Since debuting on TV in 2015, the Johnston family has taught everyone valuable lessons about resilience and courage. Through their show “7 Little Johnstons”, Trent, Amber and their children Jonah, Elizabeth, Anna, Joseph and Emma have overcome all types of challenges, not only physically due to their achondroplasia dwarfism but emotionally too, demonstrating that height is not important when it comes to making one’s dreams come true.
Nonetheless, these great aspects of the Johnston family have also been slightly shadowed by not-so-positive ones, such as Trent and Amber’s supposed outdated parenting rules, the dynamics of the children, criticism about the topics of their show, and other controversies.
So what happened to Trent and Amber from “7 Little Johnstons”? Keep watching to find out!
What Happened To Trent and Amber?
There’s no denying that the Johnston family gained a special place in their audience’s hearts from the beginning. By the time their show “7 Little Johnstons” premiered on TLC, the family was known as ‘the largest family in the world with dwarfism’ and their popularity only grew from then on.
Fast forward to the present, “7 Little Johnstons” has aired for almost ten years, with its 14th season premiering in early 2024. Throughout that time, we have not only seen the Johnston children growing and facing the challenges of early adulthood, but also Trent and Amber trying to be good parents. while also keeping their marriage alive.
With that being said, the Johnstons have all faced their fair share of controversies, especially when it comes to their parenting style, which has been deemed as ‘controlling’ by sites such as TVShowsAce. Their seemingly meddlesome attitude has caused issues between them and their daughter Elizabeth – ‘Liz’ – and other members of their family. On top of that, Trent and Amber have also been publicly criticized for showing a little too much of their intimate life on camera.
All in all, the Johnstons aren’t as polarizing as other reality TV stars, yet they wouldn’t be famous if they hadn’t been on the receiving end of internet comment, including hate.
Their Love Story
The story of how Trent and Amber got together is as sweet as it gets. As they recalled in an interview with Metro UK in 2015, the pair saw each other for the first time during an event held by the Little People of America organization, when Amber was 16 years old and Trent was around 19.
Although the event was for little people to meet and talk about medical issues, Trent and Amber immediately caught each other’s attention in romantic ways. It didn’t take long before they became friends, and later started dating.
— 7 little Johnstons (@team7lj) February 3, 2023
The pair tied the knot in late 1998, hosting a ceremony which was attended by over 300 people. Life seemed to be going as great as ever for the newlyweds, as only a couple of months after their wedding, they found out they were expecting a child.
The risks of Amber’s pregnancy while having achondroplasia were a big concern back then. Eventually, the couple overcame those difficulties, and welcomed their two biological children, Jonah and Liz, before adopting Anna, Emma, and Joseph ‘Alex’, all born in other countries.
At some point, Trent and Amber were nicknamed the ‘Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of Little People’, but they didn’t mind the comparison at all.
Liz’s Drama
Despite the lighthearted tone of “7 Little Johnstons”, the family members aren’t strangers to drama. One of the most famous is Trent and Amber’s disapproval of their daughter Liz’s romantic decision.
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In the 11th season, Liz’s parents openly stated their concern over her decision to move in with her boyfriend Brice Bolden, regardless of her adult age. As Amber affirmed in the show, she and Trent were afraid that Liz wouldn’t continue her career if she became pregnant or if she married. Liz’s parents also wanted her to get a master’s degree because it could push her career forward ‘in the long run’, though neither of these comments deterred Liz from moving in with Brice.
Trent and Amber’s concerns over their daughter’s well-being and future caused mixed reactions in the audience, with some fans going to sites such as Reddit to criticize the couple over their treatment of Liz and their other children.
Liz did become pregnant, immediately causing concerns for Trent and Amber because of the risks of Liz giving birth, being a woman with achondroplasia. Nevertheless, all of those worries were a thing of the past by the time Liz and Brice’s daughter Leighton Drew Bolden was born in November 2023, immediately awakening Trent and Amber’s grandparenting instincts, as seen on social media and the show.
What About Jonah?
Another highly discussed moment in “7 Little Johnstons” was Jonah’s unfortunate health scare, after consuming a type of marijuana. As seen in the 11th season, Jonah was at a gas station when he noticed that he couldn’t recognize where he was or remember much of what he was doing, suffering the effects of a synthetic marijuana known as Delta 8. Despite the complex situation, Jonah was luckily located safe and sound by his parents, thanks to the emergency services.
As Trent and Amber affirmed in an interview with Distractify, Jonah unwillingly consumed the drug and is in no way addicted to it. Nevertheless, that sad episode resulted in a downturn in Jonah’s mental health, leading to him returning to live in his parent’s house in 2022, to take care of his well-being. Trent and Amber fully supported Jonah’s decision, also admitting that they wanted to help destigmatize mental health issues.
While the pair have been at Jonah’s side on every step of the way, Amber and Trent have also been under fire for involving themselves in their oldest son’s private matters, such as checking the text message history between Jonah and his girlfriend.
What About Their Other Children?
While Trent and Amber are the main stars of “7 Little Johnstons”, their children also have very important roles in the show. Starting with Liz, she’s the one who’s attracting the biggest spotlight in the 14th season, because of her recent split from Brice Bolden, the father of her daughter.
Though in past seasons Liz had already touched the subject of her issues with Brice, the 14th season saw her confirming that there was no longer a ‘sparkle’ between her and her now ex-boyfriend. With that being said, the young parents still share lots of pics with their baby on social media, leading everyone to believe that reconciliation is not impossible.
On the other hand, her brother Jonah had kept a low public profile for some time, though that didn’t stop his family from celebrating his life milestones, such as celebrating his 24th birthday in December 2023.
The other Johnston siblings have accomplished a lot too, starting with Anna, who in early 2024 celebrated her college graduation. On top of that, her siblings Alex and Emma celebrated their high school matriculations that year.
All in all, everything points to the Johnstons are doing great nowadays, but how many dramas could be in store for them? Only time will tell!
