Bill Klein and Jen Arnold’s Life Beyond the Cameras: A Small Couple with Big Obstacles

Since their debut on television in 2009, The Little Couple has captivated us. Bill Klein and Dr. Jennifer Arnold, both dwarfs, are the subjects of the TLC show.

While the show is upbeat and encouraging, their experience has not been easy behind the scenes. The family has encountered numerous challenges, including physical and mental health problems as well as fertility troubles.

Let’s take a look at how Bill Klein and Jen Arnold got their start in reality television and the challenges they’ve experienced.

The Beginning

Due to their physical condition, the pair has endured a lot of difficulties and challenges, but they’ve always been there for each other.

Klein and Arnold, on the other hand, have known each other since before the TLC show premiered in 2009. They first met as children!

Hospitalisation

Klein and Arnold began having reconstructive surgery when they were barely children, as do many small people. He’s had roughly 20 and she’s had around 35 in all.

They met while having treatment at a hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, when they were barely ten years old!

They had the same doctor, but she had surgery and he had physical therapy. Arnold was very sick after receiving a blood transfusion, but she received an unexpected guest in her room—Bill Klein!

While she doesn’t recall their initial meeting, he does.

The Initial Meeting

Klein remembers their first encounter like it was yesterday, despite the fact that it was just a few seconds long.

“He remembers coming into my room and thinking I was incredibly cute, and I shooed him out, and my mom shooed him out because I was, like, puking.” But he was actually trolling the hall for ladies in his wheelchair when he met me,” Arnold told the Tampa Bay Times.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Bill told TLC. “I even recall the room where she was.” Regardless, she had completely forgotten about me.”

Different Paths

The two parted ways after their brief rendezvous at the hospital. However, they would reunite many years later. Their doctors attempted to match them when they were still in college, but it never worked out.

“Believe it or not, our doctor and nurse practitioner tried to set us up a couple times.” Bill and I both wanted to be doctors and shadowed the same surgeon, but I never met him because we did it at different times,” Arnold wrote in their book Life Is Short.

Klein, on the other hand, was dealing with his own problems and demons as they were being put up.

Dealing with Depression

It wasn’t easy for the pair, especially Klein, to grow up differently. He was teased and called names because of his tiny stature.

In their book Life Is Short, he writes, “Unfortunately, my unwanted and unearned celebrity effortlessly migrated from high school to college.”

Klein was depressed for a long time. “I’d had enough of hearing the term midget.’ I was tired of being a part of a group but feeling alienated. I’d had enough of the looks, pointing, and laughing, and I’d had enough of being alone “he continued.

Klein was going to reconnect with Arnold, so he wouldn’t be alone for much longer.

Dating Apps

After some time had gone, the pair reconnected on a dating service designed particularly for little people.

Klein sent Arnold a message, but she didn’t get it for two months because she wasn’t paying her subscription at the time. He told her that he recognised her, but she had no idea who he was because she hadn’t met him before.

“Hey, have we met at a convention?” she messaged him. Arnold told Glamour about it.

The only thing standing in their way was the fact that they lived 1,500 miles apart! This, however, was not going to deter them!

The Initial Date

Klein felt he was in love with Arnold after speaking over the phone for nearly a month, and he flew out to Pittsburgh to meet her in person. He boarded a plane to meet her for their first date! They also went to Starbucks before going out to dinner, as many couples do.

“That is a big gesture,” Arnold told Glamour, “but when you’re a little person and you meet someone, that happens all the time.”

So, how did they react to each other at first?

Initial Impression

Klein was apprehensive about meeting Arnold in person after their online encounter because he wasn’t sure if their connection would be as strong in person as it had been over the phone. But as soon as he saw her, all of his nerves vanished.

What sparked Klein’s curiosity? “I think the thing I like best about her is her grin. Aside from being a successful woman who never gives up and is outgoing and friendly, she has this amazing smile. It’s genuine, and it simply brightens a space. He told Glamour, “It never gets old.”

Feelings You Know

What was Arnold’s attraction to Klein?

“1) His sense of humour, 2) his baby blue eyes, and 3) I didn’t know much about Bill when we first spoke on the phone before we met, but the first time we spoke, I felt like I had known him my entire life.” It was the oddest thing, but it was fantastic. Arnold told Glamour, “I told him I could chat with him forever because it felt like I knew him forever.”

And before long, the couple was ready to take their relationship to the next level—they were about to make their relationship official!

Tying a Knot

Klein and Arnold were ready to take the next step in their relationship after starting an online interaction and then meeting in person and falling in love. The couple got engaged on November 3, 2006, and married just a few months later.

They married on April 12, 2008, in Florida, and the entire event was shown on television! Little People: Just Married, a one-hour TLC special, chronicled their trip to the altar.

But this special was only Bill Klein and Jen Arnold’s first public appearance. They were on their way to becoming renowned!

“The Tiny Couple”

Season 1 of The Little Couple began on May 26, 2009, following the couple’s introduction to TLC in Little People: Just Married.

