There’s always something endearing about seeing what people living off the grid are actually like, something only reality TV has been able to do, through shows such as “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, which features the resourceful and remote lifestyle of the Kilchers.
That being said, every member of the family has something special about them, but it’s undeniable that Atz Kilcher is usually one of the first names which comes to people’s minds when it comes to the show.
Nonetheless, besides all the adventures and knowledge behind Atz, one of the most common topics of conversation for his fans is that of his personal life, naturally involving his wife and children.
So is Atz still with his wife? What is the whole family doing now, and whatever happened to their show? Stay here to know what Atz Kilcher’s family is doing now!
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Where Is His Wife Now?
Any good fan of “Alaska: The Last Frontier” knows who Bonnie Kilcher is – the wife of Atz has gained the hearts of the audience with her light-hearted and kind attitude since the show’s premiere, easily becoming a fan favorite.
Nonetheless, for a long time Bonnie wasn’t very active on social media, leading fans to often wonder about her whereabouts. In truth, Bonnie is doing as well as ever and spends her days either traveling with Atz, or taking care of the homestead, as some of his posts on social media show.
That being said, Bonnie’s lack of activity on Instagram was caused by the loss of access to her account on the platform, as Atz affirmed in late 2022: ‘(she) had some problems with her account a while back so she had to shut it down’, he wrote, before announcing that his wife had just started a new Instagram account, on which she promotes her artwork, with sneak peeks of her everyday life at the Kilcher’s Homestead. All in all, it seems that life has been quite good for the Kilcher couple these days.
What Are His Children Doing Now?
While Bonnie is apparently doing well nowadays, the most dedicated fans of the Kilchers surely wonder what Atz’ children are doing these days as well.
Atz Lee Kilcher
Aside from his father, Atz Lee Kilcher is probably the most popular in “Alaska: The Last Frontier”. As the youngest son of Atz with his first wife Lenedra J. Carroll, it was only expected that Atz Lee would spend a lot of time in his family’s homestead, and outdoors.
Atz Lee himself has commented on belonging to the wilderness, so it’s not surprising that he’s still living in Alaska, along with his wife Jane and children these days. Nonetheless, the family doesn’t let the fame gained through “Alaska: The Last Frontier” get to them, and as such, they chose years ago to keep their children away from the show and public life: ‘They are not a secret. We just keep their lives private and away from the AWFUL internet trollers, etc. But as they get older you may see them’, wrote Jane back in 2018.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgCsHYAJnMp/
Just as promised, their daughter Piper and son Etienne haven’t been seen in many episodes of “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, though in Etienne’s case he moved away to study in California in late 2022. As well, Jane has appeared in recent episodes of the Alaska-based TV show “Bering Sea Gold,” helping her friend Emily Riedel, but other than that the family is as normal as ever, despite the recent changes they’ve gone through.
Shane Kilcher
Some years ago, Shane and his wife Kelli went through some of the most difficult times of their life. For a start, in 2013 Kelli was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and then Shane fractured his vertebrae when he fell off a ladder in late 2017. As if that wasn’t enough, that year the couple also left the show to take care of Kelli’s health.
With those dark times behind them, it’s relieving to say that Shane and Kelli are doing better these days. Kelli’s health has evidently improved quite a lot, as she informed her followers in November 2022: ‘Nine years since diagnosis and doing better than I’d hoped then! Gotta make the most of your life no matter what!’, she wrote.
For his part, Shane’s back is apparently completely healed so well that he’s resumed his routine, maintaining his homestead. As seen on the couple’s shared Facebook page, in late 2022 they successfully finished modifying their Alaska home, apparently relocating their outhouse before the arrival of winter.
Regarding the personal side, Shane and Kelli also spend as much time as possible with their three grandkids, the youngest one named Anastasia born in 2022. Definitely, there’s nothing more relieving than to see that the family have overcome all adversities together.
Nikos Kilcher
While the name Nikos Kilcher might not sound very familiar to “Alaska: The Last Frontier”s audience, he’s actually Atz’ youngest son, and half-brother of Atz Lee, Shane and Jewel.
Born in 1984, Nikos was always passionate about music. As his website states, he was once told that he had an ‘incurable sense of rhythm’, but he assures the comment wasn’t a compliment. Apparently, Nikos didn’t have any formal education when it came to music, leading him to wander in this field, while trying several things at the same time.
Nikos’ efforts eventually paid off, and not only is he a great singer, but also plays piano and guitar, the latter learned when 14 years old, his teenage years which he considers some of the most important of his life: ‘These young, deeply formative years were the catalyst for a reliance on music as a form of self-reflection and exploration’, he’s stated.
Details about his early relationship with his father Atz are unknown, but these days they get along well, and Nikos even credits Atz’ love for music as an inspiration. As an independent artist, Nikos released the album “Never Again” and often goes on local tours. On the personal side, Nikos is married to Kate, with whom he welcomed son Ravi Rain in 2022.
Jewel
Most of the Kilchers are known for featuring in “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, but that’s not the case for folk and pop singer Jewel. She’s the middle child of Atz and first wife Lenedra Carroll, but after her mother left the household, Jewel’s problems with Atz escalated. Nonetheless, during those disheartening times of her life, Jewel was awarded a music school scholarship, leading her to move to Michigan when 15 years old.
