despite their size, they’re just like anyone else.
How 7 Little Johnstons came to be
How did7 Little Johnstonscome about in the first place?
And we were on there because he focused on, I guess, extraordinary families.
That first season of his talk show was not really based on celebrities.
It was based on everyday families that had different things going on.
What was the experience like when you first started being filmed?
How quickly did everyone become accustomed to having cameras follow them around?
I feel we quickly adjusted.
The biggest thing was the production crew adjusting to us.
We’re a very large family.
We’re a very busy family, active.
It’s pretty seamless when it comes to what we’re doing front of the camera.
What is it about your show, do you think, that makes it stand out?
All of us would agree that we’re very relatable.
It’s not a little people show, that they do some stuff.
It doesn’t slow us.
Well, you know what?
Do you think that’s changed society’s attitudes?
It has changed, but it hasn’t changed enough.
We still have a long, long, long ways to go.
And the thing is… Really, there’s not.
There’s a few, but when you look at it, how many average-size people shows are there?
There’s far more average-size people’s shows than there are little people shows.
No, we just say it’s whatever TV show it is.
And that’s the mindset that we not only have, but we…
It’s different," and I think that until society realizes that, “Yeah.
How has that impacted the way your show is filmed and what you’ve been doing?
So, upon arrival last August, it’s different.
I mean, it’s definitely different just throughout.
We can’t be as close.
As far as filming goes, I mean, sure.
We film a lot more inside and outside the house.
It takes a lot more planning as far as, where are we going to go?
What are we going to do?
Just because of COVID.
And just everybody’s…
But, I mean, we’re still moving forward and, hopefully things are going to get better.
I think it’s going to be a new normal, so we just all have to adjust.
So congratulations on that.
How did you do that?
What was the secret?
Well, it’s really no secret.
But due to back injury and then surgery, it became easy and a way of life.
But my goal is probably about another five or six more pounds and then be good to go.
Be back down to high school weight, which will be amazing.
I can only dream.
I also read that you’re conquering TikTok now.
How did that come about?
Emma, our youngest daughter.
She is, I mean, like queen of TikTok.
And so I would start doing it.
The whole family would do it.
And she’s like, “Aargh.”
I said, “Emma, I’ve listened to you upstairs, practicing for hours.
You want me to do this on the first try?”
“Well, I know, but we just got to do it.”
It’s so fun, they’re funny.
It’s always a challenge to get all seven of us doing one.
What kind of response have you been getting from those videos?
I guess pretty good.
I don’t know, I guess I’m old.
I’m more an Instagram person.
So I think we’re doing pretty good.
So, I don’t know.
Have you ever encountered that?
And they know how to tell you everything that you’re doing wrong.
We get it, probably if we go outside of our bubble, like outside of school, work.
We get it daily.
But, clearly, it’s very hard to know somebody watching them 44 minutes a week.
But in 44 minutes, you don’t see the entire picture.
I mean, it’s just impossible.
We wish we could show everything for sure.
But there’s obviously not enough airtime for that.
But, yeah, viewers feel like you owe them something as well.
But if Tom Cruise lived across the street from us, we would not show up at his house.
His day job is to make movies.
That’s what he gets paid for.
That’s how he pays his bills.
That doesn’t give you the right to want to come into my house.
And you know, it’s great to hear those.
And then it is exactly why we do what we do.
That’s exactly why we do this.”
And it doesn’t get rid of the negativity, but it helps balance it out more.
That was an amazing experience.
We didn’t want just some lounge vacation.
Obviously, we wanted a trip that our kids could experience culture, but could also experience…
They have an orphanage, and just different things like that, and we were able to do that.
The show has definitely allowed us… We don’t work for free.
We’re obviously making some money.
It’s allowed us to just be able to do things.
I mean, we work even when the show’s not here.
So, obviously, my husband works a full-time job.
I work a full-time job.
Three of our kids work full-time jobs, and we work on the show.
So it’s not like when the show’s not here, we’re just out gallivanting and traveling.
We’re still just normal, regular people.
Ah, we’ve been doing them so long… Yeah.
And of course, having five kids, things pop up and, and situations arise.
And so we capture those and those may trump the other things that we thought.
So, I mean, sure.
There’s times that things don’t make the cut, but I’ve never…
I don’t think any of us have ever watched it and then like, “Oh.
It should have been something else.
Another scene that we filmed should have been in there.”
So currently viewers have so many different platforms to be able to see different parts of the show.
I’d be crazy to say that, no, it hasn’t.
I think, if anything, it’s taught them value, it’s taught them work ethic.
When we started this journey, we started it with, “This is a job.
It’s a family job in a sense of family business, and we’re all seven in it.
Our little kids, they run a full-time online shop of their own.
Our biggest mission was that we started as the Johnstons and we will finish as the Johnstons.
We’re not going to become some high-end Kardashians.
I don’t think so.
I mean, I think as far as answering [questions in] interviews and stuff, absolutely.
Because my kids are very…
But I don’t know, overall, just because it does kind of have a downfall.
Well, we are continuing with Elizabeth possibly learning how to drive and getting a car.
I know that we do… Let’s see, what else?
Because he’s not taking the college route.
7 Little Johnstonsairs on TLC.
