Melissa Gilbert, who grew up in front of millions playing Laura on Little House on the Prairie, recently opened up about the moment she met her biological father for the very first time. It was emotional, unexpected, and honestly, straight out of a movie — especially when she realized he already knew who she was, not from family photos or stories, but from his TV screen.
She shared the moment during a conversation on the Patrick Labyorteaux podcast, revealing that when she finally introduced herself to her birth father, she didn’t tell him who she was right away. He asked her, “Well, who are you? What do you do?” So she gave him a hint, saying, “Did you ever watch Little House on the Prairie?” And that was all he needed. “You’re Laura, aren’t you? I knew it,” he said. That recognition hit her hard. And when she finally met her half-siblings, the resemblance was undeniable. “We all look alike,” she said. “So, it’s pretty clear”, according to the Daily Mail.
Gilbert was adopted right after birth, so the emotional weight of finally meeting her biological family and being recognized in such a surreal way was something she’ll never forget.
But that wasn’t the only story she told. In the same interview, she dropped what she called her “best Hollywood story” — and it’s got all the elements of a wild ‘80s night out. Picture this: Patrick Swayze, Liza Minnelli, Michael Jackson, hidden cocktails, and a llama.
It started when her agent at the time, Michael Black — who also repped Rob Lowe — invited her to see Patrick Swayze perform in a dance show at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Rob Lowe was busy filming St. Elmo’s Fire, so Gilbert went with Michael instead. Then things got weird.
“There’s like a commotion at the door,” she said, “and Liza Minnelli came in and beelined and sat down at our table.” Minnelli wasn’t supposed to be drinking, so she stashed her booze in front of Melissa. “At one point, I had four wines, three screwdrivers in front of me,” she said. “Lorna Luft came in, and Liza was like drinking under the table.”
That’s when Michael Jackson quietly joined the party. “He came and sat at our table,” Gilbert said. Meanwhile, she was looking at her then-boyfriend Rob Lowe, silently begging to get out of there. “Please, I want to go home. I’m scared of all of this.”
After dinner — with Wolfgang Puck personally delivering their food — they were trying to figure out what to do next when Jackson finally broke his silence. He had said nothing all evening until he leaned in and said, “You can come to my house, I’ve got a llama.”
Yep. That was the only thing he said all night.
From an emotional family reunion decades in the making to a wild evening with Hollywood royalty and a surprise invite from the King of Pop, Gilbert’s stories are as unforgettable as the life she’s lived.