'Little House on the Prairie' Star Gets Candid About Being Hated by Fans
- - 'Little House on the Prairie' Star Gets Candid About Being Hated by Fans
Nicole MooreDecember 21, 2025 at 1:57 AM
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Photo by D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra
Little House on the Prairie actress Alison Arngrimstarred as the villainous Nellie Oleson during the beloved '70s show's first seven seasons.
People magazine reported that Arngrim said fans have taken issue with her because of her character's wicked behavior at the Little House on the Prairie Final 50th Anniversary Reunion. During the December 12 event in Simi Valley, California, Arngrim said that one viewer "threw an orange soda at [her] face" while at a parade because of her portrayal of Laura Ingalls' (Melissa Gilbert) antagonist.
"I didn't have people going, 'Oh, I have such a crush on you. I love you.' It was, 'I hate you. I hate you so much,'" said Arngrim, per People.
Arngrim also explained her current thoughts about Nellie.
"She's like a body part. I often say she's like my sister. She's like my evil twin sister. She's like another arm or a leg or an appendage. She's not going anywhere. She's just there," said Arngrim at the Little House on the Prairie Final 50th Anniversary Reunion.
Alison Arngrim Said She Had a Hard Time Watching Her Character in a Season 3 Episode
During an exclusive interview with Parade in December 2025, Arngrim spoke about Nellie's behavior on Little House on the Prairie, which had a nine-season run until 1983. Arngrim said she wasn't aware that Nellie was a bully until she was auditioning for the character.
"When I got there, they just handed me these sides. I didn’t know what Nellie Oleson was. As soon as I read it, I turned to my father went, ‘This girl, she’s a b—h. This is terrible,'” said the actress who was 12 years old when she joined the Little House on the Prairie cast.
Arngrim also said she didn't love watching herself playing Nellie in the season 3 episode, “The Music Box," wherein her character bullies a child with a stutter.
“I went to speech class when I was a kid. I was friends with the stutterers. I’m like, ‘No, this is like the worst.’ So it actually kind of creeped me out while I was doing it. I call it the episode where I hate me. It’s like that bad, but it works and it’s brilliant,” said Arngrim to Parade.
This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
