After its debut in 1974, “Little House on the Prairie” launched the careers of teen stars such as Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson and the Labyorteaux brothers, Matthew and Patrick.
The latter looked fondly on his time as a “teen idol” during an episode of “The Patrick Labyorsheaux,” claiming he “absolutely loved it.”
Patrick Labyorteaux Hit Fame At “The Perfect Age”
Patrick Labyorteaux rose to fame playing Andy Garvey on “Little House on the Prairie,” and in his teens starred in films such as “Summer School” and “Heathers.” He later became well-known for his role as Bud Roberts on JAG.
Speaking on his show, he had a refreshingly honest take on the impact of fame at a young age.
“I was a teen idol. I can’t believe it when I say it, but yeah, I was a teen idol,” he admitted.
He and his brother were a staple of popular magazines at the time.
“I was in the magazines, I was in ’16 Magazine’, ‘Tiger Beat’… My brother and I were both in them, and I was just the perfect age to be in them,” he said in the candid video.
“We were on ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ and they put us in magazines, and I swear to you, I absolutely loved it,” he added.
“I mean, come on, what’s better than being a teen idol? You get all of these pictures of you in magazines. All these girls are going crazy for you, and it was awesome.”
Labyorteaux Had A “Really, Really Fun” Time
GettyLabyorteaux was, however, realistic about his level of fame.
“It wasn’t like the Beatles for me. It wasn’t like the Beatles at all,” he said, noting, “it wasn’t like we were chased down.”
“And again, these are ‘Little House’ fans. So they’d what? Storm into the house and offer to churn your butter? This was not like a dangerous fandom,” he added.
Despite the low stakes fandom, Labyorteaux still recalls having a “really good time” with other teen idols of the time, including Glen Scarpelli (“One Day at a Time”) and Danielle Brisebois (“All in the Family”).
“We’d go bowling, or we’d have these events where you’d meet up with the other celebrities,” he said, adding that it was “really, really fun.”
Labyorteaux doesn’t feel the need to shy away from the label, stating he “hates” when people “try to act cool” or believe it’s “so stupid.”
“Do not believe those fakers who say, ‘Oh, it wasn’t that great.’ Yeah, it was. It was awesome,” he said.
