Karen Grassle Looks 'Fantastic' at 81 - She Enjoys Life with Son Years after Being Mocked by Michael Landon

• Karen Grassle, a.k.a. Caroline "Ma" Ingalls from "Little House on The Prairie," looks fantastic at 81 and enjoys life with her son.
• Yet the actress's road to motherhood wasn't easy and was a far contrast to her role on television.
• Karen revealed how her television husband, Michael Landon, mocked her and shared whether they'd ever made peace before his passing.

Karen Grassle was most famous for playing the role of the doting wife and mother, Caroline "Ma" Ingalls, on the fan-favorite show, "Little House on The Prairie." In 2023, at age 81, the star's beauty was praised by social media users.

Despite having played a role model mother on television, her road to motherhood wasn't an easy one. In her 2021 memoir, "Bright Lights, Prairie Dust," Grassle opened up about several of her failed relationships and exposure to a sexually transmitted disease.

The actress also spoke about her two unwanted pregnancies and her "rocky relationship" with her former "Little House" co-star, Michael Landon. Another thing she struggled with was being a "high-functioning alcoholic."

Grassle confessed to waking up daily with a terrible hangover before going to work, pulling herself together, working, and concentrating hard. When they were done shooting, the star either took a drink from the prop table or had one when she got home and restarted the rotation.

The actress said she thought the issue was under control because she was still working and hadn't lost her job. Luckily, the celebrity was able to get a hold of her life and later welcomed one child.

How Does Karen Look Now, and Who Is Her Son?

On March 27, 2023, Grassle shared an Instagram image at the Festival of Women Authors event on March 18, 2023. The actress said she was honored to be asked to share her memoir and her life experiences at the event.

Fans were thrilled to see what she looked like in her 80s, with one person noting how she looked "freakishly" like their aunt in the photo. The person said their aunt was a lovely woman before sharing that the star looked "fantastic," while another shared:

"You are an amazing, beautiful woman. Thank you for sharing your life with us."

Some else felt Grassle was "so classy!" On her website, the actress spoke about her only child, revealing that her son, Zachary "Zach" Radford, had moved to the same area as her and, in the process, "enhanced" her life "immeasurably."

However, she clarified that he didn't expect to stay there permanently and might roam around until he found his home. Until then, she and the IT professional were taking hikes in the redwoods and hills, meeting with visiting and eating, and tide pooling by the Pacific while living a "blessed life."

In 1974's "Little House on the Prairie," the celebrity played the role of a mother to five children, but she never had biological children in real life. In 2005, it was revealed that she and her adopted son lived together in the Bay Area, California.

Grassle welcomed Zachary while married to her second ex-husband, James Allen Radford, whom she was with from April 25, 1982, until 1987. Her first husband was Leon Russom, who married from 1966 until 1970.

The star's last husband was Dr. Scott Sutherland, from 1991 to 1997. The actress and her son spent time together and celebrated holidays, like in October 2021, when they looked happy as they carved pumpkins for Halloween.

In December 2021, the celebrity uploaded an Instagram image of her son in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She revealed how they went there to get a tree in preparation for Christmas Day before they went to get some pasta.

Grassle appeared to be thoroughly enjoying her life years after she was allegedly mocked by her onscreen husband, Landon. The star got candid about the experience by going into detail.

What Did Karen Say about Her Relationship with TV Spouse Michael Landon?

When she'd reached the height of her stardom, Grassle was earning between $2,000 and $4,000 weekly. However, at the age of 30-something, she started obsessing about her performance and questioning her abilities while filming "Little House."

The actress revealed that she spent her alcoholic years trying to control it as she wanted to drink for fun like other people. When it started getting bad, she'd get drunk, sob, cry, and continue as she felt everything in her life was wrong.

The star [Karen Grassle] kept things professional, played her part, and hoped for better days.

Her relationship soured with Landon because of their ongoing dispute over her salary. Things were tense ahead of the second season because he refused to give her a raise and said her earnings should correspond with those of child actors.

Grassle "felt insulted" as Landon's co-star and expected a fair wage. The producer and actor made things worse when he alleged that audiences didn't think she was as popular as she believed.

Soon enough, her character's scenes were cut, leaving her out of storylines. The star claimed Landon elicited "cheap laughs" from their crew members by mocking the actress' facial expressions and figure when her footage was reviewed.

The mother of one also alleged that the producer increased his use of rude conduct and foul language. Those traits came up when bedroom scenes were shot on set, with their male co-workers egging him on.

Grassle recalled him swearing and making disgusting jokes about women, and the comments made her want "to disappear." The actress felt frozen, but being from the 1970s film industry, she was a woman who was used to being put down, and it never occurred to her to rebuke him sternly.

The star kept things professional, played her part, and hoped for better days. However, before Landon died in 1991, the pair made peace after Grassle wrote him a letter to catch up, and he replied with "the nicest note."

The duo then had a lengthy phone conversation and "mended fences," with forgiveness coming from both sides. Zachary's mother and Landon recalled the better times of their relationship, and she was grateful because the actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer not long after.

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