Big Family, Big City: Everything we know so far

Big Family, Big City is a new one-hour special from TLC that follows the de la Motte family as they move from the suburbs of San Diego to New York City as they showcase their love for music and performing. The viewers follow Marc and Amber de la Motta and their 11 children as they adjust to life in the big city. The special is set to premiere on February 25, 2025, at 10 pm ET on TLC.

The series aims to show the challenges and cultural shocks for the music-loving conservative family as they arrive in New York for the next chapter of their lives, highlighting how they navigate their daily life in the fast-paced city.

The official logline for Big Family, Big City reads,

"Recently relocating from the peaceful suburbs of San Diego to the vibrant streets of Harlem, NY, Mark and Amber have quickly discovered that raising 11 kids in the Big Apple is not for the faint of heart."

It continues,

“As they juggle their growing family, a new lifestyle, and the challenges of busking together on the streets, the de la Mottes are finding that the fast-paced city life is both exhilarating and overwhelming.”

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Details about Big Family, Big City

The trailer for Big Family, Big City gives viewers a look at the super-sized de la Mottes family, including Marc, Amber, and their 11 children, who range in age from six months to 22 years old. Interestingly, in the trailer, Amber hints at growing their family even more in the future.

"I would love to have one more."

The new TLC special follows the family as they adjust to life in NY, dealing with the cultural shock and the challenges of raising such a large family in an urban city. The family is described as conservative, making their transition from a quiet suburban life to a bustling city life a central focus of the show's story.

The family moved to New York in 2022 in an Airstream trailer and later rented an apartment in Harlem. To pay for life and their kids' music lessons in the big city, the family partially earned money through street busking in 2023.

Big Family, Big City highlights how the family navigates the fast-paced city life, including managing daily logistics, like getting out of the house and organizing performances. Marc remarks in the trailer,

“Trying to get out of the house is chaos. It’s like herding cats. But that’s normal life.”

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De La Motte family details

The de la Mottes are a musically talented family, and Marc and Amber have encouraged their shared love of music in all of their children. Almost all of their kids play string instruments, and the super-sized family has even amassed a large following on TikTok and other social media, with more than 200,000 followers. Fans follow them on their family trips, many of which involve performing music.

Amber previously shared about creating her family content and its impact on the family (via an article published in 2023 from The Cut).

“My goal for anything that I make online is, we’re paying rent, we’re paying for food. The rent’s paid, the heat’s on.”

She added,

“The thought of being able to cover the kids’ music too? That would just be huge. I wouldn’t be buying a Ferrari, I’d be buying violins.”

De la Motte family will be seen in Big Family, Big City (Image via Instagram @the.happy.caravan)

The couple met each other through an evangelical church in San Diego, California, more than two decades earlier. Marc now works as a graphic designer, while Amber focuses on making TikTok and YouTube content.

The de la Mottes children can play various instruments and are known to perform hymns and folk songs. Here is the list of the children with their ages and the instruments they play.

1. Josiah (Age 23) - Violin
2. Pearl (Age 21) - Viola
3. Elijah (Age 19) - Cello
4. Naomi (Age 17) - Violin
5. Noah (Age 15) - Double bass
6. Anna (Age 13) - Cello
7. Chloé (Age 11) - Violin
8. Enoch (Age 9) - Violin
9. Melody (Age 7) - Violin

While Marc admits that their house can be "very noisy," they encourage their children's love for music, which they claim is the "heartbeat of our home." Marc says in the trailer for Big Family, Big City,

“It’s a huge part of our family. It gives the kids purpose, drive, structure.”

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Big Family, Big City is set to release on February 25, 2025, at 10 pm ET on TLC.