NEED TO KNOW
Ethan Plath is offering a look into his first relationship after his divorce from ex-wife Olivia Plath.
In the Aug. 5 episode of Welcome to Plathville, Ethan introduced girlfriend Teegan Nichols to the cameras after 10 months of dating. The pair revealed that they met on social media when Ethan was still newly single, but neither thought anything would come of it.
“I went on a couple dates in the beginning even though I was hung up on Olivia — I was looking for someone who gets along with my family, is not attracted to drama,” Ethan explained. “And then out of the blue, I found the one.”
“I had posted a picture of me and my motorcycle and she I guess commented back, ‘It’s a nice motorcycle,’” he continued, joking: “I looked at her profile and I was like, ‘Oh, dang. Like, it is a very nice motorcycle.’”
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Teegan admitted that she assumed she wouldn’t ever get a response from Ethan, so when she did, she “was really caught off guard and excited.”
“I was jumping up and down because I really thought I’d never hear from you,” she told him.
This was the first time Teegan was getting to explore the area where Ethan grew up in Georgia, making her realize just how different their upbringings were.
“Ethan’s childhood was spent more at home, and they didn’t really wander past the farm it seems like, at all. Only on special occasions,” she explained. “That’s definitely different than how I was raised. I was — I don’t want to use the word normal — but you know, normal K-12 education and then college.”
Another major difference in their lives: Teegan is a mom from a previous relationship.
“I love being a mom,” she said. “It’s the best thing I could have ever asked for. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, so it’s like a dream come true that I get to live every day.”
“Ethan does have a relationship with my child,” she went on to reveal. “I think Ethan will be a great dad one day.”
He shared that it “doesn’t bother” him at all that Teegan has a child and even noted that he hopes to have a big family of his own one day.
“I can’t imagine what it’d be like to actually have our own, but just seeing the joy that it brings to her, I see it as a good thing,” Ethan said.
When Teegan suggested going to see Ethan’s mom, Kim, he emphasized the importance of having his family back in his life after splitting from Olivia.
When he opened up about his divorce still not being finalized to Teegan, she comforted him.
“Everyone has life experiences and that relationship was before me,” she told cameras. “So I do just wish they could both peacefully move on. I think they both deserve that.”
She added that Ethan “is my best friend” and “we can talk about anything,” before he declared that “I am most definitely in love with Teegan.”
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Later, the couple visited Kim, who gushed over Teegan’s easy-going demeanor.
“I feel like Olivia, even from early on, really felt like she had to control Ethan,” Kim said. “Like where he went and who he was with and who he talked to and what he did. And I don’t get that from Teegan at all.”
“I get that she’s happy to step back and let him talk to me or do whatever he wants. There’s a freedom there that I’m sure Ethan really appreciates,” she continued.
“I can tell that she’s supportive of him having a relationship with me, but I’d like to get to the point where she’s not quiet around me,” Kim added.
Teegan also met Ethan’s brother Micah and his girlfriend Veronica, who was struggling to get along with the Plath family after a fallout with his sister Moriah.
When she began talking about their feud, Teegan was unsure how to respond.
“I try to be respectful of anyone and everyone I meet, especially when I meet somebody for the first time,” she noted. “So I really want to be there and present in the moment to listen. But at the same time, you know, I have not experienced any of that at all.”
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Veronica then expressed her worry for Lydia and her boyfriend at the time, Zac Wyse, after they announced plans to get married within six months of meeting, but Teegan stayed quiet.
“I also don’t think you should be saying things about people, especially when it comes to somebody’s wedding day or if they’re happy and what they’re doing,” she said. “Regardless of what your own opinions are, you should be supportive.”
The episode comes months after Ethan introduced Teegan to fans on his Instagram, but his post has since been deleted.
In January, Ethan shared a series of photos with Teegan announcing their relationship.
“Proud to introduce my sweet girlfriend!” he wrote in the captioned. “She truly is one of the sweetest, kindest, and patient people I’ve ever known! Looking forward to the next year and what it has to bring. Wishing everyone a very happy new year! Here we go 2025!”
Seven months later, all content including Teegan has been erased from Ethan’s page, and he does not appear on hers, although it is unclear if they have split or are still together.
The new relationship came a little over a year after he announced his separation from then-wife Olivia in October 2023 after five years of marriage. They officially filed for divorce in February 2024, listing their initial date of separation as February 2023.
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New episodes of Welcome to Plathville air on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.