Summary

• Olivia and Ethan’s divorce was influenced by Ethan prioritizing his love for classic cars over spending time with Olivia, causing pain in the relationship.
• Olivia felt rejected by Ethan and was hesitant to confide in him about her feelings, leading to a lack of communication and understanding in their marriage.
• Ethan and Olivia’s differing priorities and changes in their lives caused them to feel disconnected from each other, ultimately leading to the end of their marriage.

Welcome To Plahville’s Ethan Plath and Olivia Plath have recently announced their divorce, leading many to wonder what issues both on and off-screen led them to the decision. Olivia married Ethan in October 2018 at just 20 years old, and at the time, they were both hopeful that their relationship would last a lifetime. For Ethan, meeting Olivia was a breath of fresh air. He was happy to have someone who shared his morals and values, but also understood that his family was complicated and could help him find himself outside of their dynamic. While Ethan wasn’t sure what he wanted, he knew Olivia was supposed to be part of his life.

For Olivia, she saw herself in Ethan. Clashing with her own fundamentalist family, Olivia had made more considerable strides to distance herself from her parents and knew she could help Ethan do the same. Throughout Welcome To Plathville season 5, Olivia and Ethan have been more open about the struggles they’ve faced in their relationship. Rather than simply wading through their difficulties with the Plath family, Ethan and Olivia have been discussing their communication and understanding issues. Both have shared that though they’ve tried to make their marriage work, there are genuine pain points they’ve struggled with.

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Ethan Was Choosing His Hobbies Over His Marriage

Ethan’s Car Obsession Hurt Olivia’s Feelings

While Ethan and Olivia have hobbies and interests outside of and separate from each other, the couple sometimes found themselves at a loss, choosing each other over their interests. Olivia, a photographer by trade, enjoys traveling and does quite a bit of it for work, photographing engagements and weddings in various locales. While Ethan took umbrage at Olivia’s consistent travel schedule, he was unmovable regarding his hobbies. Choosing his love of classic cars over spending time with Olivia more often than not, Ethan’s decision not to prioritize his marriage was hard on the relationship. Despite having a new community to learn together, Ethan’s choices hurt Olivia.

Olivia Wasn’t Confiding In Ethan About Her Feelings

Ethan’s Rejection Of Olivia Stung

While Olivia felt rejected by her husband, it became clear to viewers that she wasn’t comfortable enough to share her feelings with Ethan. Though Olivia has spoken up about her feelings for Ethan many times in the past, it’s evident that she felt uncomfortable doing so in her marriage as Welcome To Plathville season 5 continues. In a recent episode, Olivia described her rejection to a friend over lunch but mentioned she hadn’t spoken to Ethan about it yet. Though she’s been withholding her feelings, the fact that she doesn’t feel safe sharing with her husband is a tougher pill to swallow.

Ethan Was Absent More Than Olivia Liked

Olivia’s Schedule Was Hard To Keep Track Of

Although Olivia was often traveling due to her photography business, Ethan was missing from the pair’s relationship more often than his wife. While Ethan has spoken about being proud of Olivia for building her own photography business, the fact that she has to be away while working occasionally was rough on the eldest Plath son. Rather than spending time with his wife while she was home, Ethan became more absent than ever on Welcome To Plathville. Filming scenes without each other, Ethan forged a better bond with his family back home and his new community in Minnesota, leaving Olivia to figure things out on her own.

Olivia Was Traveling & Working As Much As Possible

Olivia Prioritized Work Over Ethan

Although Olivia felt rejected and left out of her relationship, she still chose to prioritize her work as she moved through a tough season of life. Olivia’s involvement with Welcome To Plathville has boosted her photography business. As a result, she often travels to take jobs away from home, photographing life events all over the country. While Ethan struggled to prioritize his wife when she was home, Olivia had her issues being home at all. She continued to choose work that would push her to travel away from her marriage despite knowing that things weren’t going well between her and Ethan.

Ethan Was Dealing With Legal Issues In Minnesota

Ethan Wasn’t Acting Responsibly

Ethan and Olivia’s decision to move to Minnesota was a huge choice. Still, it felt right, especially after the couple continually dealt with issues with Ethan’s family in their native Georgia. After moving to Minnesota, the couple had the opportunity to learn more about each other, especially in a more isolated situation. Unfortunately, Ethan wasn’t behaving as responsibly as he led anyone to believe. After ignoring several parking tickets, Ethan was convicted of a misdemeanor, pleading guilty earlier in 2023. Rather than acting like an adult and caring for his responsibilities, Ethan let things go by the wayside after his move.

Olivia Was Feeling Left Out Of Ethan’s Life

Ethan Wasn’t Letting Olivia In

As a married couple, Ethan and Olivia have spoken about the fact that they’ve been honest in their communication, sharing everything with one another. In the years of their relationship, Ethan and Olivia’s bond has been tested, but it appears they’ve always been open to repairing things together. More recently, Olivia has openly felt left out of Ethan’s life. During moments with her friends and family on Welcome To Plathville, Olivia has shared that she doesn’t know Ethan’s plans and that he hasn’t been sharing things openly with her. Feeling blocked out of her husband’s life was tough for Olivia to understand.

Ethan Was Hoping To Start A Family, But Wasn’t Sure About Olivia

Ethan’s Sentiments hurt Olivia

During a recent Welcome To Plathville season 5 episode, Olivia shared with a friend that while her stance on children hasn’t changed, there has been some movement on Ethan’s. Though Ethan didn’t confirm his stance, Olivia shared that Ethan openly wants children but not with Olivia. After the couple clashed over their beliefs earlier in the season, Ethan was confused about who Olivia had become. Olivia shared with her friend that Ethan is still on board with having children but doesn’t want kids with Olivia’s beliefs, values, or ideals. Though the sentiment hurt Olivia, it made things crystal clear about where Ethan stood.

Olivia Had Changed From The Woman Who Married Ethan

Ethan Didn’t Feel Connected To Olivia

Although Ethan may not be interested in having children with Olivia anymore, his point hinges on the fact that Olivia has changed since they got married. While Olivia and Ethan have likely both had some change in the last 5 years, Ethan feels that the changes Olivia has gone through have been extreme, to the point that he doesn’t recognize her in the same way he used to. Going from 20 to 25 years old is a huge shift mentally. Olivia and Ethan have changed immensely, but unfortunately for Welcome To Plathville‘s Ethan, he feels the changes have been too much for their marriage to survive.