From time to time, there’s a TV show which changes everything for the better. “Little Women LA” is undoubtedly one of those game-changer productions, which not only started a whole successful series franchise, but made us love one every of its cast members for their similarities and shared experiences as women with dwarfism, on top of giving us drama and wholesome friendships.
Though the main focus of the series was to enlighten viewers about how the lives of people with dwarfism actually are, the cast’s struggles with their personal lives, professional endeavors and their relationships were the main attractive points of “Little Women LA”. That’s until the show left us heartbroken by leaving TV screens in 2019.
So whatever happened to the cast of “Little Women LA”? Are they still in the entertainment world, or have they taken a different career path? Where are they now and what’s up with their romantic life? Stay with us to discover all!
Terra Jolé
Although many remember Terra Jolé for being the diva of “Little Women: LA”, she was always more than a pretty face on TV.
Terra was an executive producer of the show, and its spin-offs based on New York and Atlanta, as well as for her own series “Terra’s Little Family”.
Other projects of Terra include her child’s album “Penny’s Playlist”, released in 2016, and her participation in “Dancing with the Stars” 23rd season, in which she was placed fifth with her partner the Australian dancer Sasha Farber, who in an interview with “Good Morning America” affirmed that Terra had been ‘the best partner’ he ever had.
Nonetheless, Terra’s current public life is not as active as it used to be. Though she keeps her almost 800,000 Instagram fans constantly updated on her whereabouts, and defines herself as an ‘influencer’, her latest appearances on TV were in a 2018 episode of “Hollywood Medium”, and in the 2020 TV special “Buddy Bear’s Musical Adventure”.
Regarding her personal life, in March 2020, she gave birth to Magnolia August, who’s her third child after Penelope Charlevoix and Grayson Vincent D’Artagnan, all of whom she welcomed with her husband Joe Gnoffo. Although it’s unknown what future TV projects Terra has in store, she’s currently using her platforms to spread awareness about dwarfism and deafness.
Tonya Renée Banks
While “Little Women LA” is Tonya Banks’ most famous TV appearance, her career in the entertainment world had begun several years before. Her first credited work as an actress was in the 1991 movie “The Dark Backward”, followed by support roles in TV series such as “Ally McBeal” and “The Hughleys” in 1999.
Her role as Liz in 2007’s “The Minis” was her last work before being cast in “Little Women LA”, which clearly opened many professional doors for her, such as appearing as Ti Ti DeVayne in “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in 2016, and playing the role of Tania in “The Internship Games”, an achievement she’s very proud of, being ‘the first little person, female lead’ to do so.
After “Little Women LA”s cancellation in 2019, Tonya appeared in the TV series “Females Unfiltered Show”, and presented a category during the 2019 “National Film & Television Awards USA”. Most recently, Tonya played the role of Sammie Bryant in the biographical series “Genius”.
As if her career in the entertainment world wasn’t enough, Tonya is an entrepreneur, and owns the company One Bossy Production, in addition to other ventures such as her sports clothes line Lil Boss Body and the wine brand L’Tonya Renee Wine.
In 2021, she released her book “It’s Not What You’re Called, It’s What You Answer To”.
Elena Gant
Just like her former co-stars, Elena Gant was in the entertainment world long before she appeared in “Little Women LA”. After moving from Russia to the US, Elena found her place performing as popular pop stars in Las Vegas, even appearing in “Access Hollywood” once as the Mini Britney Spears.
During her time in “Little Women LA”, Elena gained huge popularity, and was often a guest in talk shows such as “Chelsea Lately” and “Reality Relapse”, in addition to presenting the 2015 edition of Reality Television Awards, and even performing as Rob the Faux Queen in “RuPaul’s Drag Race”.
Although she hasn’t appeared on TV since the end of “Little Women LA” in 2019, Elena’s personal life has been quite busy. In September 2021, Elena gave birth to Aurora, her first daughter with her husband Preston Gant, to whom she has been married since 2014, and having already welcomed twin boys Xavier and Kairo in 2016.
Even if she hasn’t had any acting role since her appearance in the 2017 movie “Bloodsucka Jones vs. The Creeping Death”, she actively updates her YouTube channel “Elena’s Day”, on which she currently has over 200,000 subscribers.
She and her husband Preston own Gant Site, an interior design business based in California.
Christy McGinity
Though prior to “Little Women LA”, Christy McGinity’s acting career hadn’t been very prolific, her debut in the show gained her enough popularity to explore a variety of professional horizons. Christy’s charisma led her to co-host an episode of the talk show “The View” in 2014, and perform as Hedda Turner in “RuPaul’s Drag Race”.
Her latest acting role was as Storm in the short film “Strangers in a Book”, followed by recurring appearances in 2017’s reality show “Gown and Out in Beverly Hills”, and in the video short “Wait for the Sun” in 2020.
Despite her success in the entertainment world, Christy’s time in “Little Women LA” is well remembered for her beef with co-star Terra Jolé, which once in 2016 took Christy to emergency after a brawl between the women in a Los Angeles’ bar left her with two head contusions. Though Christy filed a case against her co-star for assault with a deadly weapon, the crisis eventually died down.
Sadly, Christy’s personal life hasn’t been the easiest in recent years. In 2020, she separated from her husband of five years Todd Gibel, after he apparently impersonated her by taking over her social media. The following year, Christy gave birth to her third child Violet with her boyfriend Gonzo Carazo, but the baby unfortunately passed away two weeks after her premature birth.
