In 2006, Matt and Amy Roloff signed on with TLC to create a reality tv show that gave viewers an idea of what it was like to navigate the world with dwarfism. The couple, along with their four children, broke down barriers of misconceptions people had of those who had dwarfism and showed that they had the same struggles as other middle-America families when it came to raising their children — children who were both of average height and had dwarfism as well.
As a result of being the first of its kind reality television show, it was unclear how successful Little People, Big World would ultimately be. But the show proved to have longevity. And because of this, the budget and conversely, the salaries of the family members continued to rise over the years.
But when the net worth of Matt and Amy is looked at in comparison to their kids, it is clear that the two have more wealth to their names than Zach, Jeremy, Molly, and Jacob do. Because of this, fans are left wondering, did Matt and Amy Roloff keep their kids' earnings from Little People, Big World?
Each Member Of The Roloff Family Makes Different Amounts From LPBW
The more popular a reality show becomes, the more money the network is willing to invest. When this happens, those who are starring in the show get a bump in pay as well. How the payments are structured determines who gets what dollar amount at the end of the day.
It is unknown how much money the members of the Roloff family received when Little People, Big World premiered. These days, however, the amount made depends on how popular each family member is. Because of this, Matt and Amy make the most, which is estimated to be "$15,000 to $20,000 per episode."
Next in line is Zach, who makes approximately "$7,000 per episode." And when that is factored in with married life and his wife Tori's "$1,500 and $3,000 per episode," the couple is doing well each season.
Finally, Jeremy makes "$5,000 per episode." (Molly is not factored in, given that she chooses to not participate in the show.)
These days, everyone in the Roloff family gets their own paycheck. They also supplement their incomes with day jobs, working on the farm, writing books, or vlogging. As such, the net worth varies widely.
With that being said, it does not appear that Amy and Matt kept all the money from their hit reality show over the years. After all, the farm was already in their possession for nearly two decades when Little People, Big World premiered. They did some, but not a lot of renovations to the farm since 2006. All of which could have been paid for by their portion of the payday that came from being on television.
The most reasonable explanation for the range of net worth for the members of the Roloff family has to do with the percentage of the paycheck received every season coupled with what they made from the farm.
Over the course of 16 years, Matt and Amy took the biggest piece of the paycheck pie. They then invested that money into the farm which did quite well. It should therefore be expected that they have a higher net worth than their kids.
But with their kids venturing out on their own and making money outside of reality tv, it remains to be seen who will ultimately make the most money off of their fame while interest still remains.
Why Matt And Amy Have Amassed A Larger Fortune Than Their Kids
While Matt and Amy made more money from Little People, Big World than their kids did per episode, that is not how they have managed to amass a small fortune for themselves. That has to do with business deals that have taken place outside of being on reality TV over the years.
Before Little People, Big World premiered, Matt had already made a good chunk of change having co-founded and sold Direct Access Solutions. But once TLC came knocking, Matt was able to put more energy and funds into Roloff Farm.
Because of this, the acreage was turned into a tourist attraction, bringing in 30,000 visitors per year. And with the tour costing a cool $300 for three people, with each additional person being charged $25, that makes for quite the additional income on top of TLC paychecks.
As a result of his business savvy, Matt is estimated to be worth $6 million today.
Amy was estimated to be a multimillionaire, worth $4.5 million, just a few short years ago. But when she sold her portion of the farm to Matt, that net worth bumped to $6 million.
The money that Matt and Amy make comes in part from TLC. But the bulk of their fortune came from the farm. And that sum is far larger than what they ever would have accumulated had they kept their kids' paychecks years ago.
Matt May Owe Amy "A Bundle Of Money"
Amy's net worth may go up even further once the farm either sells or makes money with its foray onto the short-term rental market. This is speculated from an Instagram post Matt wrote, talking about why the farm was not staying in the family.
"My twin boys decided not to consider working together toward a possible joint sale," Matt explained. "Both of them (along with their growing families) had moved on to other interests and investments."
Matt went on to say, "Even tho a substantial family discount and a ‘gift of equity’ was offered by both Amy and I….(and I still owe Amy a bundle of money), they decided individually that the timing was not right for them to purchase a part of the farm at this time."
It looks as though after selling her half of the farm to Matt in 2019 for $667,000 and then allowing him to purchase acreage for nearly $1 million a year later, Amy has yet to receive all of her money from her ex-husband.
How much that is, is unknown. But once it is paid, Amy's net worth will rise. And that is a net worth that a majority has been made from the farm over the years, versus her or Matt taking money from their children.
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