The Plaths, yet another seemingly ideal family, were introduced to viewers when Welcome to Plathville debuted on TLC in November 2019. Kim and Barry Plath followed stringent restrictions and religious precepts as they reared their ten children in a rural area of South Georgia.
However, their older children, Ethan Plath, Moriah Plath, and Micah Plath, were growing up and leaving the house to live life on their own terms. Meanwhile, an ongoing family feud has been brewing for years. But was it finally squashed in 2022? Here’s everything we know so far.
Welcome to Plathville: What was the Origin of Family Feud?
In Welcome to Plathville Season 1, Ethan and Olivia had just recently tied the knot, and it appeared that the seeds of their conflict with Kim and Barry had already been planted. Ethan’s parents’ stringent regulations would never have enabled him to experience things like his first basketball game, his first time seeing a movie in a theater, watching TV shows like Friends, or even opening his first can of Coca-Cola, which Olivia introduced Ethan to as they adapted to married life.
In addition, Ethan Plath and Olivia Plath had things in their marital home that are unheard of in the Plath family home – including alcohol and more. Meanwhile, as fans have seen, Kim let loose in recent scenes. But at least back then, these drastic changes laid the groundwork for the conflict that was to come.
Ethan & Olivia a Bad Influence on the Other Children?
Olivia and Ethan were at odds with Barry and Kim, largely because they were concerned that Ethan and Olivia’s carefree lifestyle might have a negative impact on their younger children. As a result, Ethan and Olivia were forbidden by Barry and Kim from spending time with Ethan’s younger siblings.
When they came back for Welcome to Plathville Season 2, Ethan confessed that he and Olivia had severed ties with his parents because of the hurt they had experienced from being denied permission to see the family.
Season 2 ended with a heated argument between Ethan and his father regarding how his father treated his wife after they were unable to resolve their issues. Meanwhile, this festering, unresolved conflict is what got the ball rolling on Ethan and Olivia moving away from Cairo.
Welcome to Plathville Family Rift Got Even Worse
Ethan and Olivia traveled to the Plath family home in the tense Season 2 finale to say goodbye to Ethan’s siblings. Olivia remained in the car as Ethan informed his parents of their plans.
Barry and Kim, however, would only consent to let Ethan see his siblings if they were present. In response, Ethan said that he would not see his siblings again until they all turned 18.
Of course, as Welcome to Plathville fans know, that hasn’t been the case. But at the time, it looked as though the rift between family members was irreparable.
Family Drama Continued into Season 4
As Welcome to Plathville viewers saw in Season 4, Ethan had tense meetings with both Barry and Kim on separate occasions. Meanwhile, even though Ethan seemed more willing to bury the hatchet with his father, his mother was a different story.
Ethan blames his mother for the way they were raised. And he was quick to point out the hypocrisy as all of the Barry and Kim divorce drama played out in scenes. At one point, Ethan even asked his mother if she had any remorse for the way she treated him and his wife.
Kim Plath went on to say that she felt “bad” about how that whole situation went. But, even though Ethan eventually agreed – somewhat reluctantly – to begin to mend the relationship with his mother, his wife, Olivia, was not as forthcoming.
Olivia Plath Not as Willing to Forgive as Her Husband
Even though Ethan Plath seems open to mending fences with his mother, his wife, Olivia, still holds a grudge.
As things are, both Olivia and Kim Plath have their share of haters. And in the previous Welcome to Plathville season, Ethan Plath’s wife went into greater detail about Kim’s dark side and made some disturbing claims.
Olivia Plath said that when she was 16 years old, Kim Plath took her under her wing and made her feel “important”. Olivia added that she “trusted” Kim more than her own mother at one time.
Kim, according to Olivia, was the “mom figure” she sorely needed – because Olivia didn’t receive the attention she needed at home, growing up as one of 10 siblings. And, even though everything seemed to be going well, their relationship soon deteriorated.
According to Olivia Plath, she started to feel that she was being “used” by Kim. She claimed that Kim would only consider her to be of “value” if she complied with her requests.
She also said that while Ethan was just 20 years old, Kim was using his credit card to make purchases for herself. And according to Olivia, there were a lot of “what the fu**” moments, such as Ethan not knowing the password to his account, which seemed to give Kim the freedom to do as she wanted.
Olivia said that she changed Ethan’s password and kept it a secret from Kim. In response, she alleged that Kim “blew up” on her. Ethan Plath’s wife said that Kim did indeed change “overnight” after that. And according to Olivia, Kim even went so far as to claim that Olivia had the “devil” in her.
Welcome to Plathville Feud Still Going?
With Welcome to Plathville off the air, viewers are curious about how things are now – especially since TLC cameras stopped rolling. As for Ethan and Olivia, they recently celebrated the five-year anniversary of their first kiss in early November 2022. So despite ongoing divorce rumors for the pair, they seem to be in a good place in their marriage.
As for Kim Plath, she was recently arrested and charged with a DUI relating to a crash that took place in June. Based on that incident, Kim’s vehicle was found upside down in a ditch. And those on the scene noted that she was intoxicated – with the smell of booze coming from her.
So if nothing else, there’s plenty of off-camera drama to dig into that goes beyond the current family dynamic. And with Welcome to Plathville Season 5 not yet announced by TLC, viewers will have to wait and see if this ongoing family feud is addressed in a future season.
For even more of the latest Welcome to Plathville news, come back again to Screen Legion.