Briana Manson
Regardless of not being in any previous show, Briana Manson is undoubtedly one of the most memorable “Little Women LA” cast members. As with her former co-stars, Briana’s appearance in the show opened many opportunities for her in the entertainment world, with support roles in series such as “Tosh.0” in 2013, and in the movie “The Internship Games” in 2015.
Nonetheless, a series of scandals took her away from “Little Women LA”. As it happens, in 2016 her second husband Matt Grundhoffer was accused by the model Plastic Martyr of sending her private pictures while he was married to Briana. Prior to the scandal, Briana and her co-stars had been friends with Martyr, but the model’s public statements about Matt clearly strained their relationship.
Later in 2018, Briana took out a restriction order against Grundhoffer for violent behaviour. The not-so-amicable separation was followed by another scandal, as a couple of months later Matt was accussed of sexually assaulting a minor, which was the last straw for Briana to leave the show.
Nonetheless, life is kinder to Briana nowadays. She’s currently a licensed zumba instructor, is married to a man named Tim Manning, and although she has kept away from the entertainment world for a long time, her fans can commission short videos from her through the Cameo.com platform.
Traci Harrison Tsou
Any good fan of “Little Women LA” remembers Traci Harrison Tsou from the show’s early seasons. Prior to the show, she worked as a production assistant in working-out videos, but her actual rise to fame came with “Little Women LA”s premiere, and lasted until she left in the third season.
The reasons behind her exit are understandable, though. Traci suffered at least three miscarriages and many other troubles conceiving with her husband Erik Tsou.
At some point the couple was advised to try surrogation instead, but in 2015 they conceived a normal sized child, in a pregnancy which was described by Traci and Erik as a miracle due to the low possibilities of that happening.
To take care of Traci’s health, the marriage definitely left the show and welcomed a healthy son named Jacob in November that year. Though it’s unknown what current projects Traci works on, she’s nowadays very active on Instagram, on which she has over 200,000 followers, and uses the platform to promote child care products. Her husband Erik also uses his social media as an influencer, and co-hosts the online show “Joe’s FuBar” with Joe Gnoffo, who’s the husband of Traci’s former co-star and long-time friend Terra Jolé.
Jasmine Arteaga Sorge
Following Traci Harrison’s exit from the show, in 2015 Jasmine Arteaga Sorge joined “Little Women LA” as her replacement.
However, Jasmine’s personality and style was very different from Traci’s, as the new blonde had goals of becoming a popstar. and her past in the entertainment world included auditioning for “American Idol”.
Following her debut in “Little Women LA”, Jasmine performed as Jazzy Jems in “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, and appeared in the talk show “The Doctors”, in which she expressed her concerns about being diagnosed with cancer. Other guest appearances included shows such as “American Latino TV” and “Aftershow”.
Regarding her singing career, fans of “Little Women LA” might remember that her dream of becoming a famous singer in Mexico was somewhat hampered by her constant anxiety and panic attacks. Though it’s unknown if she has overcome those struggles, Jasmine’s life seems to be good now, as besides still being married to Chris Sorge and being the mother of two boys, Jasmine also owns the cruelty free lashes brand Jasmine Sorge Beauty.
Brittney Guzman
In case the name doesn’t sound familiar to you, Brittney Guzman appeared in the third season of “Little Women LA”. Though she wasn’t a main star in the show, she became a recurring cast member in later seasons.
Brittney is actually well versed in the entertainment world, having performed in “RuPaul’s Drag Race” as Thorgeous, and playing a small role in the series “Henry Danger ” in 2019. As well, she’s a professional dancer who has worked on stage for artists such as Miley Cyrus and Kid Rock.
Although it’s unknown if Brittney is considering making a comeback to the small screen anytime soon, she seems quite content with her current success on social media. On Instagram she impressively has over 500,000 followers, in addition to accumulating five million likes on TikTok. In recent years, she’s also joined the subscription platform OnlyFans, on which her exclusive content has gained her over 30,000 likes.
Was The Show Sued?
Fortunately “Little Women LA” was never sued, though it indeed went through legal problems shortly before its premiere in 2013.
Jeff Beacher, the owner of the Las Vegas-based theater Beacher’s Madhouse, sent a letter of cease and desist to the producers of “Little Women LA” for featuring Elena Gant. The issue actually lay with the fact that Beacher owns the rights to every impersonation of Britney Spears, the inspiration behind Elena’s character “Mini Britney”. Prior to that, Beacher hadn’t been bothered by Elena’s act of the famous pop star, as she often performed in his theater.
Fearing “Little Women LA” would serve as a promotion platform of the act without his permission, Beacher warned the show’s producers to not showcase anything related to “Mini Britney”, and other acts such as “Little Kesha” and “Little Katy Perry”.
Why Was The Show Cancelled?
Knowing how widely famous “Little Women LA” was during its five years on air, it was surprising when it left TV screens in 2019, and for a long time no one really explained why.
News of the show’s cancellation eventually came in 2021, when Joe Gnoffo, the husband of Terra Jole and a recurring show’s star, announced it on Instagram. Describing his time in the show as ‘a long strange trip’, Joe proceeded to thank fans and congratulate everyone in the show, but especially his wife, who in his words ‘knocked it out of the park’.
The reason behind the cancellation is most likely a product of the contingency related to COVID-19, which shut down several production studios indefinitely. All in all, “Little Women LA” is going to be missed, but we will make sure to remember all the good times it gave us.
