The Shady Side Of Matt Roloff

On the surface, Little People, Big World patriarch Matt Roloff appears harmless. He's committed to projecting a picture perfect image, after all, and he goes to great lengths to convince fans he's the lovable guy viewers have come to know on LPBW. From Matt's cheery social media pictures with his two grandkids to his claims that all is hunky dory with his ex-wife, Amy Roloff, the TLC celebrity is constantly at work to assure fans of his goodhearted nature. But is Matt as squeaky clean as he'd like people to believe? Although this might surprise some fans, the answer is no.

Matt, just like any other reality television star out there, has a few chips in his armor. In fact, there are a lot of examples of Matt's bad boy behavior, all the way from his supposedly staged LPBW scenes to the possibility that he took credit for Amy's pumpkin salsa business idea. So, what else is Matt hiding? Here's the shady side of Matt Roloff.

Before Matt made his debut on LPBW in March 2006, he suffered from a myriad of troubling issues. Surprisingly, Matt was addicted to cocaine in the '80s, an experience he opened up about in his 1999 memoir, Against Tall Odds: Being a David in a Goliath World. The addiction started after he "began experimenting with drugs," and he ultimately worked his way up to cocaine. "I never thought I'd be someone who used drugs, but it happened," Matt confessed in the jaw-dropping book (via Radar Online). "I thought I could just try it and get out of it, but I was wrong ... "

Matt was able to overcome the addiction with the help of his family, but the he may have turned to alcohol a few decades later. Matt was arrested in June 2007 for a DUI in Washington County, Oregon (via TODAY), because he was reportedly struggling to keep his Chevrolet van within its lane. Officers who responded to the scene suspected Matt was under the influence and administered a field sobriety test, which he failed.

Matt was cited for driving under the influence, but he denied any wrongdoing — the law agreed with him and he was found not guilty. It's interesting to note, however, that Matt was convicted of drunken driving in 2003, a charge that was dismissed a year later after he completed the required diversion program.

Although these arrests are concerning, we're glad Matt has stayed out of trouble since.

Fans were shocked to learn about Matt's relationship with his longtime personal assistant, Caryn Chandler, just three years after his tumultuous split from Amy. Some people described the timing of the romance as suspicious, while others found it tacky given the couple's boss-employee dynamic. And some people went as far to allege that Matt and Caryn had an affair under Amy's nose. But does the speculation have any merit? The answer is murky.

Although Matt and Chandler haven't addressed the affair rumor directly, there is some evidence to suggest their union caused tension within their families. "Caryn has been Matt's personal assistant for many years," Amy confessed in a preview for the 17th season of LPBW, not too long after news of the couple's relationship hit the web. "Now that they're dating, of course that's hurtful." 

Making matters even more suspicious is that in September 2012, Chandler's ex-husband, Joseph Chandler, forbid the couple's then-teenagers from visiting Roloff Farms. "Mother will not take [redacted] to her employer's property without Father's permission," a judge ruled in court documents obtained by Radar Online. "Neither party will allow the children to be filmed for television without the consent of the other party." Hmm ... we wonder why Joseph had issues with Matt and Roloff Farms all the way back in 2012. Strange.

Either way, it's nice to see Matt happy, and hopefully the affair rumor isn't true. 

If you want proof that Matt can be a bit of jerk sometimes, look no further than pumpkin salsa-gate of May 2018. Essentially, Matt was accused by fans of taking credit for Amy's pumpkin salsa business idea — a gripe that seems to carry some weight. 

It all started when Matt took to Instagram to brag about Roloff Farms' pumpkin salsa line and its desirable placement at his local grocery store. "Tori and Jackson pointed out last week at @toriroloff ... our Roloff Farm Pumpkin salsa has been promoted to right smack dab in the middle of the store in the All Natural area ... ," Matt wrote, according to Instagram. "No more spending hours trying to find it. If it's not already at your local store be sure to ask for at any @krogerco brand store. It's delicious and healthy!"

