Melissa Gilbert, ‘Little House On The Prairie’ Star, Owes $360 In Taxes

Melissa Gilbert, best known for playing Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie, reportedly owes the Internal Revenue Service $360,000 in taxes.

Melissa Gilbert Owes IRS

A week after Gilbert announced on Twitter that she and her husband, actor Timothy Busfield, and their two young boys, would be moving, it was reported that she has failed to pay the IRS more that $360,000 in federal income taxes. According to Gilbert, the debt is due to a few different factors, including the state of the economy.

“Like so many people across the nation, the recession hit me hard,” Gilbert said in a statement to The Detroit News. “That, plus a divorce and a dearth of acting opportunities the last few years, created a perfect storm of financial difficulty for me.”

Gilbert added that she has negotiated a payment plan with the IRS.

“I’ve set up an installment plan to fully pay off my debt and will continue to work as hard as I can to erase this debt and dig myself out of this hole,” she said. “I am absolutely positive that I can do it.”

Busfield, best known for parts in the West Wing and Field of Dreams, reiterated Gilbert’s statement and noted that it wasn’t that big of a deal for the family.

“[The debt] has more to do with the housing crash and divorce in the past,” Busfield told The News. “It’s a product of what happened with the economy. It’s unfortunate and it’s been happening a lot. It’s not a big deal.”