The titular Walton family on the popular '70s series, The Waltons, for the most part, had an idyllic life. However, some aspects of the show were pretty imperfect.
ReMind Magazine reported that the Waltons cast revealed the well-known family dinner scenes weren't all that appetizing in real life. In a June 2025 panel at The Hollywood Show, Kami Cotler, who famously portrayed Elizabeth Walton, said the characters' meals would be left out for quite some time, making it “very gross."
“A three-minute kitchen scene takes four hours to film. So the food just gets more and more congealed, and they put [it] on your plate and scrape it back onto the serving dish," recalled Cotler, who appeared on the series for its entire 9-season run, per IMDb.
She clarified that late actor Ralph Waite, who played Elizabeth's father, John Walton Sr., "would eat" the food.
According to ReMind magazine, Cotler wasn't the only Waltons star who had an issue with the show's many moments at the dinner table. In a 2014 interview with the Television Academy, Michael Learned said that the dinner scenes "were a nightmare."
"We dreaded them. First of all, you have to do a master shot, and then once you do that, and the kids are flicking mashed potatoes at each other. And Cami’s playing with the salt, and I’m bored to tears," said Learned, who played John Sr.'s wife and matriarch of the Walton family, Olivia.
According to Learned, "a dinner scene could last half a day and and by the end of all the food getting re-scraped back into the serving dishes."
"We had corned beef — chipped corn beef — and that was a nightmare beyond imagining. By the end of that corn beef was just disgusting. There was practically mold growing on it,” said the actress in the 2014 interview.
Michael Learned Explained Why She Left the Show After Its 8th Season
Learned left The Waltons after its 8th season, which premiered in 1979, as reported by IMDb. In a September 2025 interview on Still Here Hollywood Podcast w/ Steve Kmetko, Learned explained why she decided to step away from the show. She said while she was "grateful" for her time playing Olivia, she eventually found the mother-of-seven's storyline to be "boring."
"They didn't know what to do with me," said the 86-year-old actress.
Despite not having much of a storyline, Learned was tasked to still "be in the shot." After a while, her character was left with only chores to do while making small talk with her children.
Learned that said while she didn't regret exiting the series, she was emotional about leaving her castmates and the crew.
"We were all really close," said Learned in the September 2025 interview.
Hence then, the article about kami cotler revealed what was very gross on the waltons set was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Kami Cotler Revealed What Was ‘Very Gross’ on ‘The Waltons’ Set )
Also on site :
- Natural gas line rupture stops traffic on 5 Freeway in Castaic
- 30–35 terrorists on radar: Army steps up counterterror ops in J&K; intense vigil amid 'Chillai Kalan'
- Nine Years After Carrie Fisher Died, Billie Lourd Says Mom “Lives on Through Joy” With Kids, Dad Bryan Lourd