Meet the reality TV stars of rural Georgia: the Plath family.
The Plaths were first introduced in the TLC series Welcome to Plathville in November 2019. It follows Barry and Kim Plath along with their nine (9) living children – Ethan, Hosanna, Micah, Moriah, Lydia, Isaac, Amber, Cassia, and Mercy Shalom – and their ultra-conservative lifestyle. When we say ‘ultra-conservative, we’re not exaggerating.
Get this: The Plath children grew up not having tasted sweets because of their no-sugar diet. They didn’t know any celebrities because they had never watched TV or used cell phones. They haven’t listened to any music except Southern gospel. They also didn’t travel and were all homeschooled, so they were quite detached from 21st-century reality.
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However, as the children got older, Barry and Kim had to face their cravings for independence and life choices that didn’t fit how they were raised. These contentions between and among the family were major highlights in the show.
If you’re a new viewer trying to catch up with everything, here is a quick guide to every member of the Plathville family.
Barry and Kim Plath
Barry Plath was born in March 1968 and currently works as a transportation planner for URS Transportation, where he has been affiliated with for over two decades. He is four years older than his wife, Kim, who was born in August 1972. Kim, who was a music major back in college, currently works as a naturopathic doctor. They married in July 1997.
Barry and Kim Plath are Christian fundamentalists who raised all ten of their children (one passed away, then 15-month-old Joshua Samuel, in September 2008 in a car accident) on their 57-acre farm in Georgia.
Being devout fundamentalists, they take the Bible very literally. It is why they decided to keep their family at a distance from the outside world and employ very strict rules around the house.
Additionally, in an interview on the TV show, Kim said that her childhood trauma born out of alcoholic and absent parents led her to this unique approach to parenting. But it seems like Kim is breaking out of the cocoon as she recently opened a dance studio.
Last June 2022, the couple announced that they had split.
Plath Trivia: Kim was arrested for a DUI charge in Florida on October 20, 2022. This came as a surprise for fans considering her strong views against alcohol consumption.
In a report by The Sun, Kim had been hit with a citation due to an open alcohol container in 1991. She also had a history of drinking and partying in college.
Ethan Daniel Plath
Barry and Kim welcomed their firstborn, Ethan, on May 14, 1998. And he is one of the more controversial of the Plathville cast. That is, on October 13, 2018, Ethan married wedding photographer Olivia Marie Meggs.
Olivia has been a source of conflict in the Plath family as she never really bought into the strict family rules. In fact, she introduced Ethan to sweets and desserts and indulged his siblings in everything forbidden.
In 2020, the couple opened up about their estranged relationship with Ethan’s parents and that they had to abide by supervised visits to see his siblings. As fans found out, the couple moved to Tampa, Florida, sold their house, then stayed in Paris for a month. And just recently, they officially live in Minnesota. Ethan currently works as a mechanic.
Plath Trivia: Ethan’s wife, Olivia, met his mom Kim when she was just 16. They started out having a great relationship, but things turned sour at some point, and they ended up not seeing eye-to-eye.
Hosanna Plath-Noble
This is Timothy & Hosanna Noble. She is the eldest Plath daughter. They live in Ohio with their child. pic.twitter.com/r9TA5o7jvt
— Alara Fair (@Just_Alara) August 25, 2021
Hosanna was born a year after Ethan in August 1999 and is the eldest daughter of the Plaths. But unlike her siblings, she hasn’t been seen on the show. That is, Hosanna married her now husband Timothy Noble on June 29, 2019, and immediately moved from their home in Georgia to Ohio. And she has also actively chosen not to appear on Welcome to Plathville.
Hosanna is described as something of a musical prodigy. She started getting music lessons from her mother at five and picked up the violin as her instrument of choice. She went and studied voice at the Stamps-Baxter School of Music under Allison Speer but opted to continue learning through practice and playing on her own. She then traveled for five years doing concerts with the family and released three solo albums – all before meeting her pianist husband in 2016.
The couple has one baby boy (born in 2020) and now tours as a music duo. You can catch their schedule here.
Plath Trivia: They have a band and a YouTube channel @theplathfamily9404, where they used to upload videos of their performances.
Micah Plath
Micah was born on March 10, 2001, and he followed in the steps of his older brother Ethan to step away from the family.
In November 2021, the Plath heartthrob updated fans with his big move to Los Angeles. He wrote on his Instagram that it had been an adventure and made him look at life from a different perspective. It also brought him to a realization of how small his hometown was.
Micah is pursuing a modeling career and is signed to Select Models. In 2021, he landed the cover page of Boylicious Magazine. If you want to be in the know about the latest happenings about him, check out his Instagram.
Plath Trivia: You can request a personalized greeting from him on Cameo for $50.
Moriah Jasper Plath
After the arrival of Micah, the Plaths welcomed Moriah on August 28, 2002.
Moriah has been known to be the independent sibling and rebellious child. So, it was no surprise when she moved out of their home, just like her older brothers and sister.
Moriah stayed with Ethan and Olivia in Tampa and then parted ways with them after the lease ended. According to her interview with Fox News (along with Micah), she was still close to her parents even though she had moved away. She appreciated them for allowing her to go down her own path.
According to Moriah’s Instagram bio, she is a singer-songwriter and dancer. She also started a YouTube channel in 2021 (@moriahjasperplath5070) with almost 8,000 subscribers.
She was previously in a relationship with entrepreneur Max Kallschmidt. The couple broke up in 2021 after two years of dating, speculated to have been caused by Max cheating on her.
RELATED: What Happened with Moriah and Max from ‘Welcome to Plathville’
Plath Trivia: Moriah has a fur baby named Blackjack, who accompanies her on her many adventures.
Lydia Joy Plath
Lydia came on February 4, 2004, and she is quite the opposite of her sister, Moriah.
She’s conservative in her fashion choices – natural makeup, a functional wardrobe, and simple hairstyles. She always followed her parents’ rules though back in season 2; she did ask for a cellphone to keep in contact with her siblings who have moved out of their home.
Kim agreed but only allowed her to get a basic one that couldn’t connect to the internet. Then in late 2022, she finally joined Instagram. Fans felt that it was time she had one.
Lydia also had a style transformation. After accidentally burning her hair, she chopped it off and redid it. She documented the process on video and shared it by posting an Instagram reel. Fans definitely loved her new look. And more importantly, they were glad to see her trying something different and out of her comfort zone.
Plath Trivia: Lydia sacrificed a lot obeying her parents – even cutting off ties with a family friend from church who was her crush.
Isaac Plath
Just a little over a year later, Barry and Kim had Isaac.
Isaac was born on October 21, 2005, and is the family’s youngest boy. He is very much like his sister Lydia – a rule follower and a mediator. In December 2021, just months after Lydia opened an Instagram, he followed, surprising many fans.
He shares many of his new adventures on the platform, especially his pilot training. Isaac has also started flying solo, but when he’s on the ground, he works on planes as part of his new job at a local airport.
Plath Trivia: Isaac is also very interested in working out, just like his older siblings!
Amber, Cassia, and Mercy Shalom Plath
The last of the Plath siblings are Amber (February 24, 2009), Cassia (June 2011), and Mercy (February 13, 2013). The three girls are still under the care of their parents. They have appeared a few times on their siblings’ Instagram, but little is known about them.
Plath Trivia: They all play instruments.
And that’s a wrap on the Plath family! Season 5 has not yet been confirmed, but if the rumors are true, then fans can expect to see them on TV this 2023. And this might not be the same Plathville scenery as they’re allegedly filming in Los Angeles! Exciting!
