Melissa Gilbert Reunites With ‘Prairie’ Sister Melissa Sue Anderson

Gilbert has been critical of Anderson’s attitude towards her, both on and off screen, noting how she was the “boss of me.”

The series’ cast recently gathered to celebrate its 50th anniversary, with reports suggesting Melissa Gilbert has “passed the baton” to a new star who’d be reprising her role in Netflix’s adaptation.

It looked like it was never going to happen, but fans of “Little House on the Prairie” can now breathe a sigh of relief as the Ingalls sisters, Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson, have ended their decades-long rift.

In a photo taken backstage of Gilbert’s show “Pen Pals,” the pair posed close to each other, signifying that their over 40-year frosty relationship is finally on the mend.

“Worlds collide. Blessings abound. Hearts heal and reunite. Magic happens,” Gilbert wrote. “Last night after @penpalsplay, my genius co-star @veannecox had a surprise in the audience. Boy am I glad I didn’t know in advance that the remarkable @blbuckley was there.”

The 61-year-old actress then took it a notch higher to explain that she and her onscreen sister have settled their beef for a while now, but she ultimately kept it a “secret.”

“But I had a secret of my own,” she continued. “One I’ve been keeping close to my heart for a while now. Reconnection with a sister. Long, healing talks. Lots of reminiscing. Lots of catching up. Lots of laughter and a few tears.”

The NBC drama series ran for 9 seasons starting from 1974. It followed the life and adventures of Charles Ingalls’ family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota.

Gilbert and Anderson, respectively, played sisters Laura and Mary on the show, but appeared to have developed a strained relationship as a result of it.

However, Gilbert added that she’s “so happy” that Anderson is “back in my life,” going on to explain that they “share such an important history that no one else on earth truly understands.”

“Just us Ingalls girls,” she said. “The best part is, the past is now just that, and we can move forward as the sisters/friends we always wanted to be. What a wonderful Christmas gift.”

Their reunion follows previous comments from each of them about how the other was difficult to deal with.

During a 2010 interview with The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Anderson said she “honestly [does] not have a lot of memories” of their time together, despite starring side by side with each other as sisters, adding that they were “very, very different.”

On her part, Gilbert also accused Anderson of being the “boss of me” on the show, going on to explain that the actress seemingly lacked warmth with her onscreen.

“She took that absolutely seriously. She was two years older than me, which, you know, when you’re nine and 11 is a big deal … She was tough,” Gilbert said. “I mean both off and on camera, but on camera especially.”

Gilbert also recalled, “One of the first episodes … when Ma comes home with fabric, and I reach out to touch it. Melissa whacked me so hard, and you can see [where] I almost started to laugh, and you can see the whole spectrum of emotion on my face.”

It is officially going to be the end of an era for the pair, as Netflix is already working on a highly anticipated adaptation of the series with a new cast.

The onscreen sisters and other cast members recently reunited in California as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of “Little House on the Prairie.”

At the three-day event held at Strathearn Historical Park in Simi Valley, details about Netflix’s upcoming work were revealed, including the fact that 11-year-old actress Alice Halsey would pick up Gilbert’s role as Laura.

Reports suggest Gilbert already met with Halsey and gave her blessing to the young Laura.