Why Did Karen Grassle Really Quit ‘Little House on the Prairie’?

Little House on the Prairie became one of the most beloved family dramas on television and at the heart of the series was Karen Grassle, who played matriarch Caroline “Ma” Ingalls. For eight seasons, she was the emotional center of the Ingalls family, holding everything together. However, by 1982, Grassle quietly left the series, and behind her graceful exit were the difficulties of working in a male-dominated industry, including pay disputes and bad jokes.