Kate Stoltz, born Katie Stoltzfus, is a former reality TV star, model, and fashion designer known for appearing on TLC’s Breaking Amish and its spin-off, Return to Amish. She left her Amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to build a modeling and design career in New York City, and today she runs her own fashion line.
This article covers her Amish upbringing, her time on TLC, her modeling work, and what she’s doing now.
Who Is Kate Stoltz?
Kate Stoltz was raised in an Amish family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as the daughter of a bishop. She was the middle child of seven, and her childhood centered on farm chores and sewing her own clothing, along with clothing for her family.
She became publicly known in 2012, when she joined the cast of Breaking Amish, a TLC reality series that followed young Amish and Mennonite adults as they experienced life outside their communities for the first time.
Early Life and Amish Upbringing
Growing up in a bishop’s household meant Stoltz’s daily life followed strict Amish customs from an early age. Chores, sewing, and farm work filled most of her days, and formal exposure to modern technology, fashion, or media was limited or absent.
As the middle child among seven siblings, she also took on shared responsibilities typical of large Amish families, where children contribute to the household and farm from a young age.
Leaving the Amish Community
Stoltz left her community as part of the original Breaking Amish cast, a group of four Amish and one Mennonite young adult who moved to New York City to test life outside their upbringing. The move gave her an unfiltered look at city life, fashion, and work opportunities she hadn’t had access to before.
Where several of her castmates eventually returned to Pennsylvania and reconciled with their communities, Stoltz chose a different path. She stayed in New York City to pursue modeling and design work, a decision that set her apart from most of the original cast and shaped the direction of her post-show life.
Breaking Amish and Reality TV Career
Stoltz appeared in the first two seasons of Breaking Amish, which debuted on TLC in 2012 and quickly became one of the network’s best-performing new series. The show followed her alongside castmates Abe Schmucker, Jeremiah Raber, Sabrina High, and Rebecca Schmucker as they adjusted to life in New York City.
When the spin-off Return to Amish premiered in June 2014, Stoltz appeared in its first three seasons. The premise followed the original cast returning to their hometowns to attempt reconciliation with their communities. Stoltz was the exception: while her castmates went back to Pennsylvania, she remained based in New York City to focus on modeling.
Return to Amish ran for seven seasons before ending in 2023, and castmate Jeremiah Raber confirmed on social media in 2025 that the franchise had concluded.
Modeling Career
Stoltz began pursuing modeling during her first season on Breaking Amish, doing her first professional photo shoot on camera. Her modeling work expanded from there, including a widely covered feature in Maxim magazine in 2013, where she spoke about growing up Amish and the physical work that shaped her upbringing.
On Return to Amish, cameras followed her booking a spot in New York Fashion Week, a milestone she described as a turning point in establishing herself in the fashion industry. By the show’s later seasons, Stoltz had built a modeling career independent of the TLC platform that first introduced her.
Life Today
Stoltz has continued building a career in fashion beyond modeling. In 2015, she launched her own fashion line, moving from being photographed in clothing to designing it. She maintains a public presence through her modeling and design work, and her official site, katestoltz.com, showcases her current projects.
Unlike some of her former castmates, who returned to Amish or Mennonite life after their time on TLC, Stoltz has remained in the fashion industry in New York City in the years since the show ended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kate Stoltz still Amish? No. Stoltz left her Amish community during the filming of Breaking Amish in 2012 and has remained outside the community since, building a career in modeling and fashion design in New York City.
What show made Kate Stoltz famous? Kate Stoltz became known through TLC’s Breaking Amish, appearing in its first two seasons, and continued her television presence on the spin-off Return to Amish for three additional seasons.
What does Kate Stoltz do now? Stoltz works in fashion design, having launched her own clothing line in 2015. She continues to model and maintains her career in the fashion industry, based in New York City.
Did Kate Stoltz return to her Amish community? No. While several of her Breaking Amish castmates went back to Pennsylvania and their Amish or Mennonite communities, Stoltz chose to stay in New York City to pursue modeling and design work.
Where is Kate Stoltz from? She grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in an Amish family, as the daughter of a bishop.
Final Thoughts
Kate Stoltz’s story stands out among the Breaking Amish cast because of the path she chose after the cameras stopped rolling. While many of her castmates returned to their communities, she built a lasting career in modeling and fashion design in New York City, a shift reflected in both her television appearances and her current work as a designer.
