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dwarfism

Pop Culture

Kid who went viral for being bullied for dwarfism gets amazing role in new 'Mad Max' movie

His life has completely turned around.

Yarraka Bayles/Facebook

Bullies will be bullies, but a little kindness still goes a long way.

If you want to see “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” this past weekend, you might have noticed a familiar face. No, not Anya Taylor-Joy or Chris Hemsworth. We’re talking about Quaden Bayles.

Quaden went viral a few years ago after his mom, Yarraka Bayles, posted a gut wrenching video showing how her young son was crying in anguish and begging for a rope to end his life—all due to being bullied for his dwarfism. Her hope was that it might educate others about cruelty and discrimination.

Millions of hearts broke for Quaden worldwide, and he received a huge amount of support, including from celebrities like Hugh Jackman, Mark Hamill and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

George Miller, director of “Furiosa” and “Mad Max: Fury Road,” would later offer Quaden an extra role in his film “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” released back in 2022. That would be Quaden's first taste of fun costumes and red carpet movie premieres…but certainly not his last.

Cut to May 23rd, 2024, and Quaden plays a badass war boy on “Furiosa,” and has been getting high praise for his work on it.

“I loved his role in the move. He made it more enjoyable,” one fan wrote.

Another added, “was a brilliant film…he was great.”

Yarraka shared a photo of her son smiling next to Taylor-Joy on set and in full makeup. What an amazing 180.

“I always say that the best revenge is success and now you dear Quaden are proving this to be true.Where are those bullies now? Watching you in the cinema and hopefully regretting their actions. Go you Quaden! You are a superstar buddy,” one person commented on Facebook.

In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have bullies. But, sadly, we do. As we can see here though, people have the collective power to help turn someone’s life around. When someone is being treated unfairly, all it might take is one gesture of compassion to start a chain reaction that helps that person heal and feel a little less alone. It’s nice to be reminded that compassion is just as contagious as cruelty.

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joy

Identity

Tori Roloff shares how she talks to her 5-year-old son with dwarfism about being different

The “Little People, Big World" mama says, "I WANT him to know he’s different.”

via Instagram/TLC

The Roloff family from "Little People, Big World"

It isn’t easy having to explain to a child who is different that they aren’t quite like other children. Most parents would probably prefer to downplay the situation, saying "It's no big deal. You aren’t quite the same as the other children, but everyone is different.”

However, Tori Roloff, 31, star of the TLC’s long-running “Little People, Big World,” has decided to go the other route. She’s asking her 5-year-old son, Jackson, to lean into his uniqueness and use it to help others.

Tori is married to Zach Roloff, 32, who’s been a star of “Little People, Big World” for 24 seasons. Zach and Tori have three children: Josiah and Lilah, 3, and Jackson, 5. All three of them have achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism.

In an Instagram post, Tori shared how she is helping her son embrace his uniqueness.

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“I feel like Jackson (and others) are starting to notice that something is different about him,” she wrote. "At Jackson’s first soccer game, the other team was asking why he was so small. Purely out of curiosity I believe—not bullying or being malicious—just curious."

Jackson told his mother about the questions during the game, and she was quick on her feet with a thoughtful answer.

"It stuck with him enough to tell me on the side line though. I told him 'that’s how God made you, now show them how fast you are!' He then proceeded to score a goal, and I can’t tell you how stoked we were," she wrote.

Tori hopes that Jackson will embrace his size and use it to help others just like his family has done by increasing awareness about the challenges that people with dwarfism face through their TV show. The show also showed how all people, no matter their size, are much more alike than they are different.

"He’s starting to notice that he’s different and that’s hard to cope with—however, I WANT him to know he’s different. But maybe not in the way he thinks he is," she wrote.

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She then described her innermost hopes for her son.

"Jackson I pray that you notice that you are different,” she wrote. “That God has set you apart from all other people. I pray you’re different in how you see and love others. I pray that you’re different in the choices you make to keep God close to your heart. I pray you’re different in how you solve problems and arguments. I pray that you think differently about how the world works and adaptations that can be made. I pray you see your differences and use them to change the world. You are different, kid. Different than any kid I’ve ever met. You are one of a kind and I am so stinking proud to be your mom.”

There is no one right way to talk to our children about the challenges they face in life. But It’s valuable for people like Tori, who has a very unique parenting situation, to share how she handles difficult topics, because it gives us more tools to use in the oh-so-tough but oh-so-rewarding job of parenting.

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disabilities

Family

Musician son adds real trombone sound effects to his mom's daily life and it's hilarious

Peet Montzingo/YouTube

Peet Montzingo following his mom around with a trombone is delightful family entertainment.

Peet Montzingo and his mom have the most delightful relationship, as evidenced by their joint videos on Montzingo's social media platforms. And one viral video sums up the sort of fun Montzingo and his unique family engage in.

The video is a compilation of clips of Montzingo following his mom around with a trombone, making silly sound effects as she goes about doing chores and normal daily life things. It's simple and silly, which is what makes it so wholesome. People can't get enough of their gentle bantering.

Watch:

The impromptu Star Wars duel is the best, isn't it?

Montzingo has millions of followers on YouTube and TikTok, where he regularly shares videos about life in his family. At 6 foot 1 inch tall, Montzingo stands out—literally—from his parents and siblings.

As his mini bio from IMDB reads:

"Peet is from Seattle, Washington. He is the only average height member of his family (his mom, dad, brother and sister are little people), which immediately put him in the media spotlight growing up. In February of 2019, he scored a spot as a touring/recording artist in the band 5WEST, touring South Africa, Spain, and Europe. They did their first arena tour as the supporting act for Boyzone autumn of 2019. During the pandemic in 2020, Peet cultivated a massive presence on Tiktok and continues to post his wholesome videos alongside his singing career."

