Actor Melissa Gilbert brilliantly shut down former Fox host Megyn Kelly after she threatened to "ruin" the upcoming reboot of Little House on the Prairie if Netflix decides to "woke-ify" the project.
The original Little House on the Prairie TV series was loosely based on the best-selling book series during the 1930s and 1940s by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which are in turn based on the author's childhood experiences living in the American Midwest in the late 1800s.
The beloved television series is being revived for Netflix by Emmy-nominated executive producer and showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine.
Gilbert starred as Laura in the Western historical drama television series for nine seasons from 1974 and 1982.
After Variety announced news of the reboot, Kelly, a former Fox News personality who now hosts The Megyn Kelly Show podcast, took to X (formerly Twitter) and warned:
"@Netflix if you wokeify Little House on the Prairie I will make it my singular mission to absolutely ruin your project."
In response, Gilbert tagged Kelly on Threads and invited her to “watch any episode on any streaming platform anywhere in the world," after which the journalist would discover the show has never been more "woke" since it aired on NBC over four decades ago.
Gilbert accompanied the caption with the following statement:
“Apparently Megyn tweeted (I’m not on that platform) asking that Netflix not ‘woke-ify’ their ‘Little House’ remake."
“Ummm…watch the original again. TV doesn’t get too much more ‘woke’ than we did."
She continued:
"We tackled: racism, addiction, nativism, antisemitism, misogyny, rape, spousal abuse and every other ‘woke ‘ topic you can think of. Thank you very much.”
Here's a screenshot from her Instagram statement.
@melissagilbertofficial/Instagram
The internet gave Gilbert props for her clapback.
Some had a hunch as to what Kelly was alluding to.
People continued sharing thoughts.
Following news of the reboot, Jinny Howe, vice president of drama series for Netflix said:
“’Little House on the Prairie’ has captured the hearts and imaginations of so many fans around the world, and we’re excited to share its enduring themes of hope and optimism with a fresh take on this iconic story."
“Rebecca’s vision threads the needle with an emotional depth that will delight both new and existing fans of this beloved classic.”
The description for the new series reads:
“Part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West, this fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical ‘Little House’ books offers a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.”
Sonnenshine, who also worked on The Boys and Vampire Diaries, said:
“I fell deeply in love with these books when I was five years old."
“They inspired me to become a writer and a filmmaker, and I am honored and thrilled to be adapting these stories for a new global audience with Netflix," she added.
