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Amy Roloff

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Amy Roloff
Roloff in 2007
Born
Amy Jo Knight

(1962-09-17) September 17, 1962 (age 62)
Michigan, U.S.
Occupation(s)Television personality, author, motivational speaker
Years active2005–present
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1987; div. 2016)​
[1]
Chris Marek
​
(m. 2021)​
Children4

Amy Jo Knight Roloff Marek (born September 17, 1962) is an American television personality, author, baker, and motivational speaker. Roloff is best known for her reality television role on TLC's Little People, Big World.[2] The show featured the daily life of the Roloff family, where the two parents have dwarfism.[3]

Early life

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Roloff was born Amy Jo Knight on September 17, 1962[4] to Gordon Knight,[5] who worked for Ford,[6] and Patricia Knight (died 2019).[7][8] Her parents had three other children: Cyndi (died 2015),[9] Katherine, and Roger.[10] She was born with a genetic condition called achondroplasia that causes short stature.[11]

Roloff attended Franklin High School in Livonia, Michigan.[12] She earned a degree in business from Central Michigan University.[6]

Career

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Television

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Roloff and her family began taping Little People, Big World in 2006. She has also been featured on The View,[13] Jay Leno,[14] Oprah,[15] Good Morning America, Celebrity Buzz, Celebrity Chopped,[16] and the Rachel Ray Show.[17]

Books

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In 2012, a book by Roloff, Short and Simply Family Recipes, was published by WestWinds Press. It contains 75 original family recipes.[18][4] She is also the author of an autobiography, A Little Me, and Little People Big Values.[19][6]

Amy Roloff's Little Kitchen

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In 2016, Roloff opened an online bakery named Amy Roloff's Little Kitchen. Some of her products include seasonal baked goods.[20][21]

Charity

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In 2009, Roloff founded the Amy Roloff Charity Foundation.[22] She uses her fame to help youth at risk and people with disabilities. Roloff has also donated to the Dwarf Athletic Association of America and a foster care organization, and supported low-income senior housing and homeless shelters.[23]

Motivational speaking

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Amy Roloff also works as a motivational speaker.[24] She was the keynote speaker at Lakes Health Conference in 2010,[25] Empowering Women in Business Conference (EWIB) in 2015,[26] Adrian College's Dr. James Borland Convocational Series in 2019,[6] and Women's Power Lunch.[27] She participates in the Get Motivated business seminar speaking series.[28][29]

Personal life

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Roloff, then Amy Knight, met Matt Roloff at a Little People of America convention in 1987. The two married on September 12, 1987. They had four children: fraternal twins Jeremy and Zachary (born 1990), Molly (1993), and Jacob (1997). The couple publicly expressed interest in a divorce in March 2014.[30][31] On June 5, 2015, the couple officially announced a divorce.[32] The divorce was finalized in May 2016.[33]

Amy and Matt owned a 100-acre (40 ha) farm near Helvetia, Oregon.[34] The farm opens to the public during October, featuring attractions such as a pumpkin patch.[4][35] In 2009, a woman who visited the farm sued the Roloffs, claiming to have fallen due to their negligence of safety procedures. The couple denied wrongdoing and the case was settled out of court in 2013.[36] Due to the divorce, Matt bought the farm from Amy, and she purchased a new home in Oregon.[37]

The couple also owned Roloff Farms Salsa, a pumpkin salsa company.[38]

On September 19, 2019, Amy became engaged to then-boyfriend Chris Marek.[39][40] They were married on August 28, 2021 at Roloff Farms.[41]

