Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson Reconnect After 40 Years Apart

NEW YORK CITY, NY – Former co-stars Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson have reunited after 40 years, as Gilbert shared on Instagram this past weekend. The actresses portrayed sisters Laura and Mary Ingalls on the beloved series ‘Little House on the Prairie‘ from 1974 to 1983.

On December 27, 2025, Gilbert, 61, posted a group photo taken backstage at her off-Broadway play ‘Pen Pals,’ where she was joined by Anderson, 63, and fellow actress Veanne Cox, alongside veteran performer Betty Buckley. In her post, Gilbert revealed the secret she had been keeping: a heartfelt reconnection with Anderson.

‘Worlds collide. Blessings abound. Hearts heal and reunite. Magic happens,’ she wrote. Gilbert expressed her joy, stating, ‘I’m so happy to have Melissa Anderson back in my life. We share such an important history that no one else on earth truly understands. Just us Ingalls girls.’

Throughout the years, both actresses have opened up about their complicated relationship while filming ‘Little House on the Prairie.’ In her memoir ‘A Prairie Tale,’ Gilbert recalled that although they played sisters, they did not develop a close bond off-screen. ‘There was a distance to her, a coldness, though sometimes I wonder if it was just that I never knew how to get her to let me in,’ she wrote.

Anderson echoed Gilbert’s feelings in a 2010 interview, stating, ‘I honestly do not have a lot of memories of the two of us. We were very, very different.’ Despite their past differences, Gilbert noted that their reunion has allowed them to move forward as friends: ‘The best part is, the past is now just that, and we can move forward as the sisters/friends we always wanted to be.’

The reunion comes after ‘Little House on the Prairie’ celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. A new version of the series is currently in development at Netflix.