Ethan Plath Clearly Did Not See His Parents' Divorce Coming
Season 4 of TLC's "Welcome to Plathville" has perhaps been the reality show's most dramatic and surprising season to date. After Season 3 showed the family's eldest son Ethan Plath taking time to separate from his wife Olivia Plath (via In Touch Weekly), this season, his parents seemingly started to follow in their footsteps. They are even taking it to the next, more finite level.
Over the course of Season 4, fans of the hit show have watched the demise of the marriage between matriarch and patriarch — Kim and Barry Plath — unfold. The season started with the rocky marriage taking a turn toward separation. It was recently announced via People that the Georgia-based couple was ending their 24-year marriage for good.
Soon after the public statement, the show captured the moment that Barry told Ethan — the last of the nine Plath children to be informed — the news. And his raw reaction makes it clear he was surprised.
Ethan Plath says his parents' divorce is 'a lot to take in'
In the latest episode of TLC's "Welcome to Plathville," Barry Plath sat down with some of his children while breaking the news of his separation from his wife Kim Plath to Ethan Plath. At the time, he was the only sibling that didn't know the current trajectory of the marriage.
The network's Twitter account posted a clip of the emotional scene that showed Ethan's visceral reaction. While Barry began the conversation with saying how he and Kim separated, Ethan empathized as he and his wife Olivia Plath were in a similar situation in Season 3, Us Weekly reported. However, Barry picked up on this and revealed that the separation didn't stop there: Ethan's parents were headed toward divorce.
"I'm sitting over there looking at Ethan, and he's just sitting there absorbing the shock," Barry told the cameras in a confessional. "So I mean the shock wave, he felt it. I could see it visibly on his face."
"I would say that I am upset for sure, but I'm glad that my dad actually wanted to tell me in person, you know," Ethan said in a confessional.
Toward the end of the clip, Barry said to Ethan, "You're kind of quiet, you just listening?"
Ethan let out a nervous chuckle and said, "Yeah, it's a lot to take in."