“Little House On The Prairie” is considered one of the most wholesome television shows of all time. The family show generated household names like Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, and Shannen Doherty. That’s why it was so unexpected when a sex scandal came to light from behind-the-scenes of “Little House On The Prairie”.
A Not-So-Innocent ‘Little House On The Prairie’ Cast Story
In her memoir “Prairie Tale,” Melissa Gilbert opened up about the nine years she spent starring as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the show.
It was in this book that she recounted a shocking story about the actress Shannen Doherty, who was cast in season nine of the show.
Doherty, who later catapulted to fame as Brenda on “Beverly Hills 90210”, was cast in the role of Jenny Wilder, the niece of Laura’s husband Almanzo.
“Shannen, then 12, was an adorable little girl and very sweet. In her pigtails and dress, she would literally walk in my footsteps, following me closer than my shadow,” Gilbert wrote.
“She wanted to know what makeup I wore, what jewelry I liked, and did I prefer my Jordache jeans or my Calvins? She looked up to me even though I was in many ways still a kid myself. In fact, she used to say she wanted to be just like me when she grew up.”
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Shannen Doherty stole our hearts on "Little House on the Prairie" at just 11 years old when she played Jenny Wilder. Today, we wish her a very Happy Birthday! Do you have a favorite memory of Jenny Wilder? pic.twitter.com/UYhwioYNyQ
— Little House on the Prairie® (@LHPrairie) April 11, 2019
“Little House On The Prairie” came to an end in 1983.
Ten years later, Gilbert was in marriage counseling with her first husband, Bo Brinkman. It was in one of their therapy sessions that he dropped a bomb that she never saw coming.
Melissa Gilbert’s husband revealed that he once had sex with Shannen Doherty, who was 22 years-old by then.
“As I was getting back together with my first husband, Bo Brinkman, after a trial separation, we attended therapy sessions,” Gilbert remembered.
“When Bo and I reconciled in therapy, he confessed everything that he’d done during our separation, and his laundry list of dirty deeds included a one-night stand with Shannen. That story in particular irked me.”
Melissa Gilbert Bumps Into Shannen Doherty
A few years later, Gilbert came face-to-face with Doherty at the Emmy Awards.
“As I came offstage, Shannen and Luke Perry were in the wings, getting ready to present an award,” she wrote. “She looked at me and attempted to give me a hug. I pushed her away and said, ‘I don’t think so.’
“I know,” Gilbert told Doherty. “I know what you did with my husband.”
Gilbert claimed that Doherty did not seem remorseful at all for what she had done.
“She looked me square in the eye,” Gilbert said. “I thought I saw a barely perceptible smirk. Then she said, ‘I told you that when I grew up I wanted to be just like you.'”
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Melissa Gilbert Reveals What She’d Do If She Saw Shannen Doherty Again
When asked in an interview what she would do if she ever saw Doherty again, Gilbert had a blistering response.
‘I wouldn’t say anything,” Gilbert said. “I’d just punch her in the nose.”
It looks like there’s no love lost between these two “Little House On The Prairie” alum!