Why Did Karen Grassle Really Quit ‘Little House on the Prairie’?
What To Know
- Karen Grassle left Little House on the Prairie after eight seasons due to pay disputes, a shrinking role, and an uncomfortable work environment created by Michael Landon.
- Grassle revealed in her memoir that as a woman in a male-dominated industry, she felt unable to confront inappropriate jokes and was frustrated by the lack of support for her character.
- After her departure, Grassle pursued theater and television roles, and she and Landon reconciled before his death in 1991.
Little House on the Prairie became one of the most beloved family dramas on television and at the heart of the series was Karen Grassle, who played matriarch Caroline “Ma” Ingalls. For eight seasons, she was the emotional center of the Ingalls family, holding everything together. However, by 1982, Grassle quietly left the series, and behind her graceful exit were the difficulties of working in a male-dominated industry, including pay disputes and bad jokes.
Grassle opened up about those years in her 2021 memoir Bright Lights, Prairie Dust, revealing that tensions began early on when she asked Michael Landon, who was both her costar and the show’s executive producer, for a pay raise before the second season. “I felt insulted as his costar on a hit series,” she told People. “I didn’t want to gouge anybody, but I expected a fair wage.” When Landon denied her request, she said the atmosphere on set changed.
Everett Collection
According to Grassle, he began making crude jokes and comments that made her uncomfortable, but as a woman in the 1970s television world, she didn’t feel empowered to confront him. “It never occurred to me to sharply rebuke him,” she said. “I kept up the professionalism. I’d be the good girl, play the part and hope.”
As the seasons went on, Grassle noticed her role was shrinking. She said her requests for more character-centered episodes were often overlooked, and that added to her growing frustration. By the early 1980s, Grassle felt it was time to move on. She had already extended her contract and, after eight seasons, she was ready to return to her theater roots and seek new challenges.
After leaving Little House on the Prairie, she acted in theater productions across the country and guest-starred in many roles on television. Despite their differences, Grassle and Landon reconciled before he died in 1991 from pancreatic cancer. She added, “I am very grateful that we mended our fences.”
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1970s Fall TV
September 2023
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