We’ve got some sad news for WHEN CALLS THE HEART fans. Melissa Gilbert won’t be returning next season.
“Many people have asked if I will be returning to WHEN CALLS THE HEART this coming season,” the LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE star wrote on Instagram. “The answer to that is no I will not. I am told this is due to ‘budget issues.’ That said, I wish all my sweet friends in Hope Valley a wonderful and successful season 14.”
Gilbert thanked her “dear friend” Michael Landon Jr., WCTH’s executive producer and the son of LHOTP’s Michael Landon, for “giving me the chance to bring Georgie McGill to life.”
“It was a lovely couple of seasons but it’s time to say farewell,” she wrote in the caption. “When one door closes, another one opens. Looking forward to whatever comes next.”
Gilbert’s Georgie McGill, “a former Mountie forensic investigator with a romantic history with Bill Avery (Jack Wagner),”joined WHEN CALLS THE HEART in Season 12, per Parade.
“WHEN CALLS THE HEART has long drawn comparisons to LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, for its charming and compelling stories of hope, human connection and frontier survival,” Hallmark Media Vice President of Programming Kelly Garrett said when Gilbert’s casting was announced in 2024.
Related: How Melissa Gilbert Landed WHEN CALLS THE HEART Role
Ahead of filming season 13, Gilbert said she felt “like I’m just a part of the show. I’m part of this incredible team of working people.”
Hallmark confirmed Gilbert’s exit in a statement to Entertainment Weekly last week: “We can confirm that Melissa’s storyline on WHEN CALLS THE HEART concluded in season 13. We adore Melissa and are always grateful when we get to work with her.”
The actress’ departure comes after her husband, actor Timothy Busfield, was accused of child sexual abuse in January.
He turned himself into authorities after a warrant went out for his arrest, though he has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty after a grand jury indicted him on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor.
“Our life as we knew it is done,” Gilbert said during an April appearance on GOOD MORNING AMERICA. “We are grieving what we had — all of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects. For Tim, it’s done. He’s canceled. Even if he’s exonerated, he will always be that guy. [He’s] the last person in the world who would hurt a child.”
WHEN CALLS THE HEART fans are certainly sad to see Gilbert go. Season 14 is expected in 2027.
Read Next: Melissa Gilbert Shares Real-Life Connection to LITTLE HOUSE Character
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