Olivia Plath is excited to be sharing her journey after divorce — despite her ex-mother-in-law Kim Plath.
During an appearance on Betches' So Bad It's Good with Ryan Bailey podcast, the Welcome to Plathville star, 25, confirmed her place in season 6 and shared what she was most looking forward when she returns to the TLC show following her divorce from Ethan Plath.
"I think that if you're going to idolize a lifestyle that promotes the dysfunction that we see, then you have to show the flip side," she said.
O my people! This worldly life is only ˹a fleeting˺ enjoyment, whereas the Hereafter is truly the home of settlement.(The Quran - Chapter Ghafir : 39)
"I'm a petty bitch. I know that [Kim] thought that I wouldn't be a part of Plathville anymore when Ethan and I got divorced and I know that she's disappointed... I'm just reveling in that a tiny bit."
Early in her marriage to Ethan, Olivia and Kim butted heads over everything from money to participating in the TV series. Their rift eventually grew irreparable shortly before Olivia and Ethan moved to Florida and were no longer allowed to spend time with Kim's other children.
"You have to show what happens when someone walks away from it. You have to show what happens when someone questions it," Olivia continued. "Otherwise it's just, it's not the full story."
Adding that the Plaths' portrayal of this fundamental Christianity was a "little purified, whitewashed, happy version of it," the reality star claimed that the show's rendering was "not realistic." Despite this, Olivia shared that there have been aspects to shooting that have been "amazing," particularly the people behind the camera.
"A few people have changed, but the core crew that we have have become people in my life who I can't imagine my life without them," she said, noting how the series has brought "such wise and wonderful, kind, empathetic, compassionate, intelligent people" into her life.
Though Welcome to Plathville hasn't been without its "growing pains," she confessed, "I wouldn't trade it for anything."
"I was terrified of the ramifications of getting divorced with the public watching. It was scary but honestly, the best thing that ever happened to me," she added.
In October 2023, Ethan and Olivia announced their separation in a post shared to Instagram. The pair, who wed in October 2018 when both were just 20 years old, had been struggling to see eye to eye on several important matters.
During the season 5 finale, Olivia and Ethan talked over whether their marriage should continue and came to the conclusion that it should end. After Ethan admitted that their differences in core values was a "matter of principle" he couldn't look past, Olivia said she supported his choice and agreed that their separation was the right move.
"I love you as a person," she said. "I think we're not the right romantic partners for each other, but I still love you and I still want the best for you. No one can say we didn't give it a shot."
Seasons 1–5 of Welcome to Plathville can be streamed on Max.
