Matt Roloff has spoken out for the first time about his son’s accusations of sexual assault against a former Little People, Big World producer.
But the father of four may regret having done so right about now.
First, a refresher for those who may have forgotten or those who weren’t aware of this allegation in the first place…
In December, Jacob Roloff shared a lengthy Instagram message in which he named the aforementioned producer and said the molestation incident took place when Jacob was a cast member on the TLC program.
"As a child, after what I realize now was a long grooming process, I was molested by an executive field producer for Little People, Big World, Chris Cardamone," wrote Rolloff at the time.
Jacob went on to say that he wouldn’t be expounding on any details related to this encounter at any point.
However, he hopes that Cardamone is "never allowed around children again."
Years after the inappropriate touching took place, Jacob wrote that Cardamore reportedly contacted him (in November 2015) and:
"I choose to disclose it now as it remains a traumatic memory that needs to be exorcized of any further power over my development."
Jacob left Little People, Big World in the summer of 2016, stating at the time that the show was simply too phony, he couldn’t handle the scripted nature and how his family members have become "characters."
But he also noted that he didn’t blame his parents oor siblings for what happened to him.
Shortly after Jacob came out with this bombshell, his loved ones left messages of support on his Instagram post.
Now, though, Matt has talked about it in far greater detail.
The long-time reality star sat down a few days ago with Alec Lace, host of the First Class Fatherhood podcast, to talk about a variety of topics… including Jacob’s allegations of abuse.
“We as a family found out just two or three days before that Jacob sent out a text to the family, and it was hard. A heartbreaking revelation," Matt said in this interview, adding:
"It caught us all by surprise, we had no idea and he explained that this had happened back in 2015.
"It was a single incident, it didn’t happen on the farm, it happened off the farm."
There’s a decent amount to unpack there.
But Matt is getting dragged at the moment by those who think his response was wildly insensitive.
In the wake of these comments, fans of the show have slammed Matt for "glossing over" and "seeming to minimize" Jacob’s experience, with one critic going off as follows:
‘The Jacob thing’…. are you kidding me, Matt Roloff?… oh, and it only happened once.. and it wasn’t on the farm… IT HAPPENED… and they are still working with that awful network!!!
Added another:
Matt’s rationalized, minimized version is not factual. I hope Jacob finds the peace and support he needs/deserves.
Look, folks, does Matt come across a bit defensive in that reply? Yes.
But does anyone out there really doubt that he loves his kids and that it was heart-shattering to learn what happened to Jacob?
Matt also said this during his podcast:
"The Jacob thing was heartbreaking, a lot of tears, but we were also very, very, very, very proud of Jacob in the way he came out and getting it off his mind and chest so he could develop and continue his growth.
"His post said it all…
"We were taken aback and devastated by it to think something so crazy and evil could happen so close inside the family."
After making his statement and accusation late last year, Jacob said he finally felt a sense of freedom.
“Freedom and strength of mind,” Jacob captioned a photo of himself on December 18, adding back then:
“‘Birds sing after a storm; Why shouldn’t people feel so free to bask in whatever sunlight they have left?’”