Why Did Alison Arngrim Really Quit ‘Little House on the Prairie’?

Little House on the Prairie Alison Arngrim, 1974-1983 — Everett Collection

Little House on the Prairie is still one of the most iconic television shows of all time, and among its most unforgettable characters was Nellie Oleson, played with over-the-top villainy by Alison Arngrim. For seven seasons, Arngrim brought Laura Ingalls’ rival to life, earning both laughs and boos from viewers who loved to hate her. But by the early 1980s, Arngrim quietly left the series, feeling she had outgrown the role that made her famous and was ready to move away from the character and the show.

When did Alison Arngrim join Little House on the Prairie?

Arngrim first joined the cast in 1974 when she was just 12 years old. The character of Nellie quickly became popular, and Arngrim found herself recognized everywhere she went. She found working on the show fun, but growing up in the spotlight was challenging. “People hated me. They hated me, hated me,” the actress told People in 2024, adding that someone once pelted her with an orange soda while she was on a float in a Christmas parade (“I was a moving target, and they hit me, so I’m kind of impressed.”)

Why did Alison Arngrim leave Little House on the Prairie?

And as she got older, Arngrim began to feel that the role no longer offered the creative freedom she wanted.

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, Alison Arngrim, Steve Tracy, 1974-83

Everett Collection

In her memoir Confessions of a Prairie Bitch, Arngrim reflected on those years, writing about how the show shaped her childhood and her sense of self. She explained that playing Nellie changed her and helped her come out of her shell, but by her late teens, she began to feel restless. She wrote, “Nellie, now ‘reformed’ by her marriage to Percival, had become bland and boring. I didn’t seem to have much to do. I felt a distinct lack of excitement. Was I really going to sign up for another several years of this? How many would they want? … I hoped not another seven. That would make it a 14-year run! I would be nearly 30 years old before I got off this thing! … I felt sick to my stomach at the thought.”

She added that she tried to negotiate and get a raise, but much like her costar Karen Grassle, she was met with resistance. She said, according to Showbiz CheatSheet, “The lawyers at NBC simply refused to negotiate. It was unfair. I was loyal to the network for seven years, yet there was no loyalty being shown to me. My agent and dad were enraged, but despite their pride and anger, they told me the final call was up to me.” While there was some bad blood and she was written out of the show, Arngrim did return for one episode in season nine.

Everett Collection and Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

What is Alison Arngrim doing now?

After leaving Little House on the Prairie, Arngrim reinvented herself through theater, stand-up comedy and activism. She toured with her one-woman show, continued to act and became a vocal advocate for AIDS awareness and child abuse prevention. You can find live tour events on her website.

While she will forever be remembered as the mischievous Nellie Oleson, Arngrim has said she is grateful for what the role taught her and for how it shaped the person she became.