Additional Coverage:
- ‘Little House on the Prairie’s Melissa Gilbert Sends Direct Message About Jason Bateman’s Hazing (parade.com)
Melissa Gilbert playfully threatens onscreen brother Jason Bateman’s childhood tormentors
Former Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert has leapt to the defense of her former onscreen little brother, Jason Bateman, after he recounted a childhood hazing incident on the show’s set. During a recent appearance on the popular YouTube show Hot Ones, Bateman described being pinned down and subjected to noogies by older cast members. He later cleverly got his revenge by asking the makeup artist to create a fake bruise and then tattling to the pranksters’ parents.
Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls Wilder to Bateman’s James Cooper Ingalls, reacted with mock outrage on social media. “Who?
Who did this to you?!?” she demanded in an Instagram post.
“I will kick their tush….no one smacks down my little bro!” Fans playfully speculated on the culprits’ identities in the comments, with many pointing fingers at the character of Nellie Oleson.
Bateman joined the cast of Little House on the Prairie at age 11, and the show ran for nine seasons from 1974 to 1983.