The problem with Matt's message? Matt poo-pooed Amy's pumpkin salsa idea before it became a fan favorite. In fact, Matt was so dismissive of the salsa line that he was forced to apologize to Amy, a sentiment she didn't appreciate. "I don't want to be a sympathy case for you ... I believe in the salsa," Amy told Matt in response to his doubts (via Us Weekly).

Although it's shady Matt waited to praise the salsa only when it became popular, he does own a stake in the business. So, it's reasonable for Matt to take some credit for the salsa.

It's not a good look to obsess over what people think of you, a sentiment Matt should probably consider at some point because he's always complaining about "Roloff family fake news." To sum Roloff's beef up, he can't just let it go when the tabloids supposedly make up "misleading headlines" about his family. 

"Just got caught up on my roloff family fake news... lol. Fake news is alive and well.. how sad," Matt wrote in a Facebook rant in January 2018. "The roloff family just keeps hanging closer and closer together despite these broken misleading headlines ... matt, amy, Jer , zach Audrey, Tori, molly, Joel, Jacob, Izzy, Chris and caryn. All working together to surprise you all at how an American family can function together despite a few minor differences. Wait for it...... a few short months."

Although it's reasonable for celebrities to be frustrated about fabricated stories, there's something to be said for taking the high road. Maybe Matt should lay off of the keyboard for a hot minute.

Although Matt leads people to believe he's close with all of his children, this might not be the case with his youngest son, Jacob Roloff. The supposed evidence is in Jacob's book, Out To See. In the book, Jacob went to great lengths to praise the Roloff family's late family friend, Mike Detjen, even calling him a "father figure" — but he didn't say much about Matt. 

"I appreciate Mike's influence on me a lot. ... he would get me reading Popular Mechanics and Popular Science out loud during the long drive," Jacob penned about the pair's long car rides to away games, according to Radar Online. "I expanded my mind and learned new words from the writing inside those magazines, and even things I didn't fully understand helped me later as a writer and reader. I find reasons all the time to credit these habits, of reading the Populars and playing strategy games, as being major influences on my mental development. In other words, what I already know about Mike's influence on me I find reaffirmed often."

Matt, on the other hand, only received two sentences. "My dad taught me practical, mindful things like chess, how to build a fire, and other sorts of exercises in basic critical thinking to a degree that I still carry the lessons with me today," Jacob wrote, according to Instagram. "He was also a great storyteller, sitting all of us kids by the fire and telling stories of 'dark, windy nights.'"

Matt can be a bit biting with his words, especially where it concerns Amy. A perfect example of this is when Matt was about to undergo a major surgery that would put him on bed rest for a prolonged period of time. Matt, who is the main caretaker of the farm, told Amy that he was worried about who would take over his responsibilities while he recovered from the operation. When Amy expressed concern that she wasn't up to speed with the ongoings of the farm, Matt lashed out, according to Us Weekly: "I don't want to get into it, but you can't add to my burden, you know? You have to submerse yourself in it and become involved in it."

In response to Matt's biting remark, she brought up a troubling dynamic in their relationship. Apparently, Matt doesn't let Amy help out around the farm because he thinks she'll mess up the entire operation. "The thing is, you just said, though, 'Don't put a kink in the system. Don't mess up the plan. Don't get involved because you'll be messing up everything,'" Amy said, according to Us Weekly. 

Yikes. We hope Matt didn't insinuate that Amy isn't competent enough to help out on the farm. Have a little faith, Matt. 

Any respectable adult knows when to be the bigger person, even if the situation is unfair. Sadly, it seems as if Matt didn't get this memo, because he's often unreasonable and spiteful whenever a problem arises. Take Matt's dilemma with Amy and Chandler, for instance. It's no secret the two women don't like each other, and Matt voiced his frustration with their feud in season 18 of LPBW. "I think Amy is still adjusting to the idea that I'm dating Caryn," Matt confessed to the camera (via Cafe Mom). "I mean I think she puts on a good, brave face. But I still think she carries some insecurities."

