The Real Reason Audrey Roloff Quit Little People, Big World

When Little People, Big World stars Audrey and Jeremy Roloff announced their departure from the show in July 2018, many fans expressed shock and disappointment. The announcement seemed a bit out of the blue, especially since the couple welcomed their first daughter, Ember, into the world in September 2017. Some viewers assumed the parents would stay on to share 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 spent 14 years in front of TLC cameras, so it's reasonable to think he was simply ready to move on. As for Audrey? Her motives for leaving seemed less clear. Sure, it's sensible to assume she ditched the series because of her husband wanted out, but the truth is more complicated. From issues with negative fans to tough parenting struggles, Audrey had a lot on her plate while filming the show. Let's take a deep dive into all of Audrey Roloff's potential reasons for leaving Little People Big World. 

You don't have to be a published author to understand the amount of work it takes to write a book. It can take years to bring a project to print, so it makes sense that Audrey Roloff would want to take time off from Little People Big World to devote herself to A Love Letter Life, a book about love and marriage co-authored with her husband. 

She painted a clear picture of the process in March 2018, via Instagram: "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;) The book writing process is not for the faint of heart but we are so eager to share this labor of love with all of you!"

Audrey and Jeremy scored a three-book contract with Zondervan, a media and publishing company under the umbrella of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, so those periods of hibernation may continue well into the future. She warned her fans that they'd be "taking a bit of a social media hiatus so that we can really focus on writing. Don't worry, we're not going away forever, we just need to unplug for a bit so we can do some deep work."

When Audrey and Jeremy came out of hibernation, they did so in a big way, launching a podcast in August 2018. "This has been a longgggg time coming and we are so pumped to start having some raw, unfiltered, down to earth conversations about relationships, friendships, family, entrepreneurship, running a business with your spouse, social media, fitness, marriage, faith, goal setting, hot topic issues, being new parents, our most embarrassing moments from the week and behind the scene of life with us and some of our favorite people!" Audrey penned on Instagram. Phew, is that all?

In other words, this Mr. and Mrs. will still be sharing their lives with us, but via a medium they'll control. It's also worth noting that unless they hire a production team, these two will be plenty busy learning the ins and outs of audio editing, booking guests, and promotions. That would be tough to juggle on top of reality TV.

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 Audrey find the whole process "invasive," but she agreed with Jeremy's take that they "aren't made for the spotlight." 

"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," she told the Goal Digger podcast.

Audrey also expressed frustration at TLC's desire to film every aspect of her September 2014 wedding. "They wanted to film the dress shopping, the cake tasting, everything leading up to our wedding, including our wedding day! That was a crazy process, [and] for me, it was something that I never anticipated or imagined," she confessed, admitting that the process almost drove her to cancel the wedding episode. She managed to pull herself together for Jeremy's sake and to save their relationship. "I just had to remind myself all along like this is a part of the life of the man that I'm marrying."

Jeremy Roloff starred on Little People Big World years before Audrey's first appearance on the show, and she suggested he made the call when it came time to walk away: "A year ago I made the decision that this season would be our last," he said on Instagram in July 2018. "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, it sounds like Audrey was happy to follow her husband's lead. "Mostly, I am so proud of my husband who has grown up in the public eye and yet remained grounded, wise, and steadfast in his faith," she wrote on the same day in her own Instagram post. "This decision is one that I respect him for immensely."

Transitioning into parenthood can be tough for any person, but it's especially difficult for people who make the change in the public eye. Just ask Audrey Roloff, who gave birth to Ember while filming Little People Big World. 

Audrey found her predicament particularly frustrating because she struggled to breastfeed the newborn, a plight that left her energy reserves depleted. "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...," Audrey told her fans via Instagram. "I was well prepared for the pain and suffering that comes with childbirth, but I was not prepared for the pain and suffering that comes afterwards. I got all the things... the common 'TMI' postpartum hurts, along with severe engorgement, too much milk, not enough milk, blisters, bruises, clogged ducts, and mastitis."

Obviously, going through these issues in front of fans wasn't easy for Audrey, and one can imagine she may be excited to parent with more privacy going forward.

It's no secret the Roloff family has experienced some issues with reality TV. Jeremy's younger brother, Jacob Roloff, often speaks out about how Little People Big World ruined his childhood, while Molly Roloff hasn't graced the series for years. Taking into consideration all of the strife the Roloff kids have experienced as a result of starring on the show, it's understandable Audrey Roloff would want to protect Ember from public scrutiny. 

"Segueing away from the cameras [has] been a big shift for us," she told the Goal Digger podcast. "But we are really excited about just being able to really press into writing and speaking and creating and just devoting all of our efforts in the things that we feel the Lord has called us to, and also raising a family away from the cameras."

A source told Radar Online: "Audrey and Jeremy also want to focus on the ministry and church and they don't want their daughter Ember to be susceptible to the cameras like Jeremy was since his childhood. I'd say this was more Audrey's decision than Jeremy's, to be honest."

Audrey Roloff can't catch a break when it comes to fan gossip. Case in point: The reality star was forced to shut down pregnancy rumors more than once throughout the past few years. In August 2018, she took to her Instagram Stories to debunk articles claiming she was expecting baby number two. The rumor mill reached a fever pitch after Audrey's father-in-law, Matt Roloff, shared a mysterious photo of her with Jeremy and Ember. "Today was a crazy day," Matt captioned the snap. "I could explain. But better to just leave it at that. I'm going to sleep a happy grandpa."

Fans overanalyzed Matt's cryptic message, prompting Audrey to speak out. "This kind of stuff just makes me realize how much fake news is out there. Like, what in the world?" she quipped in an Instagram Story (via Pop Culture). "Again, if you didn't hear it from my mouth ... it's probably not true. For now [it's] just us and our Ember girl."

Audrey and Jeremy Roloff appear to be departing the reality TV series with their family's support. Audrey's mother-in-law, Amy Roloff, left a doting message in the comments section of her son's farewell post. 

"First, love you three so much. Second, the Lord has called you for a mission and I'm excited to see what he will continue to do in your lives," Amy said (via InTouch Weekly.) "You're making an impact, that is for sure. Woohoo!" Amy added, "It's time to move on... for all of us to move on in one way or another ... I couldn't be more proud of you and Audrey. Keep fighting the good fight." It's got to feel good for this wifey to receive her MIL's blessing. 

If you're a fan of Little People Big World, you probably already know people love to hate on Audrey Roloff. Whether it's criticizing her parenting or ripping apart what she chooses to promote on Instagram, viewers always seem to find some sort of shade to throw at Jeremy Roloff's wife. 

The reality star did have a flair for making controversial remarks. Remember that time she called baby formula sinful? "I was very adamant about breastfeeding exclusively. Formula was, like, a sin," she said (via MSN). "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 television to avoid further backlash. There's only so much one person can take, after all.

It's no secret Audrey Roloff has a big social media presence — some 840,000 Instagram followers as of September 2018. 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. 

"I think Audrey and Jeremy, but 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," an insider told Radar Online. "To be honest, I don't think being on the TV show made Audrey as happy as she expected. Like yeah she has fans but she also has a lot of non-fans. I think she just wants to start driving her own life on social media."

Whatever works, right? If Audrey thinks she can hack it on social media, more power to her!