Montzingo advocates for little people in a way that is humorous and light-hearted in addition to being educational. For instance, watch him and his mom illustrate how to (and how not to) talk with short people:

@peetmontzingo
i actually get this question all the time so hope this helps!!! @queenmamadrama #little

"I actually get this question all the time so hope this helps!!!" he wrote in the caption of the video demonstrating various cringey ways to talk to a little person before ultimately showing that you should just stand normally.

Montzingo addresses lots of questions people have in his videos, including whether or not he's actually adopted. This makeover video with his mom is surefire proof that he's got her genes, as the resemblance at the end is uncanny.

@peetmontzingo
low key this process was traumatizing😭 @queenmamadrama

What makes Montzingo's videos so popular is the way he and his family use humor to destigmatize dwarfism and normalize the lives of little people. His mom's house is designed for little people living, with short counters, sinks and furniture, and Montizingo laughs at his challenges as a tall person when he visits her. It's what he grew up with, however, and he shows how much he loves his family and the physical differences between them.

Montzingo's unique role in his family means he can help bridge gaps as an advocate for little people, and it's great to see him doing so in such a wholesome and entertaining way.

From Your Site Articles

A boy with dwarfism struggled to get his lunch. So a cafeteria worker made him a souped-up cart.

via Beaverton School District

Julian Worsham gets a new cart.

Six-year-old Julian Worsham of Beaverton, Oregon is like a lot of other first-graders: he loves Super Mario and Taekwondo. But he has achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, and goes to a school that wasn't built for kids his height.

"He's born into a world that just, in some ways, is not built for him," Julian's father, Brett, told WHAS11.

His mother did a walk-through before his first day at school to make sure he wouldn't run into any problems because of his height but forgot to check the cafeteria. [We] "noticed that where the food was, was right at his head," Heather told the Beaverton School District. Then, to make things more of a struggle, he had to carry his tray outside to the lunch benches.

The school made him a makeshift cart out of an upside-down milk crate on wheels to help him transport his lunch from the cafeteria to the benches.

"When I saw it I thought, 'Wow,'" said Enedelia Mottram, who's served lunch for the school district for 18 years. "I just wanted to help Julian, because I mean his head barely reaches the lunch line. He can't see anything."

Julian's first cart wasn't cutting the mustard.

via Beaverton School District

That night, she talked to her husband, James, a metalworker, to see if he could come up with something better. He got his team together at Wright Manufacturing in Portland to create a new cart that allowed Julian to transport his lunch tray and see over the counter.

James told the Beaverton School District that he wanted to make something that Julian would be "proud to push around."

James and his team put together a badass cart with adjustable, handlebar grips just like a motorcycle that has a stool inside so he can reach the countertop. It is adorned with flames and a personalized license plate that says, "JULIAN."

Julian's parents were blown away by the care and creativity that was put into creating his cart.

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"They took the time to get those license plates with his name, which is just like, they just really put a lot of heart into it. So when I saw it, the first thing I saw was actually a picture of James and his team who made the cart and I cried. It's just such a sweet thing," Heather said.

Julian loves the license plate and the flames and is now able to grab his lunch and get out to the benches in style.

"He's independent now," said Mottram. "Before, a staff member [would] have to be there to help him," she said.

Heather hopes that the story will inspire others to reach out and help other people in need.

"There's just wonderful people in this world that, you know, they have their eyes open. They're seeing needs that need to be met and they're meeting them. So I hope that other kids can get their needs met through this," she said.

From Your Site Articles

Jonathan Novick's 'Don't Look Down on Me' shows what it's like to navigate the world as a dwarf

The story of Quaden Bayles has captured the hearts and minds of people around the world. The 9-year-old's heartfelt moment has created an opening to talk more deeply about bullying, particularly when it comes to minority populations, including dwarves.

There are an estimated 5 million people in the U.S. who meet the technical standard for some form of "short-stature", of being an adult under 5 feet tall. However, only about one in every 40,000 children are born with some form of Achondroplasia, which is the most common form of condition casually referred to as "dwarfism."

While so much attention is still focused on Bayles' ongoing story -- his heartfelt rebound from bullying, the outflow of support for him and so on, there's still so much to learn about the literal POV of someone living with dwarfism.

In 2014, Jonathan Novick released an incredible and brave video showing what it's like for him walking around New York City. The filmmaker says that moving to New York City in 2013 has generally been a good experience for him but that he still has many obstacles to overcome both literal and figurative. And in some ways, there's no greater challenge than navigating people's responses to him.

The video Novick created is informative, deeply personal and incredibly moving. We hope you'll watch it and share with your friends. In just 6 minutes, you might just help someone learn a lot about their world and how our own behaviors affect so many around us. Thank you for making this, Jonathan.

www.youtube.com

From Your Site Articles

dwarfism

Kid who went viral for being bullied for dwarfism gets amazing role in new 'Mad Max' movie

His life has completely turned around.

Tori Roloff shares how she talks to her 5-year-old son with dwarfism about being different

The “Little People, Big World" mama says, "I WANT him to know he’s different.”

Musician son adds real trombone sound effects to his mom's daily life and it's hilarious

A boy with dwarfism struggled to get his lunch. So a cafeteria worker made him a souped-up cart.

Log In or Sign Up to View

Jonathan Novick's 'Don't Look Down on Me' shows what it's like to navigate the world as a dwarf

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