As the entertainment world becomes more diverse, seeing people with dwarfism on TV is not uncommon anymore. However, there’s more to “7 Little Johnstons” than their health and physical appearance, as the family’s healthy dynamics, lifestyle and personalities are what definitely captured everyone’s hearts since the series’ inception in 2015.
While being one of the most wholesome and loveliest families in the reality TV genre is not an easy achievement, the Johnstons also face a lot of complex situations in their everyday life, but it’s their resilience and will to make their dreams come true that inspires us the most.
Knowing it’s not always easy to keep up to date with our favorite shows and their stars, we bring you all the details about the Johnstons’ current life, what happened to their show and so much more, so take a seat and enjoy it!
🌟Christmas tRaDiTiOnS🌟 pic.twitter.com/fycvMR7hwp
— 7 little Johnstons (@team7lj) December 12, 2021
What Happened To The Family?
Although the Johnston family has been on TV for only five years, they have already conquered their audience’s hearts with their antics and light-hearted humor. While many know them as the ‘world’s largest-known little family’, the Johnstons don’t let their dwarfism or any other difficulty get in their way.
In case you haven’t been keeping up-to-date with this well-loved TV family, then worry no more. Fortunately for all of us, “7 Little Johnstons” still airs regularly on TV, finishing its 10th season in early January 2022. The most relevant happenings during said season include Brent leaving his old job, the unexpected but pleasant arrival of a new family member, and the continuation of the mother-daughter quarrel between Ambar and Anna, which has been a constant since the previous season.
All in all, it seems that life for the Johnstons has been quite eventful as of late, but they’re still the same kind and welcoming family we’ve gotten to love over the years.
Did They Adopt Another Child?
The 10th season of “7 Little Johnstons” showed us the introduction of a new family member, but it’s not an adopted child as many people incorrectly assumed. Although at first the show teased viewers by making them believe Amber and Trent were taking a sixth and ‘grown kid’ into their family, the truth is that the guy was an exchange student named Joose Jeskanen.
Joose arrived from Finland in October 2021, and spent the next couple months living with the Johnstons to learn the English language. The family warmed to him so quickly that Amber and Brent started calling him their new son, even if Joose already has a family in his native country.
Unfortunately, Joose’s three months in the US went by just a little too fast, and when he left in January 2022, the Johnstons were heartbroken. As seen on Emma’s Instagram, saying goodbye was bittersweet: ‘I can’t believe my best friend is leaving to go back to the lovely family he has; these past 3 months have been a great ride’.
Joose’s departure was sad to say the least, but the Johnstons assured the goodbye wasn’t definite, as they probably plan on visiting him in the future.
Why Are They So Polite?
Throughout the years they have been in the entertainment industry, the Johnstons have taught us valuable lessons about family, kindness and resilience. However, the family is no stranger to scepticism and criticism due to their sometimes old-fashioned ways of berating their children, even though some of them are already independent adults.
While that specific aspect of their dynamics might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s true that a good part of the “7 Little Johnstons” audience enjoy seeing them behaving according to their ‘Southern values’.
As Trent said in an interview with the website Southern Living, he and Amber encouraged their children to act following the ‘traditional morals’ they were raised with: ‘there’s a difference between being strict and rude, and being strict and disciplined’.
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For the Johnstons, respect is the foundation of their lifestyle. By teaching their children to hold each other as well as themselves in high regard, they’re hopeful they would be wise enough to follow a right path in life: ‘It may not mean something to some people, but it means a lot to us’.
Now that the answer is out there, you will probably better understand why the Johnstons’ children say ‘yes, ma’am’ and ‘no, ma’am’ to their mother.
The Johnstons’ Finances
The life of a TV star is known to be stressful but entertaining. However, appearing in a reality show doesn’t always mean its cast gets to live a glamorous and luxurious life, as fame doesn’t always include great financial benefits.
According to The Sun, the cost per episode of reality series is around $200,000, but could go higher depending on the show’s concept and locations. Out of that amount, 10% is destined to pay the cast’s salaries, which means that the Johnstons are paid around $20,000 per episode, if this estimation is correct.
Nonetheless, any loyal viewer of the “7 Little Johnstons” knows that despite their newly-acquired fame and potentially good salaries, the family is humble. It’s not only the fact that Amber and Trent kept their regular 9-to-5 jobs even after becoming famous, but their lifestyle is nothing out of the ordinary
Reportedly, the most expensive acquisition the family has ever made is the house they bought in Forsyth, Georgia in 2021. Though the property’s 10 acres of land is surely good for sunny Sunday barbecues, the house only has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, which is hardly excessive considering the size of the Johnstons’ family.
In conclusion, the Johnstons don’t have serious financial problems, but it’s safe to assume they’re not rich either. So…
…why Do The Kids Have Money Problems?
Knowing the Johnstons are most-likely well paid for their TV appearances, people often wonder why the family’s kids were apparently short of money when the subject of their independence was brought up.
If you’re one of those people, you’re not alone.
The topic has been often discussed on the show’s Reddit community, on which users questioned the Johntons’ financial habits and where does their generous TV money go, seeing that the children can’t afford living away from home without apparently struggling.
