“Little House On The Prairie’s” Melissa Gilbert Reveals Why The Show Is Still Relevant 50 Years Later

Fifty years after Little House On The Prairie premiered, Melissa Gilbert shares how it affected her life.

In 1974, a little show called Little House On The Prairie premiered and cemented its name in history. It lasted for nine seasons and three movies.

Earlier this year, she and several other cast members celebrated the show’s 50th anniversary.

Melissa Gilbert (Laura Ingalls), along with Karen Grassle (Caroline Ingalls) and Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson), sat down for an interview with Good Morning America to celebrate 50 years of the iconic show.

Along with the interview and celebration on Good Morning America, which included a tribute to the late Michael Landon, there was also a fan event, which Gilbert’s brother, Jonathan Gilbert, attended. He has rarely made appearances over the years, so it was a rare thing to see him in attendance.

Melissa also spoke with Kelly Clarkson about Little House On The Prairie‘s impact 50 years later.

While appearing on the Emmy Award-winning talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show in October 2024, Clarkson congratulated Gilbert on the longevity of her career, saying, “Rarely are people part of something that is so massive in pop culture that it lasts.”

“It never went off the air,” Gilbert noted. “It went into syndication while we were shooting it and has never been off the air. People still watch.”

Gilbert seems just as grateful now as she was when she first booked the role as a kid.

“I got lucky! I stumbled into it,” she admitted.

The actress revealed she now watches Little House On The Prairie with her daughter and granddaughters, which makes her mother “sob” when seeing three generations of her family watch a show her daughter starred in for so many years.

Clarkson asked her why Little House On The Prairie has maintained fans for 50 years, and Gilbert knows exactly why.

“A lot of people will say it’s because the stories are about community and family and love and acceptance, and all the good things in life we crave,” she said. “But we were also telling stories of America in 1974 through the lens of 1874. We were telling stories of Veterans coming home from Vietnam. Still, it was the Civil War [in Little House], we were telling stories of them coming home drug-addicted, we were telling stories of racism, antisemitism, chauvinism, and all the things.”

Gilbert added that we as a society are all still learning the same lessons and that Little House On The Prairie “told those stories in a non-exploitative way and taught people what is most important.”

We love Little House on the Prairie and still enjoy learning those lessons every day! Watch the interview below.