Little House on the Prairie actor breaks silence on why he was axed from show

Actor Patrick Labyorteaux has reflected on the reasons why he was cut from the hit ’70s series Little House on the Prairie. Patrick opened up about his years playing Andrew “Andy” Garvey from Seasons 4 to 7, and revealed that he was ultimately let go after Season 7, Episode 21, “The Lost Ones.” He explained that after Andy’s mother, Alice Garvey (played by Hersha Parady), died in a fire, Andy and his father Jonathan (Merlin Olsen) were written out of Walnut Grove. According to Patrick, the storyline was designed to set up “a backdoor pilot that they didn’t pick up.” 

“The idea was that Merlin would be the sheriff of a town, and I was going to be his son,” the actor told Buzzfeed. The network said, ‘We want Merlin, but we don’t want him as part of Little House.’ So they did the show Father Murphy, and had to cast a kid who looked just like me for that show,” Patrick told BuzzFeed.

Patrick also admitted he struggled with how abruptly his time on the show ended. “When you’re 15 and getting fired, even though you didn’t do anything wrong, you’re losing a job, and it sucks,” he said.

Still, he remained connected to the Little House on the Prairie family thanks to his brother Matthew Labyorteaux, who continued on the series as Albert Ingalls until its ninth and final season. “The good news was that my brother was still on the show, so I saw all my friends whenever I could,” Patrick said.

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Since leaving Little House on the Prairie, Patrick has built a steady and successful career in television, most notably playing Lt. Cmdr. Bud Roberts Jr. on JAG for a decade, followed by appearances on its spin-off NCIS. He later moved into producing, co-creating the family sitcom See Dad Run with his wife, television producer Tina Albanese. The couple married in 1998 and share one son, Jeau Bennett, born in 2001.

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Former stars from the show recently reunited to pay tribute to their co-star Michael Landon, who played Charles “Pa” Ingalls. Melissa, who played Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Dean, her on-screen husband, took to Instagram to share a joint message to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer, from which Michael died in 1991. He tragically passed away just three months after publicly announcing his diagnosis, leaving behind his nine children.

“Michael wasn’t just my co-star. He was my mentor, my friend and the closest thing to family I’ve ever had,” Melissa wrote, in collaboration with Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “Watching him taken by pancreatic cancer so quickly was one of the hardest things I’ve ever faced. I carry his courage and love with me every day, and it drives me to fight for others affected by this disease.”

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Dean added: “Michael had a way of making everyone around him feel seen and inspired. Losing him to pancreatic cancer left a hole that can never be filled. But his strength, warmth and spirit continue to remind us why we must shine a light on this disease and fight for a future where no one else has to lose their loved ones too soon.”

“Michael Landon left us 34 years ago, yet his spirit lives on in every Little House story of love, family, and community,” he continued. “In his honor, the Little House family is proud to support the life-extending work of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. With love and heartfelt gratitude – then, now, and forever!”