Unbelievably, Matt's proposed solution to the rift was to consider selling the family's farm, Roloff Farms. "We were talking about if Amy would sell out the farm, or should I build on the farm, Matt said during a conversation with Chandler (via Cafe Mom). "But the biggest thing is if I can build here and know that one day maybe I can convince you to move in with me and live on the farm. But if she's never going to accept, or that's never a possibility then we have to start getting rid of this farm." Umm...

Many would probably agree the plan was extreme. Matt has owned Roloff Farms since 1990, and it has about 30,000 visitors annually. Not to mention, the Roloff kids love the farm because it holds a lot of great memories. No bueno, Matt.

Sadly, Matt occasionally uses his kids to get under Amy's skin. Case in point: Matt supposedly let Chandler exclude Amy from his 56th birthday party in October 2017. Although it might seem reasonable to leave an ex out of your birthday party, consider the fact that Matt's bash took place at Roloff Farms, where Amy lives and works. What made matters even worse was that Amy's children and grandchildren were in attendance too. 

"Caryn even made sure some of the farm hands were there as well, and gave out party hats to some of the crowd who had gathered behind the main gift shop. The odd thing was that Amy Roloff was on the other side of the barn doing meet and greets with the general public and wasn't asked by Caryn to participate," a supposed eyewitness said about the awkward scene, according to the Daily Mail. "It definitely felt like she was being usurped at her own farm by Matt's new girlfriend ... "

The especially unfortunate part about the situation is how Matt and Chandler's rumored pettiness affects the Roloff kids. " ... The kids seem caught in the middle," the source added. "This was baby Jackson's first day at the farm during pumpkin season, it was kind of a big deal and Amy was shut out."

Talk about a tough situation. We hope all parties involved will practice more maturity going forward.

Some reality television celebrities love to blame the infamous "bad edit" for their problems, including Matt. Apparently, Matt isn't happy with the "new producers" on LPBW who are supposedly hellbent on making the show "negative." Matt felt compelled to speak out after a fan brought up a tense scene from season 18 featuring Amy. 

"Used to love this show and watched every season from the beginning, but there's too much stress and tension involved – makes it unpleasant to watch anymore," the fan penned in March 2018, according to Facebook.

Matt, who never is at fault for anything it seems, responded, "I totally agree. We've been pushing the new producers to stop making our show negative and keep the family love and togetherness in the forefront. For some reason, these new producers/editors that come in to work...don't know the show and want to amplify the negative...I'm not sure we (the Roloff family) can take that kinda of editing much longer. Errrrr."

Although it's possible producers spliced the footage to highlight the drama, it's unlikely the discord was fabricated. Matt and Amy have plenty of problems outside of the show, after all, and the couple should probably own up to their issues. It's also interesting to note that Amy has never accused producers of "amplifying" the negative. Hmm.

Fans have long suspected some scenes in LPBW are faked. And it seems like skeptical viewers might be onto something, as Matt reportedly lied about house hunting for a new pad in Arizona. The story is a bit complicated, but what essentially happened is this: On the season 18 finale, Matt and his girlfriend, Caryn Chandler, revealed their plans to buy a house together in the Grand Canyon State. The season finale was filmed in December 2017, and fans assumed the two would search for their new home after the holidays. Interestingly enough, however, Radar Online discovered that the duo already purchased Chandler's parents' Arizona home in June 2017 — seven months before the episode was filmed. Say what now? 

As for the details of the transaction, Matt ponied up a $110,000 down payment for the $375,000 house, according to Radar Online. Chandler's folks then transferred the house deed over to Matt.

Of course, it doesn't really matter when Matt and Chandler got the house — as long as they have a roof over their heads, that's all that matters. Still, it's a little shady that Matt seemingly lied about the timeline of the purchase. Maybe Jacob Roloff spoke the truth about the show's supposed fakery.