References

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  1. ^ Grinberg, Emanuella (June 5, 2015). "'Little People, Big World' stars Matt and Amy Roloff filing for divorce". CNN. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  2. ^ "Little People, Big World Star Amy Roloff's Mom Dies at 86". Yahoo!. September 30, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  3. ^ Lee, Felicia R. (March 2, 2006). "Documenting a Family That Comes in 2 Sizes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c "Roloff the Record". oregonwinepress.com. September 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  5. ^ John, Caroline (June 21, 2018). "Amy Roloff's Wiki: Facts to Know about the "Little People, Big World" Star & Mompreneur". Earn The Necklace. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d Jennings, Zeke (March 13, 2014). "'Little People, Big World' star Amy Roloff delivers message of perseverance during Adrian College speech". mlive. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  7. ^ Barrientos, Selena (November 24, 2019). "Amy Roloff Shares a Heartbreaking Instagram About Her Mom and Fiancé Chris Marek". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  8. ^ "Little People, Big World's Amy Roloff Speaks Out After Her Mother's Death: 'Life Is a Gift'". People. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  9. ^ "'Little People, Big World' Star Amy Roloff Pays Tribute to Late Sister on Trip With Boyfriend Chris Marek". Reality TV. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  10. ^ "'LPBW' Star Amy Roloff Was Close With Her Parents Before Mom's Death". In Touch Weekly. October 1, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  11. ^ Adams, Barbara B. (September 18, 2018). Women, Minorities, and Other Extraordinary People: The New Path for Workforce Diversity. Greenleaf Book Group. ISBN 978-1-62634-508-9.
  12. ^ "Amy Roloff Celebrated Her Dad's 90th in Michigan Five Months Before His Birthday". Distractify. May 7, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  13. ^ "Amy Roloff, alumna, star of 'Little People, Big World' to speak at Plachta Auditorium Sept. 27". cm-life.com. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  14. ^ The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, retrieved November 27, 2019
  15. ^ "Little People in a Big World". Oprah.com. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  16. ^ "Reality TV Stars". Food Network. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  17. ^ Inside Rachael's Prep Kitchen with Amy Roloff, November 1, 2012, retrieved November 27, 2019
  18. ^ "Short and Simple Family Recipes". goodreads.com. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  19. ^ "Read Amy Roloff's New Book". TLC.com. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  20. ^ "About Amy – Amy Roloff". Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  21. ^ "Amy Roloff's Little Kitchen: Find out More About Her Online Baked Goods Business". In Touch Weekly. May 29, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  22. ^ "Amy Roloff Charity Foundation". Amy Roloff Charity Foundation. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  23. ^ "Rebecca Halpin Ross and Amy Roloff 12 Zach Roloff & Tori Patton 13 Huy Nguyn | Portland Society Page". www.portlandsocietypage.com. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  24. ^ Lee, Brian. "Speaking in Dudley, Reality star Amy Roloff urges women to focus on 'you'". telegram.com. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  25. ^ "Roloff to serve as Lakes Health Conference keynote speaker". The Daily Reporter. Archived from the original on September 4, 2010.
  26. ^ "Amy Roloff to Speak at the Empowering Women in Business Conference". Nichols College. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  27. ^ "Amy Roloff keynotes Women's Power Lunch". Sioux City Journal. April 25, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  28. ^ "Amy Roloff and April Osteen Simons share motivational message". WJLA. August 25, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  29. ^ "Hodge on 7th". Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  30. ^ Goronja, Ariel (May 7, 2019). "Amy Roloff's Kids & Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  31. ^ "Amy Roloff on Her Separation: 'It's Like a Death'". ABC News. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  32. ^ "'Little People, Big World' stars Matt and Amy Roloff separate". Los Angeles Times. March 12, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  33. ^ "'Little People, Big World' Star Hopes to Reconcile With Husband". ABC News. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  34. ^ Turnquist, Kristi (March 14, 2018). "Oregon's Roloff family returns in 'Little People, Big World': 'This is insane'". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  35. ^ "Roloff sues county over trespass claim". Capital Press. December 16, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  36. ^ "Farm Of Horrors! Woman Claims She Suffered Serious Injuries On 'Little People, Big World' Property – Sues Stars Amy & Matt Roloff For $1 MILLION | Radar Online". RadarOnline. August 14, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  37. ^ "'Little People' Star Amy Roloff Buys $588K Oregon Home". RadarOnline. November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  38. ^ "Where Is 'Little People, Big World' Roloff Farms Pumpkin Salsa?". Entertainment, Celebrity, TV, Culture. August 4, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  39. ^ Moniuszko, Sara M. "'Little People, Big World' star Amy Roloff is engaged to boyfriend Chris Marek". USA Today. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  40. ^ "'Little People, Big World' Star Amy Roloff Is Engaged: 'I'm So Surprised'". MSN. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  41. ^ "Little People, Big World's Amy Roloff and Chris Marek Are Married: See the Photos!". People. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
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