jasmine Arteaga Sorge auditioned for American Idol when she was eighteen
and subsequently joined the cast of a reality show, it's safe to say that becoming a celebrity
is something she pursued for a while. One element she maybe didn't expect to come
from finding that fame is how the little person community has responded to her.
She told South Africa's Channel 24 that it's been a bit of a mixed bag.
However, when weighing the pros and cons, she felt that Little Women:
LA provides a unique platform to show viewers that just because the women are small,
this doesn't mean that they don't have some of the same problems and triumphs as everybody
else. Arteaga Sorge explained her thoughts further, adding that little people are often
demeaned or treated as a joke in society, and having this platform helps combat that image.
When Terra Jolé wanted to launch a wine, the vino's moniker - Black
Girl Moscato - did not go over well with her Little Women: LA co-star Tonya Banks.
In one season 7 episode, the friction between the two erupted into a full-blown
feud after Banks refused Jolé's request that she become the face of the wine.
Speaking with The Blast, Jolé revealed that she'd sold her shares in the Black Girl Moscato venture
at a loss to help ease tensions. While she hoped that might be enough to heal the rift,
that was apparently not the case. Tonya was still not happy about the decision.
In an interview with TooFab, Banks said she felt there was a chance their relationship could be
salvaged, but at the same time, the whole debacle left a sour taste in her mouth, claiming the name
was offensive and an overall poor choice for her friend to make. Even though Jolé eventually
ended up in a different wine venture with a less offensive name - Mini Mama - Banks admitted that
the whole experience fractured their relationship and caused some serious harm to their friendship.
In September 2019, Christy McGinity and boyfriend Gonzalo Justo Carazo made a happy announcement:
they were expecting a baby. McGinty wrote on Instagram:
"What a big blessing. Good things come to those who wait."
She revealed their child was scheduled to arrive in April 2020. In March 2020,
they welcomed a baby daughter, Violet Eva. Born seven weeks ahead of schedule at just 33 weeks
old, reported People, the baby measured 15 inches and weighed three pounds, 15 ounces.
Two weeks later, the couple's joy turned to heartbreak when their newborn daughter
passed away. In a statement to People magazine, the couple said,
"It is with our deepest sorrow that we send our baby girl Violet Eva
Carazo to play with the angels [...] We were able to spend two
weeks with our sweet baby girl and for that we are forever thankful."
In a subsequent Instagram post, McGinity admitted coping with the loss of her child
was an extremely challenging experience, but she was grateful for the outpouring
of support and love she received from fans to help her come through.
Being a reality TV star and a little person is a unique combination - something that
Terra Jolé expounded on in a 2019 interview with Page Six. While she admitted she was
thrilled to be a part of the public's increasing acceptance of little people through Little Women:
LA, she also revealed that there's a downside to her fame, too. Jolé said,
"The scary parts are when people know your family
so well that they feel like they can come up to you and hug you and you don't know these people!"
Fans' overfamiliarity with her, she explained, can sometimes lead to encounters that,
for average-sized fans, may not seem awkward but for her and her family can be terrifying.
She explained that fans will approach and ask to hug or hold her kids, and what a scary prospect
that is due to her small stature and physical limitations. She knows that most people who
approach her are genuine fans, but the worst-case scenarios are always in the back of her mind.
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