Original Air Date:
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Roloff Family - Little People, Big World:
The Roloff family consists of Matt, Amy and their 4 children - Zach, Jeremy, Molly and Jacob; Zach and Jeremy are twins, though Zach is the couple's only short statured child. Many people believe that short statured couples can't have average height children, but that is not the case; Matt and Amy had a 50/50 chance of either an average height child or a dwarf child
All 6 family members were on the show to share their experience. Matt started out by explaining that they decided to do the show to get the message out that little people are just like anyone else. Amy shared that in the beginning she felt like it was an invasion of privacy because their home was really no longer their haven. Now that they have filmed over 100 episodes, they still feel like they have lost their sense of privacy, but they look at the bigger picture of what they are doing for other families like theirs and they move on.
The Roloff Family - Raising Children:
Matt and Amy celebrate being little people and say they wouldn't change it for the world, which makes it difficult when people question why or if they should have had kids. Matt shared that being short statured brings challenges, but also a great human experience as well. Both Matt and Amy had great parents growing up - instilling confidence and independence in them - and they knew that they could provide the same experience for their children.
Zach, the only Roloff kid that has dwarfism explained that his friends growing up didn't understand the difference but see that he is completely capable now.
Amy described trying to be the best parent that she can be despite the cameras. Molly and Jacob both shared that after 3 years plus of filming, they have gotten used to them being around - to the point that they can have conversations that end up in an episode when they didn't even know that they were being filmed.
The Roloff Family - Discrimination:
Matt, Amy and Zach have all experienced discrimination in their lives - and Jeremy, Molly and Jacob see what they have to go through and want people to understand that their parents and sibling are no different than any other person. A clip was shared of Zach explaining how he was called a name while walking into a store which scared him. Amy's sister Cathie described walking to school with Amy when they were little and having kids come up to Amy's face and point fingers at her and call her names, laughing. A clip from an episode at an LP convention showed Zach and his friends being laughed at and called names.
The conventions give little people a chance to socialize with people that are just like them, but Zach shared that while it's fun, it's only a week before having to return to reality. Through the show, the family hopes to share a different message with people and help to change people's perception of little people.
The Roloff Family - Twins Zach and Jeremy:
Amy shared that it comes as quite a surprise to people that Zach and Jeremy are twins, since Jeremy is 2 feet taller that Zachary. Zach explained that they experience the same things as they grow up, but differently - partially because of the size difference, but also because Zach is shy while Jeremy is more social. Zach described Jeremy understanding the physical challenges with being short statured, but he doesn't really understand the mental challenges. Shopping, playing soccer and dating are just a few things that the boys experience in different ways.
The Jonas Brothers Phenomenon:
After the Roloff family left the stage, the studio was all about the Jonas Brothers - Kevin (20), Joe (18), and Nick (15) - who are experiencing huge success with Disney right now. The brothers started out supporting Nick's solo career, helping him write a song, which eventually led to recording together and getting signed as a group. The trio toured with Miley Cyrus, but are now headlining on their own. Due to thousands of emails to Oprah from fans, the Jonas Brothers made it on the show by being the most requested guest of the year.
The Jonas Brothers Fans on YouTube:
2 huge Jonas Brothers fans made the biggest impression on Oprah to get her to bring them on the show - Kim and Alessandra started an online petition, emailed the show multiple times, and even posted videos on YouTube asking Oprah to bring the band on the show. Oprah and the Jonas Brothers teamed up to surprise the girls at a Connecticut concert - the brothers brought them on stage to tell them the news that they would be on The Oprah Show, but better yet, Kim and Alessandra would be going as well!
The Jonas Brothers and Their Family
Kevin, Joe and Nick's parents, Denise and Kevin, along with their little brother Frankie joined them on the stage and shared a clip of the family on the road. On this particular morning, Denise called each of the boys for their wake-up call and the family later had breakfast together, something Denise shared doesn't happen often. Dad Kevin went over the schedule for the day, which happened to be in the family's hometown in New Jersey. After some jokes and laughing, the family moved on with their busy day.
Back on the show, Kevin and Denise shared that they still take raising their sons very seriously, even though they are in awe when they see them using their talents on stage. Kevin explained that they are not just raising boys, but men, fathers, husbands and all around good people.
The brothers manage to stay very grounded in the midst of their hectic and celebrity lifestyle, and dad Kevin credits that to their faith while oldest son Kevin credits his parents, little brother, as well as other family and friends - they don't let it get to our heads.
The Jonas Brothers ended the show by performing their hit "When You Look Me in the Eyes" for all of their adoring fans.
