Melissa Gilbert’s tiny house has grown.
The Little House on the Prairie alum, 62, announced on her Instagram Stories on Thursday that she recently discovered she has three biological siblings on her mother’s side, saying the past few weeks have been “amazing.”
“A few weeks ago, I connected with my fifth biological cousin on my mother’s side via an app,” Gilbert wrote. “Thanks to his bold research, I was able to meet my biological siblings from my mother’s side.
“I found out that Matt, Laird, and Mark (who sadly passed away) were the three of us,” she wrote, calling her brothers “amazing human beings.”
“Matt and I are especially close,” Gilbert continued. “The true story of our adoption is amazing and I’ll be sharing it on @substack soon. I’ve always said I don’t have a family tree, but a family shrub. Now it’s like a climbing rose vine, covering a huge wall with flowers of different shapes and colors.”
When Page Six reached out to Gilbert, she said she had indeed found another fourth biological sibling, but had not heard from him yet.
“It wasn’t quite what I thought I knew,” she said, calling the whole revelation “wild.”
The “DWTS” alum also wrote that she found her birth family “including three half-siblings” years ago.
“The relationship was a little strained,” she confessed. “It’s not that close and it’s still full of secrets. It wasn’t what I wanted, but ultimately it was an important part of my story and something I will always be grateful to them for.”
Elsewhere in her post, Gilbert included her brother Matt, 66,’s own words about finding family.
“Well…this wasn’t on my 2026 bingo card,” he wrote on his Instagram, posting a childhood photo comparing himself and Gilbert. “It’s been an incredible few weeks discovering family history, sharing stories, asking a million questions, and getting to know someone I never knew existed. That sister is @melissagilbertofficial!”
Since her birth in 1964, when her birth parents Cathie Wood and David Darlington put her up for adoption, she has been dedicated to learning about her past.
She was later adopted by comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, Barbara Crane, daughter of The Honeymooners author Harry Crane. Barbara later gave birth to Melissa’s younger sister, “Roseanne” alum Sara Gilbert.
Melissa emphasized to Us that her mother and Sarah have been “hugely supportive” of her journey.
“I’m very close to them. I love them very much,” she said.
