Melissa Gilbert Reflects on Past, Addresses Age Discrepancy with Co-Star

LOS ANGELES, CA – Melissa Gilbert, known for her role in “Little House on the Prairie,” opened up on social media about her past experiences as a young actress. Gilbert felt compelled to share her thoughts after seeing numerous women’s posts under hashtags like #iwasfifteen and #imfifteen.

“After seeing many women’s posts with those hashtags, I decided to google search myself at that age and see what came up. And now, at this age, I am actually nauseated,” she said, revealing discomfort about her past experiences in the industry.

In her post, Gilbert shared images, including one where she appears underage, along with scenes from the show featuring her onscreen love interest, Almanzo James Wilder, played by Dean Butler, who is eight years older than her.

“The girl on vacation in Hawaii with her family is the same girl who was expected to fall in love with and kiss a man on film who was several years older than she was,” Gilbert remarked. “Through the lens of today, this is shocking. I have no words other than to say, ‘I WAS A CHILD.’ ‘I WAS FIFTEEN.'”

Raised by adoptive parents Barbara Cowan and Paul Gilbert, she expressed gratitude for their protection during her formative years, stating, “Can you imagine if I hadn’t had them all? I am so fortunate (sort of). Many other young women aren’t.”

Many followers praised Gilbert for her candidness, including actor-singer Cheyenne Jackson, who commented, “I’m so glad you said this; I’ve thought about this often. You really were just a young girl. But still.”

Supportive responses flooded in, with fans sharing their own uncomfortable childhood experiences, noting that Gilbert’s story resonated deeply. One user mentioned, “Yep. I’ll bet we all have a story about being 15 and getting lots of unwanted attention from grown men. My skin still crawls thinking about it and I’m 60. Ugh.”

Gilbert’s revelation has sparked an important conversation about the treatment of young actors in Hollywood and the need for societal change concerning age disparities in media.