How Melissa Gilbert's Big Career Move Changed The Way She Sees Aging

Melissa Gilbert has been a fixture in Hollywood for decades, and while she's not done with acting, the "Little House on the Prairie" star has left the scene. In 2013, she made the big move to Michigan with her husband Timothy Busfield, eventually launching a lifestyle brand, with the intention of leaving behind the pressures of having to stay youthful-looking. "When you live in Los Angeles, it's like living at the mall when you work at the mall. Literally, everyone is in the business," she told People in 2024. "Everybody's always looking, curious, competing and that's a really difficult thing, especially for a female actor. It puts a lot of pressure on staying thin and staying young, and really it makes it hard to feel comfortable in one's own skin, because [of] the aging process," Gilbert continued. Once out of Los Angeles, she stopped focusing on things like fashion pieces that made her look older and instead tended to her well-being.

After her stint in the Midwest, Gilbert made the move to New York City, where she also felt free from the constraints of Hollywood. "I went from, 'Oh God, I better not get older!' to 'Oh God, I'm so glad I'm older!' I love the age I am right now. Sixty has been the most incredible year, just to look back on all the things I've done and to know that I've earned my opinions, I have value, I am wise," she shared with Page Six the following year. It took a while for Gilbert to get into that healthy mindset, and before learning how to stop comparing herself to unrealistic beauty standards, she once struggled with her body image.

Melissa Gilbert never thought twice about her looks not being good enough, but it was when she starred in the 1981 remake of "Splendor in the Grass" that she felt less-than. During an appearance on the "Today" show in 2018, Gilbert recalled being put into a corset and push-up bra, with her cleavage contoured to make her look bustier. As a dancer, she had always been confident in her own skin, but being physically altered gave her insecurities. The celebrity opened up about her plastic surgery experience with breast implants, sharing, "That really messed with my head. It was about a year later that I got my nose done." Gilbert also revealed that she got breast implants after her first child, admitting that she fell into the "trap" of keeping up with Hollywood.

Now that she's an older celebrity who embraces her age, Gilbert enjoys roles suited for her. One of her latest was a 65-year-old woman who reconnected with a past flame in the off-Broadway play "Still." She told Observer, "One of the things that drew me to this play is the idea of having a romance at this age. Just because we've gotten older doesn't mean we don't fall in love and have passionate, physical relationships." And, she's not looking to retire anytime soon, despite being in her 60s. "I would love to do a Broadway show. It is still my favorite dream," she stated.