Fired at 15: Why This Young Actor Lost His Job on Little House on the Prairie

For nearly a decade, “Little House on the Prairie” captivated millions of viewers and left a significant mark on television history. However, behind the scenes of the Ingalls family’s adventures, things were sometimes far from peaceful. Patrick Laborteaux, who portrayed Andy Garvey, learned this the hard way when he had to leave the show at the age of 15.

An Exit Driven by Plot Developments

Andy Garvey was a central figure in the show. Son of Jonathan Garvey (Merlin Olsen) and Alice Garvey (Hersha Parady), he was closely involved in the adventures of Laura Ingalls and Albert, with whom he shared a strong bond.

A pivotal moment came with the fire at the Walnut Grove school for the blind. In this dramatic plot, Alice Garvey perishes, forever altering her family’s fate. Following this tragedy, Jonathan and Andy leave town, which also leads to Patrick Laborteaux’s departure from the cast.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, as reported by Télé Loisirs, the actor reflected on this challenging time.

“It was tough for me because Andy’s mother, Alice Garvey, dies in the school fire, and in the next episode, Jonathan and Andy move to another town, so I left the series.”

A New Project… Without Him

Although his character was written out of “Little House on the Prairie,” it wasn’t because the producers wanted to part ways with him. Initially, Patrick Laborteaux and Merlin Olsen were set to continue working together on a new series. The actor explained the original plan.

“It was meant to be a pilot that they didn’t pick up. The idea was for Merlin Olsen to be a sheriff in a town, and I was to play his son. But the network decided, ‘OK for Merlin, but we don’t want the show linked to Little House on the Prairie.’ They ended up creating the series Father Murphy, and they had to choose a child who looked just like me for the role.”

Indeed, the project evolved into Father Murphy. Although several from the “Little House on the Prairie” team were involved in this new production, it was not a spin-off. Merlin Olsen portrayed a different character: a frontier guard posing as a priest to investigate a child exploitation ring.

This decision by the network directly impacted Patrick Laborteaux, leaving him out of the project.

“I Had Done Nothing Wrong”

Looking back, the actor admits that being excluded was particularly hard to accept. At just 15, he felt he lost his job through no fault of his own.

“It’s a bit sad because I was leaving ‘Little House.’ When you’re 15 and you get fired, even though you’ve done nothing wrong, you lose your job and it sucks. The good news is that my brother was still in the series, so I could hang out with my friends whenever I could.”

His Brother Stayed Until the End

Despite his exit, Patrick Laborteaux maintained a connection to the series through his brother, Matthew Laborteaux, who played Albert Ingalls, the adopted son of Charles and Caroline and the brother of Mary and Laura.

The two actors, close in real life, also shared several scenes on-screen. Their characters even competed for the same young lady in one episode. Unlike Patrick, Matthew continued with the show until season 8, returning for two episodes in the ninth season.

Patrick Laborteaux, however, never reprised his role as Andy Garvey. He was also absent from the TV movies produced after the series ended, which continued the Ingalls family’s adventures.

“Little House on the Prairie” is now available on DVD, with some reruns still airing on television. The new adaptation – the trailer for which can be seen below – is available on Netflix.

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