With Netflix preparing to introduce a new generation toLittle House on the Prairie (season 1 of the "reimagining" drops on Netflix July 9 at 3 a.m. ET), excitement around the beloved franchise continues to reach a fever pitch. The upcoming Netflix adaptation, inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic books, has sparked even more interest in the television series that first became a cultural phenomenon in the 1970s.
For Alison Arngrim, who made television history as the unforgettable Nellie Olsen, the enthusiasm is something she never imagined when she was cast at just 12 years old. More than five decades later, Little House on the Prairie continues to find new audiences around the globe, including podcasts, live shows, and fan events. Arngrim herself runs a podcast, The Alison Arngrim Show, and was featured on the 50th Anniversary show podcast with other cast members in May 2025. Her book Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated, came out in June 2010.
"I never, in a billion, trillion years thought that 52 years later there would be this much fuss about the prairie," Arngrim tells Parade exclusively of the show that is in 140 countries. "I certainly didn't think I'd be doing a podcast about it, have a New York Times bestselling book, and multiple events. The emotional reaction from people all over the world, saying this show is part of their childhood and part of their family, is really unbelievable. Our show still means something to people this many years later."
I got in touch with the actor, comedian, podcaster, and author on Monday, July 6. In this exclusive interview, Arngrim discusses the Netflix reboot, the enduring success of Little House, her hit podcast, touring the world with her one-woman show, and why she believes the series continues to resonate with audiences more than 50 years later.
Related: 'Little House on the Prairie' Cast: Where Are They Now?
Q: What do you think about Netflix's upcoming Little House on the Prairie series?
Alison Arngrim: I'm excited to see it. Rebecca [Sonnenshine], the showrunner, talks about being raised on Laura Ingalls Wilder and the books. I joke about it in my stand-up act. I say, 'It's not a bunch of guys in a smoke-filled room with pinky rings and cigars going, 'Let's make Little House on the Prairie.' It is people who are very into it, so they're not going trash it. It is going to be be good.
The trailer's amazing. It's just breathing new life into everything else we do. People will turn around and watch our [original] show on Amazon again just to contrast and compare. It's just pouring gasoline on the big prairie fire. A rising tide lifts all boats. I love that they're going back to the books and will be in Kansas for a while. They're squeezing in a lot of historical things, and Dr. Tan, who is in the books, gets a whole character arc. And all the Native American characters are being played by First Nations actors. I love that."
Q: How did playing Nellie Olsen change your life?
Arngrim: It sounds completely cliché to say Nellie Olsen saved my life, but she absolutely did. Growing up, I was bullied. I was abused as a child. I went through every terrible thing. And I get on the show, and I'm the villain. I'm able to vent all my hostilities, and spew all my rage, and get everything out of my system.
And I'm surrounded by these people who are really kind to me and very nice. I'm in a safe space with good people, doing good work with adults who are completely kind and pleasant. I'm able to get out all of my negative emotions all day long and be rewarded for it.If doctors had written up a prescription, they couldn't have done any better. I absolutely think it's one of the reasons I still have any of my marbles left.
[Editor's note: In a 2004 interview with Larry King, she revealed that she was sexually abused by a family member starting at the age of 6].
Related: Watch the Official Trailer for Netflix’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Reboot Right Now
Q: Do you have a favorite Little House on the Prairie episode?
Arngrim: My favorite episode is 'Bunny,' where Nellie pretends to be paralyzed. Doc Baker is trying to explain why she can't walk. Her parents are devastated. Mr. Ingalls has to stop what he's doing and build her a wheelchair. Miss Beadle has to send her schoolwork home. The entire town gets dragged into this 13-year-old girl's psycho, wackadoo drama, all because she was jealous of a boy Laura liked. Then Laura finds out she's faking and shoves her down the hill in the wheelchair into the pond. It's one of the greatest revenge-on-a-bully sequences in television history. It's epic because of how far Nellie goes. There's a whole scene with Doc Baker poking her foot with a needle. That's the best episode of the whole series.
Q: Let's talk about Michael Landon, who played Charles "Pa" Ingalls,and died in 1991 from pancreatic cancer. Did Michael Landon realize the show would have this kind of legacy?
Arngrim: Michael told several people, 'One day people will still be watching the show after we're all gone.' He said that long before he was diagnosed with cancer. He said, 'Long after I'm dead, people will still be watching Little House on the Prairie.' Nobody believed him. But Michael knew something. It was hitting some nerve with people. He got it.
Q: Looking back, would you play Nellie any differently?
Arngrim: I would have leaned in more. I would have doubled down on the whole thing. I always say, if you're an actor and you're thinking about doing something, and you're not sure, 'Should I?' the answer is yes. In fact, do even more than that. I would have doubled down and leaned in even more on the whole insanity."
Q: What do you remember about your audition for Nellie?
Arngrim: I was 12, and I hadn't read the books. I didn't know anything about Nellie Oleson. I got these sides, turned to my father, and said, 'This is not a normal part. This girl is a total bitch. My father was dying with laughter. He said, 'Don't change anything. Don't rehearse it again. Just do exactly what you just did.' I went in, and Michael Landon and the producers started laughing hysterically. They asked me to read it again. I asked, 'What would you like me to change?' They said, 'Nothing.' By the time I got back to the house, my agent called and said I'd been hired. Michael made decisions like that. He just knew."
Q: Why do you think Little House on the Prairie still connects with audiences around the world?
Arngrim: Everybody has a Mrs. Oleson at their job, and everybody has a Nellie at school. That's what people identify with. But because it's set in the 1800s, it doesn't date. I keep meeting people from Peru, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Borneo, France, Argentina, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland—the whole world. They all tell me, 'The show is so emotional, and they identify with it because the Ingalls' problems are everyone's problems.'
Q: You, Little House actor Dean Butler, who played Almanzo Wilder, and series expert Pamela Bob started The Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Podcast in 2024. What can you share about the Little House on the Prairie podcast now that it's in its third season?
Arngrim: It was going a few episodes to commemorate the 50th anniversary, and it turned into this epic podcast. We have had people we didn't think would come on. Melissa Sue Anderson [who played Mary Ingalls] came on. She was incredible. We've had Melissa Gilbert [who played Laura Ingalls], guest stars, people who worked on the show, historians, and fans. We break down the episodes. We have people who were on them talk about them. It's really the biggest deep dive into Little House.
Now we're into our third season. We have a Patreon, a whole fan group, and more than a million downloads. It has blown up to proportions we never in our wildest dreams imagined. People tell me they watch the episodes over and over again.
Q: You also host The Alison Arngrim Show, which started in 2018, with episodes dropping weekly on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Tell me about that podcast.
Arngrim: We've been doing The Alison Arngrim Show for a few years. We talk about the TV shows and the movies that made us feel good, and the people who made them, and people who are doing things now to make the world a better and more interesting place.
I have actors, authors, and all kinds of interesting people on. Sometimes I'll have a scientist, like Dr. Otto Yang from UCLA. But generally it's actors and authors talking about their lives and what they're doing now. I basically give them free rein to express themselves, and it's a very positive.
Q: Your memoir, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch, became a bestseller, and you're still performing your one-woman show around the world. What has that journey been like?
Arngrim: I got asked to come perform in New York, and they told me I needed to do 90 minutes. I thought, 'Ninety minutes? Who has 90 minutes?' I actually put together the one-woman show that became Confessions of a Prairie Bitch. All true stories, plus a question-and-answer segment. I have been doing it for years all over the country. Then I was doing it in France because La Petite Maison dans la Prairie is super popular there.
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