Welcome to Plathville has closed its seventh chapter.
The TLC reality series, which premiered in 2019, ended season 7 with a tense finale on September 30, featuring former couple Ethan and Olivia Plath navigating the final stages of their divorce. Ahead of the episode’s airing, Olivia announced she would not be returning to the show.
“Today, the last scene/episode of Welcome to Plathville that I will ever film will air,” she wrote on Instagram Stories. “This chapter closing brings some sadness — it’s sad for me to see who I once knew, what they could have become, and the path they chose instead. It could have been so different.”
Her announcement comes more than a year after she and Ethan filed for divorce in February 2024. Throughout the series, drama from their five-year marriage and Olivia’s strained relationship with her in-laws were recurring storylines.https://sayyestothedresstlc.com/welcome-to-plathville-micah-receives-police-escort-to-leave-the-home-he-shared-with-veronica-after-a-family-dispute-leads-to-their-breakup/
While TLC has not revealed plans for the show’s future, fans are speculating whether Olivia’s exit signals the end of Welcome to Plathville.
So, will there be a season 8? Here’s everything to know about the show’s future and why Olivia Plath decided to step away.
LC has not yet renewed Welcome to Plathville for an eighth season. The reality series aired its seventh season in July 2025, showcasing a family dynamic that had changed significantly since the show’s debut.
When the series premiered in 2019, it followed Christian Fundamentalists Kim and Barry Plath as they raised their nine sheltered children — Ethan, Hosanna, Micah, Moriah, Lydia, Isaac, Amber, Cassia, and Mercy — in an increasingly modern world.
By June 2022, Kim and Barry announced their separation after 24 years of marriage and officially filed for divorce in June 2024. Since then, the once-tight-knit family has fractured, with both parents and children forging separate paths.
If the reality show returned to TLC for another season, most of the family and their partners would likely return. During season 7, Lydia married her boyfriend of two months, Zac Wyse, and Ethan introduced his new girlfriend, Teegan Nichols.
Why is Olivia Plath leaving Welcome to Plathville?
May 2025, Olivia revealed in an Instagram video that she had “asked to be released” from her contract on Welcome to Plathville. She later shared that her scene in the season 7 finale would be the last to ever air.
“Looking back at the last seven years on this show, I feel so many emotions,” Olivia wrote on her Instagram Stories. “In many ways, I grew up with all of you watching and supporting me. I was a sheltered, newly married fundie kid when the show started and had no clue who I was.”
While acknowledging the “challenges” she faced during her time on the series, Olivia expressed gratitude for the experience and the lessons it brought. She also updated her followers on her ongoing contract situation with TLC.
“This episode was filmed a while ago, and since then, I’ve worked hard to get out of my contract — and succeeded!” the reality star wrote. “I have not only endeavored to distance myself from hate, bullying, but also reported harmful behavior, and tried to stand up for what is right. It sickens me to see violence, hatred, and dysfunction presented as entertainment.”
Olivia concluded the message by noting that, although she was still bound by a non-disclosure agreement, she would answer any questions from fans as she could.