The First Reality Show: An American Family

A Cautionary Tale To Which No One Took Heed

In 1943, the parents of the Dionne Quintuplets finally regained custody of them yet their life was far from better. They alleged their father sexually abused them and they were often berated about how their existence made their family’s life worse. Although the family actually lived off money the girls had made.

The women remained private for the rest of their lives with the exception of two things: in 1997 the McCaughey septuplets were born. The Dionne sisters wrote a letter warning the parents against too much publicity for the children, saying it had ruined their lives. In 1998, the three remaining sisters subsequently participated in a documentary.