The Biggest Fights Between Welcome To Plathville's Olivia And The Rest Of The Plath Family

Since its premiere in 2019, "Welcome to Plathville" has held TLC's viewers in its grip as it chronicles the life of Kim and Barry Plath, a conservative couple in rural Georgia raising their nine children — Moriah, Ethan, Hosanna, Micah, Lydia, Isaac, Amber, Cassia, and Mercy. Despite Kim and Barry's divorce in 2023, the show continued, with certain children playing more prominent roles in the series' evolving storyline.

Ethan Plath, the eldest of the Plath siblings, is a central figure in the reality show. In 2018, he married Olivia Plath, and the tension between the couple and the rest of the family has been a constant thread since the series began. Olivia often found herself at the center of family conflicts, becoming the Plath's scapegoat in many arguments. While some of the criticism was justified, at times it appeared that she faced criticism from everyone for the most minor issues. Many of the fights referenced on the show weren't directly captured on camera, but their aftermath has been a major focus in multiple seasons.

Olivia's most significant source of conflict has been with her mother-in-law, and this tension eventually affected her relationship with Barry as well. Initially, some Plath family members — notably Moriah Plath — sided with Olivia, but over time, even they turned away from her.

In the Season 4 finale of "Welcome to Plathville," as reported by People, Olivia Plath shared details about the early tensions with her mother-in-law Kim Plath, revealing a surprising origin. Olivia explained that initially, she and Kim had a close relationship, with Kim acting as if they were best friends, despite Olivia being just 16 years old at the time. "[She] made me feel important," Olivia explained. "I trusted her more than I did my own mom."

However, the relationship soured after Olivia married Ethan Plath, Kim's son. Olivia discovered that Kim had been using Ethan's credit card without permission and had no intention of repaying him. To stop this, Olivia changed Ethan's passwords linked to the card. Upon finding out she couldn't access her son's account anymore, Kim allegedly threw a fit. 

Olivia emotionally reflected on the incident. "Being wanted by someone doesn't mean they love you. They can want you because you meet their needs, not because they want to meet yours," she said.

In response to Olivia's allegations, the family addressed the situation via a post on Moriah Plath's Instagram account. They stated that Ethan and Kim "had a business agreement in which Ethan earned a good bit of money," adding that "both parties were aware of any transactions that were made." They underscored the importance of family and concluded by asserting that nobody is to blame for how things went down.

Though not a direct confrontation, this incident sure made Olivia Plath dislike how her wedding day came together when she married Ethan. The friction apparently arose when Olivia and Ethan Plath became engaged in 2018, and Kim Plath seized the opportunity to impose her preferences on the newly engaged couple.

In a 2021 interview with Us Weekly, Olivia disclosed troubling aspects of her mother-in-law's behavior. From wanting to swap their engagement rings and posting about the engagement on social media before Olivia had the chance to share the news with her family to seizing over the organization process of the big day, Kim demonstrated a level of involvement that Olivia found unsettling. Wedding planning commenced immediately at Kim's request, with Olivia feeling that Kim was dictating all of the arrangements. "And that was the moment where I was like, 'I don't want to be controlled like this,'" the reality star recalled.

Despite being his mother, even Ethan acknowledged that Kim went too far. In the interview, he admitted, "My mom definitely planned the wedding, more so as if it were hers." A couple of weeks prior, Ethan's brother, Micah Plath, shared additional disconcerting details with the outlet, stating, "[The wedding] was at [Kim's] place. She had what she wanted to do." Olivia and Ethan even admitted to the tension rocking their relationship at the time and that trying to deal with Kim's meddling didn't go over well.

The family feud started escalating once Kim Plath felt the need to assert control over the lives of Olivia and Ethan Plath, despite the couple being independent and living on their own. "It was just, like, a pattern that she tried to make a lot of decisions for me," Olivia explained to Us Weekly, adding, "The wedding was where a lot of that culminated, but it was just across the board."

Once the pair moved in together, Ethan was able to break away from some of the strict rules the Plath kids had to follow. According to In Touch Weekly, Olivia and Ethan faced criticism from Ethan's parents because they kept alcohol in the house and consumed sugar. Ultimately, Kim and Barry Plath went to the extent of forbidding them from visiting due to concerns that their lifestyle might have a negative influence on the younger family members. This prompted Olivia and Ethan to distance themselves, causing additional strain on the family dynamic.

Olivia previously addressed Kim's controlling nature in a Season 1 episode of "Welcome to Plathville," highlighting their differing beliefs, as reported by People. "I was criticized for what kind of toothpaste I used, or what I ate, or what I wore, or what I did. I feel like I was constantly critiqued," Olivia stated. Kim, however, did not see herself as overly controlling and claimed that the issue was not discussed at that point, according to her perspective.

Jumping ahead a few seasons, it appears that the Plath family remains far from resolving their issues with Olivia Plath. In the Season 5 premiere, Barry and Kim Plath convened to discuss Olivia's behavior alongside two of their children, Moriah and Micah Plath, and the tone was far from amicable, as noted by People.

Micah remarked, "[Olivia] always talked c**p. And Ethan has; I really feel like he's absorbed all of that." Barry added, "It's called brainwashing." Moriah chimed in, seemingly expressing regret over her past friendship with Olivia and referencing the notorious credit card story, alleging that Olivia flat-out lied to enhance her own credibility.

Despite the family's ongoing criticism of Olivia, Ethan Plath remains staunchly supportive of his wife. In 2021, before Ethan and Olivia's move from Georgia, Ethan confronted his parents about their refusal to accept Olivia. In the episode, he declared that he wanted no contact with them unless their behavior changed. When he forbade them from going over to Olivia, who was waiting in the car off-camera, it almost led to a physical altercation between Barry and Ethan. Eventually, tensions subsided, and Ethan walked away. Based on Plath's comments in Season 5, it seems little has changed in the years following that confrontation.

Once basically inseparable, Olivia and Moriah Plath's friendship has deteriorated to the point where communication between them is sparse. The ultimate turning point came when Olivia decided to pass on attending Joshua Plath's 15th birthday commemoration. Joshua's tragic death occurred in 2008 at just 17 months old when he was accidentally run over by his mother, Kim Plath. According to People, the Plath family had planned to gather in his memory, but Olivia opted out due to her strained relationship with her mother-in-law.

The family later reflected on the entire situation, expressing their disappointment with Olivia's decision. "I feel like Olivia should understand that her feelings are definitely important, but not everything's about her feelings," Micah Plath said. His sister, Moriah Plath, called it quits for good with Olivia that day and called her a fake friend. "Today I have officially reached my breaking point with all of this drama," she shared in her confessional. "I am so done. I am so over it."

As the episode neared its end, Olivia tearfully acknowledged her lapse in judgment and admitted fault for her actions. However, her behavior further strained her already troubled relationship with certain family members, and as Season 5 of "Welcome to Plathville" unfolds, it appears that the situation has not improved.