MELISSA GILBERT & ALISON ARNGRIM - BEST FRENEMIES Forever

THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE ALUMS SHARE A VERY SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP TODAY

-  Katie Bruno

Not long ago, an acquaintance came up to Little House on the Prairie alums Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim as they chatted together at a party. “She says, ‘It’s so good to see you two getting along now,’” recalls Alison. “We didn’t know what she was talking about. It took a while for the light bulb to go on and we realized she was talking about the show.”

It’s easy to understand the confusion if you’re a Little House fan. On the beloved historical drama, which ran for nine seasons, from 1974 to 1983, their characters, Laura Ingalls and Nellie Oleson, hated each other. But in real life, Melissa and Alison have been close friends practically from the day they met on the set. “Alison and I formed an instant bond when we were kids, and she and I text pretty much on the regular,” says Melissa, 59, who has appeared twice on Alison’s podcast The Alison Arngrim Show. Alison, 61, has also joined the conversation at Melissa’s lifestyle site, Modern Prairie.