‘Welcome to Plathville’: Olivia Has a ‘Meltdown’ Over Memorial for Joshua Plath

TL;DR: 

• Members of the Plath family reunited to honor the life of Kim and Barry’s son Joshua in the July 26 episode of Welcome to Plathville.
• Olivia refused to attend the graveside memorial for Joshua when she learned her mother-in-law Kim would be there. 
• Olivia’s husband Ethan and her sister-in-law Moriah were upset that she made herself the center of an emotional family moment. 

An emotional reunion turned tense on the July 26 episode of the Plath family’s TLC show. The Plath siblings and their parents came together on Welcome to Plathville for a memorial to honor their late brother and son Joshua Plath, who died in 2008. But Ethan Plath’s wife Olivia Plath had what she described as a “meltdown” when she realized that her mother-in-law Kim Plath would be at the graveside ceremony. The drama left Ethan and his sister Moriah frustrated by Olivia. They felt she had hijacked a meaningful family moment. 

The Plath family comes together to honor Joshua Plath on ‘Welcome to Plathville’ 

The once close-knit Plath family has become divided in recent years. Ethan and Olivia are estranged from his parents, Kim and Barry Plath. Olivia has steadfastly refused to have any contact with her mother-in-law, though she has started communicating with Barry. Meanwhile, Kim and Barry’s 24-year marriage has broken down, and the couple’s nine children have felt forced to choose sides in the divorce. 

Despite the division, the Welcome to Plathville stars recently agreed to come together to honor Joshua on his birthday. Joshua was Kim and Barry’s 17-month-old son who died in 2008 after a tragic accident on the family’s farm. 

“I just really want to make sure that today is [about] remembering Joshua and not any drama,” Moriah said. 

Olivia Plath refuses to attend Joshua’s memorial

Unfortunately, Moriah’s hopes for a drama-free family gathering were in vain. Once Olivia learned that Kim would be attending the event in the cemetery, she had what she later described as a “meltdown.” She made it clear that she wasn’t comfortable being around her mother-in-law, no matter the circumstances. Her husband described her reaction as a “tantrum.”

Eventually, Ethan, Moriah, and several of his younger siblings drove to the cemetery on their own. Olivia got a ride with a Welcome to Plathville crew member. But once she arrived, she refused to get out of the car. The 23-year-old later said she felt paralyzed by conflicting emotions and wasn’t sure what to do in the situation.

Ethan and Moriah are fed up with Olivia’s behavior

Olivia has not been able to move past her traumatic relationship with Kim. Up until now, other members of the Plath family have tried to be respectful and understanding of her choice not to communicate with her mother-in-law. But Moriah and Ethan felt Olivia crossed a line with her behavior at Joshua’s memorial. 

In an interview, Moriah said she’d spent years working around Olivia’s feelings. Now, she’s reached her “breaking point.” 

“Today is not about her,” a visibly upset Moriah said. She added that she was tired of walking on eggshells around her sister-in-law.  

Ethan is also at the end of his rope with his wife. 

“I feel like Olivia should understand that this is my sibling and it’s my mom and my dad’s child and this is why we came up here to go see him on his birthday,” Ethan said in a confessional. “I wish this wasn’t such a big deal.”

Later, he expressed his disappointment that Olivia was not there for him in a difficult moment when he had done so much to support her over the years. 

Ethan and Moriah’s brother Micah was also annoyed by how his sister-in-law acted. 

“I feel like Olivia should understand that her feelings are definitely important,” he said. “But not everything is about her feelings … work on your garbage later.” 

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