The pair made their TV debut in 2009, but producers who wanted to record their wedding for a TV special turned them down. Even after producers returned with new ideas, they turned them down until they offered to make a show based on their daily life. However, the pair was still apprehensive to appear on television.

Famous on TV

While the producers were proposing ideas, Arnold was out shopping and met a girl who made her rethink her mind.

“In a store, a small girl came up to me and said, ‘You are a little person,’ and I answered, ‘Yes, I am, thank you very much,'” Arnold told PEOPLE. “We have a tremendous opportunity to raise awareness,” she told the newspaper.

The couple then shot a pilot, and the rest is history. Klein and Arnold were dealing with other challenges while the show was taking off.

Aspects of Fertility

The couple was eager to start a family, but obstacles arose. They attempted to conceive for years and when that failed, they turned to a surrogate. However, the surrogate had two miscarriages.

Klein was torn between having genetically his children and not having them. “When Jennifer and I initially started dating, my selfish attitude was that I wanted a kid who was genetically mine,” he told In Touch Weekly, before explaining that he changed his mind after they struggled with infertility.

As a result, they decided to adopt.

Adoption

Klein and Arnold decided to pursue adoption after struggling to conceive and experiencing two miscarriages.

“We talked about how many kids didn’t have a home, lacked love and support from a family, and were destined for a life of institutionalisation.” Klein told In Touch Weekly, “I don’t think I could have done a better job through surrogacy, the old-fashioned way, or anything else.”

And the family’s wishes were about to be fulfilled.

The Family

Will, the couple’s son, was adopted from a Chinese orphanage on March 5, 2013. They adopted their two-year-old daughter Zoey from India just a few months later, on October 15, 2013. Will and Zoey, like their adoptive parents, both have dwarfism.

And it was love at first sight for Klein when he viewed the children’s artwork. “I fell in love with Will’s photo the moment I saw it. “I fell in love with Zoey the moment I saw her photo,” he told PEOPLE.

Their joy, however, was fleeting. Jen revealed that she was having serious health problems soon after the kids arrived.

A Tragedy Occurs

Arnold reported in December 2013 that she had been diagnosed with stage 3 choriocarcinoma as a result of a non-viable pregnancy in September 2013. Arnold told PEOPLE, “The one time I get pregnant, I get cancer.”

Treatment for the condition was problematic due to Arnold’s dwarfism. Dr. Concepcion R. Diaz-Arrastia told the magazine, “We wanted to avoid surgery in her situation because of her shortened airway and the difficulties she has had in the past with procedures.” “But we felt compelled to… This was necessary in order to save her life.”

Overcoming Obstacles

Arnold said her cancer was in remission in February 2014, after months of weekly intense chemotherapy treatments.

Arnold told PEOPLE, “I got my official last chemo treatment.” “And, while I’m cautious to say I’m cancer-free – perhaps that’s common among cancer survivors – I’m doing fantastic.” Everything seemed to be on the correct track. “I’m quite enthusiastic.”

“It’s confirmed. CANCER 0 vs. ME 1… I WIN! She tweeted, “Thank you for all the prayers, thoughts, and support!”

While Arnold was coping with health issues, the children were adjusting to their new lives as adopted children.

Problems with Adjustment

While Jen Arnold was battling cancer, the family’s attempt to integrate Zoey into their lives did not go as planned.

They had problems bonding with their daughter at first because she was reared in an institution and had never met other children.

Arnold told PEOPLE, “She didn’t want anything to do with us.” “It took months for her to come around.”

Will faced his own difficulties. Klein said, “He had hearing problems and had surgeries.”

Children who are happy

Despite the difficulties, Will and Zoey are now content and adjusted. They’ve come a long way, and Klein and Arnold are amazed at how different they’ve become.

“These players weren’t as dynamic not long ago.” They weren’t as self-sufficient. Klein told PEOPLE, “They weren’t as innovative.” “They’re just kids now.”

“They’re reaching an intriguing age where they’re discovering their true passions… It’s enjoyable to watch them develop,” he continued.

Jen and Bill were ready to make a significant change now that their children were happy and healthy.

​​New Home

The family was living in Houston, Texas, where Arnold was the medical head of Texas Children’s Hospital’s Simulation Center and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine’s Division of Neonatology, but they were about to make a significant change!

She couldn’t say no to a job offer from Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

While the family was house hunting, their show was involved in a major legal struggle.

Legal Fight

The Little Couple’s production firm, LMNO, filed a $7 million complaint in 2016, alleging that Discovery intended to “steal” the show by manipulating records to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars in embezzled funds.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Discovery countersued, saying that LMNO kept two sets of books on its shows, shortchanging the participants and overcharging Discovery.

Klein and Arnold didn’t waste any time in filing their own case against LMNO.

The Lawsuit of a Tiny Couple

Klein and Arnold sued LMNO in June 2017, alleging fraud and conversion and seeking “compensatory damages, punitive damages, and emotional-distress damages.”

However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the couple lost a significant portion of their litigation and were unable to revoke intellectual property rights.

But that would not be the family’s only challenge. Another huge health crisis loomed for the couple.

Another Surgical Procedure