Isabel Roloff of Little People, Big World fame explained to her fans why she chooses to share parts of her son Mateo’s body, but not his face on social media.
Isabel and her husband Jacob Roloff welcomed their first child, son Mateo Tomas, on December 4, 2021. Mateo’s name, in part, pays homage to his famous grandfather, Matt Roloff.
Since welcoming their son, Isabel and Jacob have made it clear that the public will never see Mateo’s face online.
In September 2021, ahead of Mateo’s birth, Jacob warned his followers, “Thank you thank you for friendly comments however none of you (online) will ever ‘see’ my son. It is, specifically, not personal.”
A few weeks after Mateo’s birth, Isabel answered a Q&A in her Instagram Stories and explained, “We knew before we had him that we wanted to protect his privacy online.”
She added, “Ultimately Jacob said from the beginning that we will share very little about our kids and I agreed. So now we are navigating that daily, checking in with each other about comfortability and what we choose to share.”
Isabel Roloff explains why she shares parts of son Mateo but not his face
Isabel has stayed true to her promise, only sharing parts of Mateo on social media, such as his hands and feet, or photos only showing the back of the infant or obstructing her followers’ view from seeing his face.
Many LPBW viewers were outraged over Isabel’s decision, and some still continue to question her and Jacob’s motives to this day. That was the case recently when a critic accused Isabel of shielding Mateo’s identity only for Jacob’s sake.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Isabel first shared a slide explaining the backlash she continues to receive, writing, “Some people have said I’d probably post [Mateo’s] face if it weren’t for Jacob. Well, maybe? Who is to say?”
Jacob Roloff’s molestation at the hands of an LPBW producer played into his and Isabel’s decision
Isabel continued, “We had this discussion a few days after I found out I was pregnant. With what Jacob has been through, it was not a surprise to me that this is what he would want.”
Isabel was referring to Jacob revealing in December 2020 that he was molested by one of LPBW’s field producers, Chris Cardamone. Due to his unfortunate circumstances, Jacob vowed that the public would never see Mateo’s face, in order to protect his son.
Isabel noted that she was “happy” with her and Jacob’s decision and said they feel good about it “every day.”
She added, “However, I am also thankful Jacob is comfortable with me sharing parts of him at all. Even if it is just his toes or his hands or whatever it is.”
For any curious LPBW viewers, though, Isabel was sure to share that her and Jacob’s family and friends get plenty of pics of Mateo throughout the day: “I do spam our loved ones with Mateo photos daily though ??? you’re welcome.”
Little People, Big World is currently on hiatus.
Good for you! Nick Jonas and his wife haven’t shared their baby’s face either and I haven’t heard one person say anything about that.