The Little House On The Prairie Star Who Said It Was 'Challenging' To Work With Michael Landon

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Michael Landon became one of the world's most beloved TV fathers when he played Charles "Pa" Ingalls for nine seasons of "Little House on the Prairie." As a writer, director, and producer on the series, Landon became one of the biggest reasons the series is considered a classic today. Stories about the star's strict but kind working style are plentiful, too, making it seem like playing Pa wasn't much different from who Landon was in real life, but there was one actor who simply didn't get along with Landon: Karen Grassle, who played his wife, Caroline Ingalls.

Grassle has many fond memories from her time on "Little House," and told BuzzFeed "the atmosphere on the set was quite wholesome, in general, whenever the children were present." She also discussed how much she enjoyed working with the other "Little House" cast members, especially Katherine MacGregor, who played Harriet Oleson. Like Grassle, MacGregor was new to TV acting. But when it came to working with Landon, things weren't as easy for Grassle. "It was definitely challenging to have your producer, writer, and director as your scene partner," she shared. 

Grassle went into more detail about their relationship with Fox News, revealing that after she tried to renegotiate her contract, Landon began to treat her differently, writing in her 2021 memoir, "Michael did not want to give me a raise. He began to diminish my part, my value." Despite the tension between them, and her struggle with alcoholism at the time, Grassle kept things professional, but claims Landon didn't: "Mike decided to humiliate me while we were doing the scenes in the bed... I just sat there with all these men standing around laughing at his jokes, and I couldn't do anything."

Karen Grassle got the raise she wanted, but the end of the contract dispute didn't make things better between her and Michael Landon. As she told Fox News, "It was so hard to go to work and know he was annoyed with you. You could cut the tension with a knife." Grassle left "Little House on the Prairie" at the end of the eighth season, and as she told People, by that point, "I ran myself into the ground with resentment and anger and hurt feelings and just pure exhaustion." Her feelings on working on the show kept Grassle from interacting with fans for decades: "I really didn't go to many events. I didn't hang out with everybody. I separated myself."

Years after "Little House" ended, Grassle reached out to Landon, and the two reconnected on a phone call and, as she told Fox, "[W]e mended fences. And I just felt there was a lot of forgiveness from both sides." Looking back at it all, Grassle can now focus on the happier moments she and Landon shared: "Lots of laughs. Lots of scenes where we played together and enjoyed each other's talents." Landon died soon after, leaving his legacy in the hands of his nine children.

In 2021, Grassle released her autobiography, "Bright Lights, Prairie Dust" and began taking part in fan events. Finally meeting people who grew up watching her play Caroline Ingalls made Grassle realize how powerful the show (and her work on it) was, telling People, "I had no idea the depth of affection that people had for this character. It just filled my heart because I worked so hard to make something special out of that character."