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Little People, Big World star Jacob Roloff has alleged that a producer on the TLC reality series sexually abused him after “a long grooming process.” In an Instagram post, Roloff claimed that he was molested by Chris Cardamone, a producer on Little People, Big World from 2007 to 2010.
“It is often much easier to think about things than it is to talk about them, and so this disclosure has been delayed, but through that delay, I have found the fortitude and words,” wrote Roloff, 23, in a lengthy Instagram post published Tuesday. “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.”
“I do not expect to provide details of this encounter at any point publicly,” he continued. “I do hope he is never allowed around children again.”
Decider has been unable to locate Cardamone or a representative for comment. However, TLC has since addressed Roloff’s allegations, telling USA Today in a statement that it just learned of the “alleged encounter that occurred years ago involving a third party connected to the production of Little People, Big World.”
“We are saddened and troubled by this very serious allegation, and TLC will work cooperatively with the authorities,” said the network’s statement. “Our main focus remains on supporting the Roloff family during this very difficult time.”
Little People, Big World centers on Amy and Matt Roloff, who both have dwarfism, and their four children — twins Zach and Jeremy, both 30, Molly, 27, and Jacob. Jacob Roloff was just nine years old when Little People, Big World debuted in 2006, and over the course of the show’s 21 seasons, viewers have watched him mature into a teen, and now, a young adult.
“I continue my own contemplation on the voyeurism involved in the entire enterprise of reality television — a massive spectacle of drama and pain and argument and invasion, with a little joy sprinkled over, that viewers watch completely dissociated from the complex humans inside the simplistic ‘characters’ they see on TV,” Roloff wrote on Instagram. “I often ask sincerely, from this complex perspective: is it simply taken as granted that we should be capable of watching someone grow up week by week on TV? How does the environment of prying eyes, both lens and audience, affect self-perception?”
Roloff concluded by noting that “all fault lies with the predator, and no fault lies with any of my family members.” Added the Little People, Big World star, “I am certain that this is a positive moment for me, and another step toward a brighter future.”
