- - “Little House on the Prairie'”s Karen Grassle Recalls Being Frustrated Over Caroline Ingalls' Menopause Storyline: 'Give Me a Break'

Tereza Shkurtaj, Yamillah HurtadoDecember 21, 2025 at 5:00 AM

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Karen Grassle. -

On Dec. 12, 2025, Karen Grassle attended the Little House on the Prairie Final 50th Anniversary Reunion in Simi Valley, Calif.

The festive three-day gathering brought together iconic cast members, including Rachel Greenbush and Alison Arngrim

During the nostalgic event, Grassle shared the one storyline for her character that left her frustrated

Karen Grassle became a household name thanks to her role as Caroline “Ma” Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie.

The actress’ portrayal of Ma resonated with a generation of viewers, making her a symbol of maternal grit and grace.

Yet during the show’s recent 50th Anniversary Reunion, the 83-year-old revealed that, despite her deep connection to Ma, the decision to weave menopause into her character’s story arc greatly frustrated her.

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert, and Dean Butler on the show (left to right).

In episode 20 of season 7, Ma believes she and her daughter, Laura, played by Melissa Gilbert, are both expecting, only to learn from her doctor that she is actually beginning menopause, not carrying a baby.

“They wrote that Ma stopped having her period and she thought she was pregnant, and then they wrote that, no, no, she's going through menopause,” Grassle said. “And I was like, give me a break."

"They wrote that my purpose in life was going away, and I was like, 'No! No!'" she continued. "It's a wonderful thing to give birth, but give me a break."

Grassle, who was only in her 30s at the time, felt the decision was "going to ruin my career."

The episode follows Ma into a deep emotional slump as she struggles with the news that she will never have another child and fears losing her sense of purpose, while her husband, Charles, played by Michael Landon, and the family work to reassure her of their love.

As a result, the actress found it very difficult to fully immerse herself in the scene.

"So it was very hard for me to bring myself my whole self to the scene," she shared. "I never did feel I did a good job."

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Karen Grassle.

Grassle also reflected on the challenges of separating her own feelings from her character’s, explaining that actors are trained not to judge their roles but to inhabit them fully.

“We’re not supposed to judge our character. [We're] supposed to live within the character,” she said, noting that judgment can create "distance" rather than understanding.

“Even if the person was a murderer, you would try to bring yourself into who they are,” she added, underscoring the discipline actors strive to maintain.

Nevertheless, Grassle admitted that Ma’s particular character arc tested that approach.

"So I had so much judgment, I had a hard time. It's interesting that they chose that," she said.

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Nearly a century after Laura Ingalls Wilder first brought her frontier stories to life on the page, Little House on the Prairie is being reintroduced for a new generation.

Netflix’s highly anticipated remake will feature cast members Alice Halsey, Luke Bracey, Crosby Fitzgerald, and Skywalker Hughes, to name a few.

NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls and Karen Grassle as Caroline Ingalls (left to right).

In February 2025, Gilbert told PEOPLE that the upcoming series aims to honor the heart of the original stories while offering a fresh perspective for today’s audiences.

“There's a lot of information and beautiful stories to mine from the actual writings of Little House,” the actress said.

“There's no reason to go off-roading and adding characters that didn't exist. There's plenty of people in the Little House world that still haven't been talked about on our version of the show.”

The first book introducing the Ingalls family came out in 1932, and the television series ran from 1974 to 1983.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”