Welcome to Plathville’s Ethan and Olivia Had an 8-Year Relationship Before Announcing Their Split

2018

Ethan and Olivia tied the knot in October 2018. According to the duo, their family drama began when they first got engaged.

“When we were dating, I knew that I was being controlled in what we were allowed to do, what we’re allowed to say,” the photographer explained to Us Weekly in August 2021. “I remember the night that it clicked for me was the night we got engaged. We come in the door, [Kim] waited up for us and she, like, grabbed my hand and looked at the ring. And the first thing she said was, ‘Oh, I want to trade rings with you.’ And I was like, ‘OK, that’s really weird.’”

The next day, Kim told Olivia she wanted to start wedding planning and Olivia said she began treating the nuptials “as if it was hers.”

“In that meeting, [she] basically told me what we were going to be doing,” Olivia continued. “And that was the moment where I was like, ‘I don’t want to be controlled like this.’ I never got to tell my mom that I was engaged before [Kim] posted it online. That’s how my mom found out.”

2021

Apart from their family drama, Olivia was unhappy living in Ethan’s hometown. While Ethan enjoyed his “country lifestyle,” Olivia wanted to be “more stimulated” in a bigger city.

During season 3, which was released in 2021, Olivia made the big decision to move out of the couple’s marital home. “Until he figures out what he wants, I’m not really able to have a relationship with him,” she said. “So I’m going to move in with a friend for a while.”

2022

By season 4, Olivia and Ethan were living together again after moving to Tampa, Florida, with Ethan’s sister Moriah Plath and Olivia’s brother Nathan Meggs.

“It feels great to be back together,” Ethan said on the season 4 premiere in May 2022. “Especially considering we were really really, close to getting a divorce and going our separate ways.”

However, the couple’s family drama was only reignited after the Plaths decided they wanted to come together to visit the grave of brother Joshua Plath, who died in 2008, on what would’ve been his 15th birthday.

While Ethan agreed to be there for his family, Olivia chose not to join the rest of the family and waited in the car instead. Ethan felt Olivia had thrown a “tantrum” and was making the day about herself instead of his deceased sibling — and it led to a big fight between them when Olivia confronted Ethan about being “rude” to her that day.

JUNE 2023

Rumors of Ethan and Olivia’s split first ignited after Olivia’s younger sister, Sophia Meggs-Roberts, commented on a YouTube video regarding the Plaths and their connection to the controversial Duggar family documentary, Shiny Happy People.

“I’m Olivia’s sister. Olivia and Ethan are in the middle of a divorce. And season 5 should be out very soon,” Sophia wrote in the since-deleted comment. While Sophia did not expand on her remark, Olivia quickly responded to her sister’s allegations in an Instagram comment on June 22.

“Sophia is my younger sister, but her and I have a very distant/strained relationship due to our worldviews and reactions to the ultra-religious world we were raised in. Subsequently, she actually isn’t a reliable source when it comes to my personal information as she doesn’t know about my personal life,” Olivia wrote. “There is a lot of speculation going around, but if Ethan and I had something to share, we would. Thanks!”

SEPTEMBER 2023

Welcome to Plathville returned for season 5 and the couple’s move from Tampa to Minnesota was documented.

Olivia previously teased via her Instagram Stories that she hoped the big move would “bring more joy, health and fun” into her marriage and life. However, as the season progressed, the couple began questioning whether they were the same people they fell in love with.

“When we first got married, we were pretty much on the same page. Political beliefs, religious beliefs and now we’re on opposite ends of the book,” Ethan explained during the season. Ethan also confessed that he felt he and Olivia had been “drifting apart on some fundamental stuff.”

OCTOBER 2023

Ethan was seemingly spotted dancing with a mystery brunette at a local bar in Minnesota. In photos shared online by blogger Without a Crystal Ball via Instagram on October 2, the eldest Plath son reportedly was seen dancing hand in hand with a mystery woman.

The pair swayed closely on the dance floor, while a live band played in the background. Underneath the post, another social media user asked for more details and the original poster of the photos confirmed they had a close view of the interaction, writing, “It was Ethan. Dimples and all.”

Ethan and Olivia confirmed their split later that month in a statement on Instagram.

“Ethan and I have decided to go our separate ways,” Olivia wrote in a lengthy message on October 27. “I have ambivalent memories of us being 18 years old, innocently dreaming of forever – but the partner you choose is a reflection of the world you want to live in, and at 18 I didn’t know who I was or what kind of life I wanted to create for myself. 7 years later, I’ve already begun my journey of questioning, deconstructing and rebuilding and I know that is a process that I will continue to prioritize throughout my life.”

The photographer continued, “There were good moments and I want to remember and honor those. We fell in love as children and are going our separate ways as adults. Wiser, older, and braver. We will be okay. Thank you for the good times, Ethan. I wish the best for you.”

Ethan followed up with his own message, writing, “Olivia and I have parted ways. It just didn’t work between us, though Lord knows we both gave it all we had. It seemed we were constantly pulling each other in opposite directions in life with different goals.” He continued, “I wish Olivia the best in the future ahead. I care for her deeply and always will.”