When Little People, Big World stars Audrey and Jeremy Roloff announced their departure
from the show in July 2018, fans were shocked.
Some viewers assumed the parents would stay on to share their daughter Ember's milestones
with fans, while others speculated they'd at least stick around to bulk up the baby's
college fund.
On the flip side, Jeremy Roloff had spent 14 years in front of the TLC cameras, so it's
reasonable to assume he was simply ready to move on.
But Audrey's motives seemed less clear.
From issues with negative fans to tough parenting struggles, Audrey had a lot on her plate while
filming the show.
But just what made her finally leave?
Here's the real reason Audrey quit Little People Big World.
Diving into her writing
It can take years to publish a book, so it makes sense that Audrey would want to take
time off from the show to write a book with her husband: A Love Letter Life, due in April
2019.
"Hi guys, we are Jeremy and Audrey Roloff and we've got some exciting news.
We're writing a book."
"Yes!"
She posted in March 2018:
"For the past few months we've been deep in the trenches of writing… mostly in our pajamas,
hibernating in our house, postmating curry for dinner, and typing away late into the
night while Ember is asleep."
Audrey and Jeremy have scored a three-book contract, so those periods of focusing on
their writing may continue well into the future.
A new podcast
When Audrey and Jeremy emerged after a brief social media hiatus, they did so in a big
way, launching a podcast in August 2018.
Audrey posted:
"This has been a longgggg time coming and we are so pumped to start having some raw,
unfiltered, down to earth conversations"
So it's official: the couple will still be sharing their lives with us, but through a
medium they can control.
Reality TV almost ruined her wedding
"Today is our wedding day.
I've enjoyed every minute of our journey so far and today it gets branded in permanence."
Audrey projects an extroverted personality on social media, so you might be surprised
to learn that she didn't enjoy filming Little People Big World.
Not only did she find the whole process meddlesome, but she agreed with Jeremy's take that the
couple isn't quite made for the spotlight.
She told the Goal Digger podcast,
"People are coming into your house, turning all your books backwards and covering your
body with tape because there can't be any logos; and lights everywhere and camera crew
men.
It's just very invasive."
Audrey also expressed frustration at TLC's desire to film every aspect of her 2014 wedding.
"Today I make the most important decision of my life, second to deciding to follow Jesus.
Today I become your wife, finally."
She admitted she almost wanted to cancel the wedding episode, saying,
"They wanted to film the dress shopping, the cake tasting, everything leading up to our
wedding, including our wedding day!
[…] I just had to remind myself all along like this is a part of the life of the man
that I'm marrying."
Jeremy made the call
Audrey's husband Jeremy starred on Little People Big World years before she ever did.
"To have a little person for a twin, it's kinda weird.
We don't look the same, we have different height.
We have way different attitudes."
And because of that, Audrey suggested Jeremy make the call when it came time to walk away.
Jeremy posted in July 2018:
"A year ago I made the decision that this season would be our last.
It has been an amazing run, and I can't say thank you enough to all of you who have watched
and supported us along the ride."
Thankfully, Audrey was happy to follow her husband's lead.
The reality of motherhood
Transitioning into parenthood is a challenge for anyone, but it's especially difficult
to do it under a media microscope.
Just ask Audrey, who gave birth to Ember while filming the show.
"I definitely felt robbed of the joy of those sweet newborn moments.
And I was not prepared for how hard it would be."
Audrey found the situation particularly frustrating as she struggled to breastfeed.
"I just sit there like trying and trying and trying… and just like trying to be patient
with her and not get mad at her and help her do it, y'know."
She wrote:
"I won't sugar coat it… these past two weeks have been HARD.
The first 24 hours with Ember were bliss, but after that it was as if I went back into
labor again."
"When I got mastitis the first time in the hospital it was so horrible and it just hurt
so bad, like, you're just in tears."
Audrey intimately shared with fans just how much pain she was experiencing postpartum.
And one can only imagine she may be excited to parent with more privacy going forward.
She's a shade magnet
If you're a fan of the show, you know people love to hate on Audrey Roloff.
Whether it's criticizing her parenting or ripping apart whatever she promotes on Instagram,
viewers always seem to find some sort of shade to throw at the reality star.
"I think for me, I'm going into it with like I want to have as natural, unmedicated birth
as possible."
But Audrey did have a flair for making controversial remarks.
She once said,
"I was very adamant about breastfeeding exclusively.
Formula was, like, a sin.
I just never thought I would do that but at the same time, I need to feed my baby, so
we have to do it."
Considering she's been a magnet for drama, perhaps Audrey wants to walk away from TV
to avoid further backlash.
Going for that Insta-fame
It's no secret Audrey has a big social media presence, with over 840,000 Instagram followers
as of Fall 2018.
"Help me get the word out so that we can inspire women throughout the world to always believe
in the more that is within them through Christ."
These days, a person can make a decent living as a social media influencer, so perhaps she
and husband Jeremy no longer needed Little People Big World to boost their public profiles.
An insider told Radar Online,
"[…] Audrey in particular, feels like she has enough social media influence with all
of the products she promotes, that she can make money off that.
[…] To be honest, I don't think being on the TV show made Audrey as happy as she expected.
[…] I think she just wants to start driving her own life on social media."
"We just thank everyone watching, all the fans of Little People, Big World, thanks for
following our journey, our story, and thanks for being interested in this crazy life."