After she graduated, Jewel moved to California, where she spent the following years singing in bars and coffee shops. Her time for stardom didn’t come until 1993, when she was discovered by an Atlantic Records’ producer, who signed her for the label and prompted her to record her first album entitled “Pieces Of You”, which sold over 10 million copies.
During her career, Jewel has been nominated to the Grammys, and won dozens of music awards, on top of recording 13 studio albums, the most recent entitled “Freewheelin’ Woman” released in 2022. Besides her new music, Jewel tours and even launched the campaign “Not Alone Challenge” to help raise funds to provide mental health resources for people in need. Regarding Jewel’s relationship with Atz, these days they are doing well in that aspect, though certainly it took them quite a long time to reconnect.
Did Atz Divorce From his Previous Wife
Some decades ago, the Kilcher household went through many difficulties which led to the divorce of Atz from his first wife Lenedra Carroll. As it happens, the couple was happily married back in the early 1970s when they lived in Utah, and welcomed Shane and Jewel,
Though the family’s move to Alaska was followed by the birth of Atz Lee, the Kilchers’ situation eventually worsened, when Lenedra left in 1981. The couple eventually divorced, and Atz started a relationship with Linda from Oregon, who eventually gave birth to Nikos.
Although it’s unknown if Lenedra married again, at some point she welcomed Jewel when the latter moved to San Diego. However, as Jewel recalled in her 2015’s memoir “Never Broken – Songs Are Only Half the Story”, she ended up living in her car while dealing with health problems, and trying to build a career in the entertainment industry.
At some point, Jewel and Lenedra reconnected again, the latter becoming her daughter’s manager. Their work relationship lasted until 2010, when Jewel discovered that her mother had defrauded her of earnings: ‘I don’t think things were quite what I thought they were. It took me a long time to come and see the truth. It was a pretty heartbreaking realization’, she wrote.
Nowadays, Jewel and her siblings – most likely Atz Kilcher too – haven’t been in contact with Lenedra for over a decade.
How Did Jewel and Atz Reconcile?
Following Atz and Lenedra’s divorce, the situation for the Kilchers was apparently not very positive. According to Jewel’s biography “Angel Standing By”, she had quite a hard time during her childhood, as her father took her to perform in bars and hotels at a young age, which didn’t leave her with good memories.
Nonetheless, what really put a strain on Jewel’s relationship with Atz was his alleged abusive behavior and alcoholism. As she told People in 2020, Atz’ raised her alone from the time she was eight years old, but the experience wasn’t a pleasant one: ‘My dad had really bad PTSD, but those words weren’t really known at the time. He tried drink to handle anxiety, and became abusive’, she recalled, also pointing out that just like her, Atz grew up in a wild environment where abuse was apparently not unusual.
That being said, putting a distance between herself and her family eventually allowed her to see things from a different perspective. Furthermore, Atz embraced sobriety when 60 years old, leaving Jewel with the option to forgive and reconcile with him, resulting in a relationship very precious for both of them: ‘We have a really authentic, great relationship now, but it’s because he did his work, and I did my work’, she said. All in all, Jewel and Atz are proof that sometimes second chances actually work.
Who Are The Kilcher Family?
The Kilcher family has been living in Alaska for decades now, ever since the pioneers of the family, Yule and Ruth established themselves there in the 1940s. Besides Atz, his brother Otto and sisters Wurtilla, Fay, Catkin, Stellavera, Mossy and Sunrise were all raised in the Alaskan homestead.
As expected, the Kilchers’ household was devoid of technology, and even basic plumbing didn’t exist. The children were homeschooled during their early childhood, but at some point had to attend an Alaskan public school, while using their free time helping their mother Ruth to improve their homestead. During those formative years, Atz developed athletic skills and was known for his prowess playing several sports. He later enlisted into the US Army and served in Vietnam for two years, eventually returning home when he met Lenedra Carroll in the early 1970s.
Fun at my son @TorreyShort & Dana's Belize wedding with @OttoKilcher, @NikosKilcher & @August_Kilcher in December. pic.twitter.com/6PB9ydY34F
— Charlotte Kilcher (@kilcherfrontier) January 10, 2016
Although the Kilchers are known around the world for their appearances in “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, in Alaska they’re known for their family’s historical contributions. Yule was not only a farmer and a journalist, but also worked as a State Senator from 1963 to 1967, and made important contributions to Alaska’s Constitution. On her part, Ruth was a known writer and poet, remaining in Alaska until 1969 when she divorced.
What Is Atz Kilcher Doing Now?
These last couple of years, Atz Kilcher has gone through some difficulties related to his health. As seen during the 10th season of “Alaska: The Last Frontier”, in late 2020 Atz Kilcher underwent hernia repair surgery, potentially suspecting that he was infected with COVID-19 also experienced strong stomach problems, which resulted in an endoscopy: ‘There’s a bulge inside my stomach where there shouldn’t be one, so something on the outside is pushing in, so they want to go find out what that is’, he described in a show’s episode.
Fortunately, Atz’ problems didn’t represent a huge risk to his life, and he’s apparently in better health nowadays. Other than that, he spends his days performing his music in local events, taking care of his homestead, spending time with family, and of course filming the 11th season of “Alaska: The Last Frontier” premiered in 2022.
All in all, it’s great to see that Atz and the whole Kilcher family have a good and peaceful life these days.
