Kim Plath was “hopeful” she and son Ethan Plath could move forward during their Welcome to Plathville reunion — but she wasn’t expecting a hug.
“Ethan can be unpredictable,” Kim, 51, revealed during the Tuesday, July 20, episode of the TLC series. “He can be emotional. He can have something stewing on the inside that he’s upset about that you don’t know about and then he can just surprise you with it. So I’m a little bit nervous.”
Ethan, 26, was also hesitant to see his mom during the episode, revealing it had been about two years since they were last together. (Ethan started to drift away from his family, especially his mother, after marrying Olivia Plath in 2018. Olivia, 26, and Kim butted heads over their wedding plans and things continued to fester until Olivia and Ethan split in 2023.)
Welcome to Plathville’s Plath Family’s Ups and Downs Through the Years
“I would like to have a normal relationship with my mom to the extent that she is capable of. I guess because my mom is a little bit different,” Ethan said in a confessional. “My mom’s not like other moms that I’ve known. She was never very affectionate …. [she’s not] the normal motherly type. It’s just not really, not really her.”
When the moment came for Ethan to reunite with Kim at her houseboat in Florida, Ethan chose to hug his mom and as a result she became very emotional.
“I was hopeful that Ethan and I might rekindle a real relationship. And that was confirmed when he got out of the truck and he gave me a hug,” she said, tearing up after the moment. “I wanted to be there and be available if he wanted to shake my hand or just wave hi. But he put his arms out and he hugged me.”
Kim confessed she’d been “waiting for that for a long time” and instantly knew they had turned a corner. “Without saying anything, it was letting me know that it’s going to be OK and that he’s back as my son,” she added.
Ethan opened up about the experience elsewhere in the episode, revealing that a hug with his mom wouldn’t have happened when he was married to Olivia.
“It’s the only, like, upside to me and Olivia not being together anymore as I can [now] navigate my relationship with people as I see fit,” he confessed. “I don’t have to take anyone else into consideration now.”
Welcome to Plathville’s Ethan and Olivia Plath’s Relationship Ups and Downs
He noted that he wants to “meet my mom where she’s at” and to work toward a real connection. “I don’t want to give her a hard time without cause, you know, and I feel like I’ve done that in the past,” Ethan shared. “I wish that I had not let things get under my skin like they did for no reason.”
While Ethan wanted to spend time with his mom, he told her he wasn’t ready to have a relationship with her new boyfriend, Ken.
“I’m not up for meeting Ken,” he explained. “I know my siblings are in a different place than I am because they’re there and it’s happening around them. But me coming from the outside, not having seen my mom in a long time, it’s just way too much too soon.”
Welcome to Plathville’s Kim and Barry Plath’s Relationship Ups and Downs
Kim was completely fine with Ethan taking baby steps. “I would say it’s a little early to say, ‘Oh, everything’s cohesive and we’re all together now,’” she told the cameras.
The mother of nine, who split from husband Barry Plath in 2021, admitted, “There’s a whole bunch of things I’d love to talk to Ethan about, but I also know where he’s at right now.”
Kim concluded: “It was enough for me that he reached out today and hugged me.”
Welcome to Plathville airs on TLC Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
