Little People, Big World star Matt Roloff and his longtime partner Caryn Chandler have officially ended their relationship after eight years together. The split comes just over a year after the TLC series aired its final season in February 2024. The pair first grew close when Chandler started working on Roloff Farms. Their friendship eventually turned romantic in 2017, and after six years of dating, the couple got engaged in 2023 with plans to marry in 2024. However, the wedding never materialized. The couple repeatedly postponed their plans, and unresolved family issues appeared to take a toll on their future together.
Roloff announced the split from Chandler in an Instagram post shared on July 22. In his statement, he emphasized that the decision was mutual, made on good terms, and that they still hold great respect for each other. He acknowledged the many wonderful memories they have shared and thanked fans for their continued support. Matt Roloff ended the message on a hopeful note, saying he was choosing to look ahead and move forward with positivity and trust, but didn’t provide any specifics on why they chose to split. However, there have been quiet signs that all wasn’t well between the couple.
The Split Between the TLC Couple May Not Be as Mutual as It Looks
Although Roloff framed the breakup as a mutual decision, new reports suggest otherwise. According to The US Sun, a source close to the Roloff family revealed that it was primarily Chandler who chose to walk away. They also mentioned that the family was completely blindsided by the breakup. In the months leading up to the breakup, Roloff and Chandler appeared to be happy on the farm. And as recently as April, Matt Roloff even posted Instagram photos of them enjoying a night out at a concert. The sudden split has left even those in their inner circle trying to make sense of how things fell apart so quickly.
art of the answer may lie in the weight the relationship has carried for years. Chandler had worked at Roloff Farms as an employee long before becoming Roloff’s partner, and fans have speculated that their relationship began while Roloff was still married to Amy Marek. Marek herself alleged in her book, A Little Me, that Roloff and Chandler were romantically involved during their marriage. Plus, the timing of how quickly Roloff and Chandler’s relationship became official after the divorce only supports those beliefs. The backlash never really faded. Chandler was labeled a homewrecker, and their relationship remained a target of ongoing scrutiny and speculation. That persistent tension may have finally taken its toll.
The Roloff Family May Have Played a Major Role in the Breakup
When Roloff announced his engagement to Chandler, he shared that they were looking forward to a simple but elegant Hawaiian wedding in 2024. But those plans were quickly put on hold so Roloff could focus on caring for his aging mother. Over time, the wedding kept getting delayed, and their plans never moved past vague ideas. Little People, Big World‘s Season 25 finale showed that the couple had very different visions for the big day. Chandler said she wanted a small, intimate ceremony, while Roloff casually replied, “Maybe,” suggesting he was leaning toward a larger celebration with extended family and friends. Even that small exchange hinted at deeper disagreements when it came to how involved the family should be.
Chandler also had ongoing difficulties dealing with Roloff’s extended family. Roloff shares four children with his ex-wife, and he maintains a friendly relationship with Marek and her new husband. That closeness has often brought awkwardness to his relationship with Chandler. In an April 2024 Little People, Big World episode, Chandler admitted that blending families hadn’t been easy and that she’d worked hard to set boundaries in second relationships. But those boundaries were tested repeatedly. Matt Roloff also wanted to hold the wedding at Roloff Farms, the same place he had married his ex-wife. Chandler rejected the idea because she felt it was too rooted in the past. She wanted to create new traditions, not revisit old ones. The emotional baggage of Roloff’s family history may have ultimately been too much for the relationship to survive.