The Untold Truth Of Our Little Family

In February 2015, Our Little Family introduced the world to Maryland's Hamill family, and the Hamills made a big impression on viewers. As the show's website points out, all five Hamills — parents Michelle and Dan, son Jack, and twin daughters Cece and Cate — have achondroplasia, described in TLC's press release for the show as "an extremely rare form of dwarfism that is believed to only affect around one in 25,000 people."

Viewers immediately realized that what made the Hamills different was also what made them so relatable. "Despite life's obstacles, the family faces every challenge thrown their way together and always with a positive attitude," declared TLC. Speaking with Capital Gazette, Michelle shared the simple message she hoped viewers would take away from the series: "We're just like everyone else — just smaller."

Find out how much there is to learn about this inspiring family by delving into the untold truth of Our Little Family.

Had things gone according to plan, Dan Hamill wouldn't have been featured in a show alongside his wife and kids, but would have instead been the solo star of an entertainment series focusing on his furniture, cabinetry, and woodwork. As Capital Gazette reported, Our Little Family's producers initially discovered Hamill on a Facebook site devoted to furniture design. "The show was originally about Dan's work in people's houses, but its focus gradually changed to the family. Some of Dan's handiwork is still in the show," Michelle Hamill explained.

"The people at Discovery Communications posted something on Facebook that they were looking for a little person contractor and a friend of mine posted my name," Dan elaborated in an interview with Channel Guide. "They asked for my permission to call me and they did. We talked on Skype and they sent people out to speak to us. I guess they liked what they saw and wanted to share it with America!"

Once the plan for the TLC show shifted away from just Dan Hamill to include the whole family, he and wife Michelle Hamill gave the whole notion some serious thought, and they understandably had some reservations. "We certainly didn't jump right on it. We had a lot of questions and discussed it a lot between ourselves. But we weren't totally against it the whole time either. We were reassured pretty quickly that it would be interesting," Dan told OK! magazine. "Yeah, we certainly gave it a lot of thought before we said yes," Michelle confirmed.

As Dan explained, the deciding factor that led them to agree to Our Little Family was having the opportunity to share all aspects of their lives, not just their statures. "We want to tell the story that we're little, but we don't want that to be the only story that we tell," he told Channel Guide. "We want people to see how our lives are different from theirs because we're little and things we run into, but we also want people to see that our lives are really close to theirs — probably closer that they think."

For the Hamills, participating in their TLC show did not come without some trepidation about the reality of having cameras pointed at them all day long.

When Dan and Michelle Hamill did commit to opening up their lives for Our Little Family, they decided it would only work if they went all in, candidly sharing their lives with truth and honesty in order to provide viewers with an accurate depiction of their day-to-day struggles and triumphs. 

There was one area, however, in which both Dan and Michelle agreed to be a little more circumspect: the confessional interviews that have become a reality TV staple. "I guess with interviews sometimes ... we would sort of be careful what we talked about," Dan told OK! magazine. "We want to make sure what we say about little people is accurate and truthful and honest and of course the same applies for our children. We want to make sure how our children are depicted is accurate, but the rest was fair game."

Arguably, the most compelling aspect of Our Little Family isn't the fact that Dan and Michelle Hamill are little people, but that they're also raising three little people. From a parental perspective, the Hamills have a unique viewpoint to impart to their children based on their own experiences as little people navigating a world that hasn't been designed for them. 

"It's certainly different than if you're an average-size parent with a little-person child — you're probably much more concerned than we are in some respects," Dan told Channel Guide. "We've been there and that will help at any crossroads we come to, but we also look back on our childhood and we went through it relatively unscathed. Of course, it's still scary and you want everything to go well for your child and even better than what you had. But we didn't have any big nightmare memories, so we don't have as much fear going forward with our children as an average-sized person who is new to all this might."

Our Little Family ran for two seasons on TLC, concluding in October 2015.

Ratings for the first batch of episodes were solid, with a TLC press release proclaiming that the first season drew 1.7 million viewers and became a "top 5 cable program in its time period with women," citing data from Nielsen Media Research. This led to a fast renewal, although fans hoping for a third season were disappointed when Our Little Family didn't return after the second season ended.

Ahead of the second season's premiere, Michelle Hamill told Capital Gazette about some of the upcoming episodes, including a special crossover with the Roloffs from Little People, Big World that saw the Hamills travel from their home in Maryland to visit the Roloffs' Oregon farm. "That is my favorite episode," admitted Dan. "It was amazing." Dan also explained why he thought Our Little Family had connected with viewers. "Every life has drama, but we don't have over-the-top drama, just a lot of family activity," he said. "People who watch are realizing being little people affects our life, but doesn't hinder our life."

While some people would jump through flaming hoops for the opportunity to appear in a reality TV series simply to become famous, that wasn't a motivating factor for the Hamills. As the couple told OK! magazine, their primary goal for Our Little Family was to get out the message that little people are just people. "We certainly want to create awareness. I've said this before, I think because of other shows like Little People, Big World, we're a little more accepted on the street from people that never witnessed somebody like us before," explained Dan Hamill. 

"So the more awareness we could bring [to little people] that would be great," he added. "But we just want people to think we're entertaining and fun and that it's worth their time to watch. I think they'll pick out the things in our lives that are directly related to being little and I think they'll see a lot of things that have nothing to do with being little."

While sharing their lives for Our Little Family led to some big changes in the Hamills' lives, in some ways, things remained much the same as they were before. For example, Dan Hamill told Capital Gazette in 2015 that, during filming of the series, he continued to work full time. "They haven't gotten rid of me yet," he joked.

On the flip side, the family were recognized whenever they left the house, with Michelle Hamill recalling the time they walked out of a restaurant and "a man said, 'You guys are everywhere! On my TV, in the parking lot.'" Dan noted, "People have asked us for autographs," jokingly adding, "[By] next season, I'll have to learn how to write." He also quipped, "People want pictures with us. Under 30, they want a selfie. Over 30, they have a friend do it."

As for their children, Dan revealed at the time, "Jack realizes he's on TV, but the girls don't." He continued, "They think they're watching home movies. They wonder how people know their name." Overall, however, Michelle declared, "My life hasn't really changed all that much. It's good."