By james art Gilbert explains why she and other cast members of the show stopped supporting fan events for the 50th anniversary
Melissa Gilbert in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2023 ” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Cg9QhzdTcjfAPinwU4saVg–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com /en/aol_people_articles_471/1fbec8f259db4b9229711e37fa09e82b” class=”caas-img”/>
Pascal Le Segretin/Getty
Melissa Gilbert in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2023.
Melissa Gilbert doesn’t mince words when it comes to Little House on the Prairiethe cast’s decision to stop participating in the 50th anniversary events.
The show’s cast members — including Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Karen Grassle, Dean Butler, Charlotte Stewart and Matthew LaBiorto, among others — announced Friday, Sept. 6, that they are canceling events in Tennessee, Missouri and Texas. The cancellation was prompted after they attended “poorly organized and executed events” in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, according to a press release issued by the cast on Oct. 1.
According to the outlet, the cast sent a letter to event organizer Jack Bishop and his company, Gravel Road Markets LLC, saying they “will no longer endorse, advertise or appear at Gravel Road Markets, LLC events.”
The cast also requested that Bishop and Gravel Road Markets “remove our names and likenesses from sales and marketing assets supporting any upcoming Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary events produced or promoted by Gravel Road Markets, LLC.”
PEOPLE reached out to Gilbert, who said Gravel Road Markets allegedly advertised the actress as a co-producer at various 50th anniversary events — a move she called “horrifying.”
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Melissa Gilbert signs autographs at the ‘Little House on the Prairie’ 50th Anniversary Cast Reunion and Festival in Simi Valley, California in March 2024.” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/ api/res/1.2/JM5aqJXfHdSydli2_jVlhg–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MzQ-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_people_articles_471/5249798c353170c6a3c037ba54c78118″ class=”caas-img”/>
VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
Melissa Gilbert signs autographs at the Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Cast Reunion and Festival in Simi Valley, California in March 2024.
After attending the Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Cast Reunion and Festival in March 2024 in Simi Valley, California in March, Gilbert was unable to make the rest of the tour.
“I immediately knew there was a problem because [Bishop] advertised that I was going to be in all these different places, but I didn’t,” Gilbert claimed. “Fans were buying tickets to see me and I knew I wasn’t going to be there.”
“I started posting on social media saying, ‘Guys, I’m not going to be there,'” she continues. “Apparently people have contacted him and he’s told them that not only will I be there, but I’m co-producing it with him. So that’s the beginning of my experience with Jack Bishop, which just means he’s cut off and I won’t work with anyone who does that. Period.”
Bishop did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Gilbert, 60, also referred to the critical feedback from fans on Facebook, which covered a range of complaints, including the lack of lighting in the dining area. Gilbert claims fans had to use the lights on their smartphones to see the food on the buffet tables.
Related: Little House on the PrairieAlison Arngrim and Melissa Gilbert Were Close Despite Playing ‘Mortal Enemies’ (Exclusive)
Fans at the ‘Little House on the Prairie’ 50th Anniversary Cast Reunion and Festival in Simi Valley, California in March 2024.” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/ 1.2/50rrLgS6xajO81T9.NrQ6A–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_people_articles_471/3a0ffcdec9aa4a9ae202de28aeeb10e4″ class=”caas-img”/>
VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
Fans at the Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Cast Reunion and Festival in Simi Valley, California in March 2024.
“As the tour progressed and after they [fans] reached Pennsylvania, as far as I could tell, it became a real nightmare,” Gilbert claimed. “They ran out of food. He resold tickets. He didn’t pay the vendors.
As a result Little House on the Prairie the cast “completely cut ties with Jack Bishop and Gravel Roads Markets,” Gilbert says.
“This is truly a shocking insult to the fans of Little House on the Prairie” said Gilbert. “And I could say that if I was the owner of the IP [intellectual property]I would be furious because I think it really shines a terrible light on the brand.”
Gilbert says that due to the “terrible mistreatment of the fans,” the cast decided not to continue the tour with Bishop. The actress “advocated for an investigation” against Bishop. She, along with several others she declined to name, launched an independent investigation into Bishop and his practices. Once the investigation is complete, the group will decide whether to involve a lawyer or law enforcement.
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In the press release from the cast on October 1st, they claimed that Bishop did not notify the event attendees of the cancellation. He apparently listed the event on Eventbrite as “sold out,” not “cancelled,” according to the cast.
Fans apparently arrived in Keystone, SD on September 27-29 and “similar mischaracterization” affected fans in Lyles, Tenn. on September 13-15.
“Jack Bishop now appears to be refusing to announce the cancellation of his Little House events in Branson, Missouri (November 15-17) and Corsicana, Texas (December 6-8),” the statement said, adding that Bishop “appears to be taking advantage from Little House fans.”
The cast encouraged fans to “seek clarification” from Eventbrite about their purchase.
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Read the original People article.