Three words, on the drive to the hospital: “I am a wreck.” That is all Liz Johnston could manage on the morning of her scheduled C-section, according to the Season 18 trailer. By the time the new season premieres on Tuesday, November 17, Liz and Brice Bolden will already be months past the moment the cameras are about to show: their second baby is here, and their family is complete.
Married, Then a Family of Four
The order of events matters, because the show films behind real life. Liz and Brice welcomed daughter Leighton Drew Bolden on November 3, 2023, married on November 8, 2025, at the Johnston family home, and welcomed son Coleman Brice Johnston Bolden on September 8, 2026. Liz announced him on Instagram — “Our family is complete” — and TODAY.com broke the birth news exclusively.
That word — complete — is doing a lot of work. Liz has said Coleman is their last child, settling the question fans argued about for two years: the wish that split the fandom over whether Liz wanted a little-person baby is now history. What is not settled is how the family talks about it on screen, because Season 18 was filmed while Liz was still pregnant.
Leighton, Age 3: The Big Sister Now
Leighton turned three on November 3, 2026 — nine days ago — which makes her the quiet star of this new chapter. She was the baby of the family for almost three years, the toddler in the pumpkin-patch photos and the first-birthday cake smash her grandmother Amber helped celebrate. Now she is a big sister. Season 18 follows a pregnancy, not a three-year-old’s life as a big sister, so fans may have to wait to see her new role on screen.
Week Four: The Photo No Parent Wants to Post
The happiest month of Liz and Brice’s life also held its hardest week. At about four weeks old, Coleman was in the hospital under medical care, according to reports. Liz shared a black-and-white photo on her Instagram story: his tiny arm, an IV taped to it, with the words “Definitely not how we wanted to spend his week 4.”
The family has not said why Coleman was hospitalized, and the cause is still unknown. The ending of that scare is known: by one month and five days old, Coleman was home, smiling in new photos. The myths fans keep repeating about Season 18 include the idea that the baby is still on the way — he is not.
YOU MAY LIKEEverything We Know About 7 Little Johnstons Season 18 — Wedding Bells, New Homes, and One Big Question MarkThe Question Season 18 Still Has to Answer
Liz has achondroplasia and has spoken openly about wanting a child who shares her experience. Leighton arrived average-sized, and with each pregnancy the couple faced a 50 percent chance of a little-person baby — and according to reports, family members have since confirmed Coleman is a little person. The family has not announced it formally, so the show may be where the answer lands on camera.
The delivery is the emotional spine of the season. As a little person, Liz must deliver by C-section under general anesthesia, and the trailer shows the weight of that: doctors warned the couple Liz could stop breathing, and Brice admitted he is “not sure what to do” if something goes wrong. Where Liz lands among the adult kids carrying Season 18 is no surprise — first, by a distance.
What Comes Next for the Family of Four
Confirmed: Liz and Brice are married, parents of Leighton, 3, and Coleman, two months old. Confirmed: Liz has said the family is complete, and Coleman is home and doing well. Unconfirmed: whether the season will say on camera that Coleman is a little person.
Season 18 premieres Tuesday, November 17 at 9 p.m. ET on TLC, and the premiere will test something unusual: an audience that already knows how the biggest storyline ends. The suspense is no longer whether the baby arrives safely — he did, on September 8. So here is the question that will split the group: should Season 18 close the book on Liz and Brice’s baby storyline for good, or should the cameras keep following Leighton and Coleman into Season 19? Team Complete, or Team Keep Filming?
