9 Quick Questions for Melissa Gilbert

Actress creates Modern Prairie lifestyle brand to connect mature women everywhere

Gayle Jo Carter,

AARP

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Published January 04, 2024

melissa gilbert on pink ombre background

Photo Collage: MOA Staff (Source: Courtesy Julie Zahn/Modern Prairie)

To many, Melissa Gilbert, 59, will forever be Laura Ingalls on the beloved TV show Little House on the Prairie, and she is embracing the community of women who grew up watching her in that role with her lifestyle brand Modern Prairie. The company offers retail items such as home decor, kitchenware and apparel; virtual workshops with cooking, decorating and gardening tips; and an app that offers inspirational messages, craft tutorials and self-care advice. Above all, Gilbert says, she wants Modern Prairie to foster a sense of community and give women a safe place to connect and share ideas — whether that be a recipe or advice for dealing with menopause. She explains her motivation behind the brand, her thoughts on aging and how she plans to celebrate her 60th birthday.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Little House on the Prairie celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Are there any big plans for it?

karen grassle, michael landon, sidney greenbush, melissa gilbert and melissa sue anderson

Gilbert played the role of Laura Ingalls on “Little House on the Prairie.”

Carl Furuta/TV Guide/NBC/courtesy Everett Collection

There is a big [anniversary festival planned in March] in Simi Valley [California] at the ranch where we filmed. And they’re reconstructing sets and buildings, and the cast is getting back together for that.

What motivated you to start Modern Prairie?

I’d had this idea in the back of my head for a really long time — that there was a way to take the Little House on the Prairie kind of ethos and turn it into something else. When I was younger, it was more of a retail kind of idea. I watched Martha Stewart very closely over the years, and then Gwyneth Paltrow after that, and all of these people who started these lifestyle lines — Chip and Joanna Gaines, and Trisha Yearwood. But as I’ve aged — and I have to give credit to my partner Nicole Haase [Modern Prairie CEO and cofounder]. She really opened my eyes to what it could be. [It’s] more than retail. [It’s] a resource for women, a place where women can gather and share their stories and their strength and their hope and their journeys. I got really excited about that.

What have you learned from the women in the community?

I’ve learned that we all have so much more in common than we think we do. It’s truly remarkable. A lot of my own philosophies were validated because I saw them reflected in so many other women. We’re all trying to advocate for our own health and well-being as we navigate these waters of perimenopause, menopause and postmenopausal life. There’s very, very little information out there, and a lot of women have said “enough.”

What other health care concerns are you hearing women talk about?

Women’s physical health care is a major concern, but also emotional and mental well-being. We spent so many generations being dismissed as moody or emotional or just plain crazy. We still have a long way to go in people understanding that menopause is not — or that aging, actually, I’m gonna go so far as saying aging itself is not a disease. Aging is a natural process. In my opinion, the most damaging words right now in the English language are anti-aging. To me, anti-aging means death. I mean, you die. You’re going to age no matter what you do. The opposite of that is death.

Speaking of aging, you turn 60 this year. How are you feeling about it?

Apparently it’s supposed to be a big deal. I’m very kind of sanguine about it. I’m just so happy I’m still here — grateful I’m here and healthy and I have all these amazing children and grandchildren and wonderful friendships. It’s all boiled down to everything essential. There’s no more superfluous, frivolous BS anymore.

Are you going to have a big party?

I think so. … For me, really all I want is [to be with] my kids and grandkids and my mom and my sister and my nephews. If my friends want to come, that’s great. I have a wonderful network of girlfriends. I say network, and there’s like six of them who are essential to my well-being. I would just love (because my children are all spread out across the country) to be able to gather them all in one place with my grands. That would make me happy. I don’t want anything else for my birthday. If someone could make that happen, I will be eternally grateful.

Do you think 60-year-old women are more seen than in the past?

I think we’re on our way to being more appreciated than we ever were before, and it’s because of this generation of women. We are a generation of working women. We were all raised to be far more independent. We are the generation that is least likely to be messed with going forward. There’s still a lot of hurdles, though, for women around our age. There’s still a lot of women who are starting over in new ways for many different reasons, whether it’s children moving out or loss of a spouse or, in many of our cases, having to walk through the end of the lives of our parents.

melissa gilbert and april cornell standing in front of shelves of clothes

Gilbert, seen here with clothing designer April Cornell, is co-founder of the lifestyle brand Modern Prairie.

Courtesy Julie Zahn/Modern Prairie

Having grown up in the entertainment business, did you face sexism or harassment? Did the #MeToo movement resonate with you?

Oh my Lord, yes, of course. I dealt with it my entire professional life, and I certainly dealt with it quite a bit when I was just [looked at as] this “attractive actress” — not that I would really have a lot to contribute beyond that. As far as harassment in the workplace and things like that, I actually managed to navigate blessedly through my career, certainly as a child, without having to deal with a lot of that. There were moments here and there when I was in my teens and certainly in my 20s where people would take advantage of that, and I was put in a couple uncomfortable situations, but nothing traumatic, just frustrating. I’m very lucky that way, because so many women my age were traumatized.

Is it accurate to say that you are not primarily interested in acting these days?

You know what, it’s not. That’s not actually right. I’m still acting and still working, [but] I don’t have the ambition that I had. I don’t feel like I have to get every job, that I have to get every role. I don’t feel like I have to sacrifice my own mental well-being because the job takes me away from home for several months and I know that’s not really the best place for me, but I have to do it because I have to achieve this. I’m coming at it from a much different place. I love acting. I love the process of acting. [In September 2023] I did a workshop of a new musical [Runaway Home] in New York City for two weeks, and I had the time of my life. I had so much fun because I don’t have the self-doubt that I used to. I’m very comfortable in who I am and what my abilities are. I’m very, very comfortable learning and not being the smartest person in the room and not having to prove myself.

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Gayle Jo Carter is a former entertainment editor at USA WEEKEND, who during her 30-year reporting and editing career, has worked at USA TODAY, Voice of America and Feature Story News. When not interviewing high-profile people, she’s teaching reformer Pilates classes and doing her best to raise two empathetic, curious, healthy young people to adulthood.