Though no one from “7 Little Johnstons” has answered these questions so far, it’s logical to think that the topic was inserted in the show to add a little bit of drama. While this is only an assumption, it’s not far-fetched to think it’s true, considering that reality shows often use these types of resources to keep the audiences well entertained.
Amber And Trent Love Story
For such unique individuals such as Trent and Amber, it’s surprising to find out that their love story started quite simply.
As it happens, Amber and Trent had been attending gatherings for little people since their teens, until they met each other by chance and stayed in contact. They eventually fell in love and had a four-year-long, long-distance relationship, which resulted in marriage. Less than six months after tying the knot, Amber was pregnant with their first son Jonah, who was diagnosed with dwarfism while still in the uterus.
It was then when their story took an unexpected turn. Due to her achondroplasia dwarfism, Amber’s pregnancies endangered her life, and dislocated her hips. By the time Elizabeth was born, it was evident that Brent and Amber’s dream of having a big family wasn’t possible without putting her life in risk. That’s until the possibility of adoption entered their minds.
Anna from Siberia was the first adopted child to join the Johnstons, followed by Alex from
South Korea, and Emma who comes from China. The family’s choice to adopt foreign children comes from their concerns regarding the situations that orphan kids face in these countries, as dwarf kids are usually less-likely to be taken in by a family.
Marriage Issues
Just like any normal couple, Trent and Amber have faced their fair share of marital problems. Nonetheless, exposing their relationship through a TV show has made their marriage an easy subject of criticism.
Back in 2019, the trailer for the “7 Little Johnstons” fifth season raised eyebrows everywhere, for showing an evidently upset Amber saying ‘sometimes I’m not thinking the best thoughts about Trent’.
Her words spread like wildfire, and soon rumors about the couple’s upcoming divorce were out of control.
It was the right time for Amber and Trent to take matters into their own hands. In an interview with the website Good Housekeeping, they affirmed their decades-long relationship wasn’t going through a hard time, faulting Amber’s early scandal-inducing comments to the stress of parenting: ‘We not only hit a big mark with the kids, and all of them having their own personalities, but it’s definitely put a heavy strain on Trent and I’.
Dealing with teens is an universally-acknowledged hard task, but the Johnstons affirmed to be doing their best to keep it together, regardless: ‘A relationship, parenting, and marriage is a constant work in progress. With both of us feeling that and knowing that, we don’t give up’.
While many wanted a more exciting and gossip-worthy revelation about Trent and Amber’s marriage, no one can fault them for preserving their right for privacy.
Who Broke Elizabeth’s Heart?
Sometimes children grow up just too fast, that by the time we realize it, they’re already going away to college or introducing their significant other to their families.
In the case of Elizabeth Johnston, seeing her becoming a teen happened just too soon for everyone who had been following “7 Little Johnstons” from its premiere in 2015. However, one of the biggest changes was to see her seriously date her classmate James, who had asked her out for their 2020’s homecoming party.
From then on viewers saw James regularly in the show, becoming very close to the Johnstons. Nonetheless, the seemingly perfect teen romance ended in early 2021, when James broke-up from Elizabeth through text messages, and shared a pic with his allegedly new girlfriend only a couple of weeks later.
Despite the upsetting situation, Elizabeth fortunately got over her ex-, and started dating her new boyfriend Brice in late 2021. Although it’s still too soon to say if their relationship will last, the cute couple seems to be happy enough for the moment.
Why Did Trent Quit His Job?
One of the most shocking moments of the 10th season of “7 Little Johnstons”, was to see Trent quitting his long-time job as a ground supervisor.
As Trent affirmed in the show, his unconformity with his job’s management and other work-related issues played a big role in his decision to leave his now-former employer. However, what bothered him the most was the disrespect towards his profession: ‘comments have been made before that we’re just grass-cutters’.
The afternoon in which Trent resigned, he had sent a message to Amanda telling her he wasn’t ‘feeling it anymore’ in his work-place, which she admits had worried her: ‘it definitely concerned me. Things have been kind of rough lately at work. Situations that aren’t really improving’.
Trent moved on to work in the more financially beneficial field of car sales. As seen on his Instagram page, Trent’s work as a sales agent in a local car dealership interestingly enough is in direct competition to the business his son Jonah works in.
Is Amanda Sick?
It’s always worrisome to know that the health of one of our favorite TV stars is not well, but the situation is evidently more serious if it has something to do with cancer.
Although Amanda Johnston fortunately doesn’t have cancer, in 2021 we were overly concerned about her health, when she affirmed that a spot was growing on her back. According to Amanda, it was alarming for her as another spot with a similar and possibly cancerogenous composition grew on the same place on her back years prior. She had it removed, but the constant fear of it growing again was always present.
After her most recent spot was examined and nothing bad was found in it, Amanda was free to continue with her life. However, these types of incidents are a constant reminder of how grateful we must be of the little good things life gives us, which goes accordingly with the many positive lessons that the lovely Johnstons’ family has taught us so far.
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