Melissa Gilbert Drops Congressional Bid Citing Health Reasons

Melissa Gilbert has dropped out of the race for a congressional seat in Michigan after injuries she sustained during a 2012 accident suddenly worsened.

“While I have received the best treatment and therapy I could have asked for, those injuries have only gotten worse,” Gilbert said in a statement to the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday. “As much as it breaks my heart to say this, my doctors have told me I am physically unable to continue my run for Congress.”

Gilbert cited injuries sustained to her head and neck during a 2012 accident. In April 2012, Gilbert was rushed to the hospital after hitting her head during a taping of “Dancing With the Stars.” She suffered a mild concussion and whiplash. It’s possible the injuries are related to that incident, though the paper does not make that clear. Reps for Gilbert’s campaign did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.

Also Read: Debi Thomas and Other Broke Stars of the '80s and '90s: Why So Many Are Hitting Rock Bottom

Gilbert became a household name playing Laura Ingalls in NBC’s hit show “Little House on the Prairie” from 1974 to 1984. She went on to become the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. A few years ago, Gilbert and her husband, actor Timothy Busfield moved to Michigan.

Last August, the actress announced she was running for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District seat. But her campaign was mired with controversy. In June, the IRS accused Gilbert of failing to pay more than $360,000 in federal income taxes.

Earlier this month, Gilbert found herself on the defense after a 2009 statement she made on “The View” about Roman Polanski was posted on YouTube by Republican operatives. During her appearance on the ABC talk show, Gilbert said the effort to get Polanski extradited so he could be sentenced on charges involving sex with a 13-year-old in the 1970s was “excessive.”

Also Read: Melissa Gilbert Announces Bid for Congress

Gilbert was able to use her entertainment connections to fundraise and finance her campaign. She received donations from friends like Alec Baldwin, George Clooney, and Jennifer Garner, among others.

17 '80s and '90s Stars Who Went Broke: Nicolas Cage, Pamela Anderson, Gary Busey (Photos)

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Kim Basinger

The Oscar winner was part of an investment group that hoped to turn the town of Braselton, Georgia, into a tourist attraction and a hub for film and TV production. The plan ultimately failed and she lost millions. She was also sued by Main Line Pictures after withdrawing from a verbally binding agreement to star in "Boxing Helena." The court told her to pay $8.1 million, but the ruling was overturned on appeal. She settled for $3.8 million after filing for bankruptcy.
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Wesley Snipes

The "Blade" star filed for bankruptcy in 2006 and was indicted for tax fraud several months later. Snipes was found guilty of failing to pay over $12 million in taxes and served three years in prison.
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MC Hammer

In 1991, the rapper made over $33 million. By 1996, he was $14 million in the hole and had to declare bankruptcy. He'd spent his fortune on cars, airplanes, a record company, a $30 million home and his posse of 200 friends.
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Gary Busey

The "Point Break" star filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2012 after amassing over half a million dollars in debt with the IRS, lawyers, UCLA Medical Center, Wells Fargo, Los Angeles County Waterworks Districts, a storage company and a woman named Carla Loeffler, who sued him for assault at a Tulsa airport in 2011.
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Pamela Anderson

The “Baywatch” bombshell owed so much money to the IRS in overdue taxes that she was forced sell her Malibu home in 2013 for $7.75 million.
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Nicole Eggert

Another “Baywatch” star, Eggert was forced to sell her Los Angeles home in 2015 for $1.15 million to cover mounting bills.
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Nicolas Cage

In 2009, Cage earned $40 million. Over the years, he owned a Malibu home, a country manor, a medieval castle, Midford Castle, property in the Bahamas and a 40-acre island in the Exuma archipelago. The IRS slammed him with a bill for $6.2 million and he promptly sued his money manager for negligence and fraud. These days, the actor is living more modestly.
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Gary Coleman

Coleman, who died of a traumatic brain injury in 2010 after falling down the stairs at his home, was once the highest-paid actor on television with a $7 million fortune. He declared bankruptcy in 1999, which he blamed on costly medical issues and a drawn-out legal battle with his adoptive parents.
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Todd Bridges

Bridges, who played the lovable Willis Jackson during eight seasons of "Diff'rent Strokes," made a reported $15,000- $30,000 a week. He lost nearly all of it after battling drug addiction. Documents revealed he was barely making $22,500 a year.
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Dana Plato

Coleman's adoptive sister Kimberly Drummond on "Diff'rent Strokes" died in 1999 of an overdose at age 34 after years spent struggling with poverty and substance abuse.
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Corey Haim

The '80s teen idol began using drugs at 15 and struggled to overcome addiction throughout his life. In 2010, he passed away at the age of 38 of pneumonia.
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Willie Aames

After investing in a bad coal mine deal, the teen heartthrob from "Eight is Enough" and "Charles in Charge" went from making about $1.6 million a year to owing a whopping $400,000 to the IRS and battling homelessness.
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Jodie Sweetin

The "Full House" actress and recovering meth addict stated in divorce papers that her home with ex Cody Herpin was in foreclosure. She blamed Herpin's refusal to find employment as the cause for their situation.
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Willie Nelson

In 1990, Nelson owed $16.7 million to the IRS in back taxes. As a result, authorities raided his Texas ranch home, seizing the 44-acre estate and the rest of his assets. The country music icon blames his money woes on a no-good accountant.
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"Sinbad"

Comedian and '90s sitcom actor David "Sinbad" Adkins filed for bankruptcy twice and admitted he owed a debt of as much as $11 million. He said $8 million of that was for unpaid taxes.
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Leif Garrett

After a long struggle with drug addiction, the '70s child star/teen idol filed for bankruptcy and famously relied on a $1,000-a-month allowance from his mother.
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Sherman Hemsley

Despite his enormous success playing George Jefferson in "All in the Family" and spin-off "The Jeffersons," Hemsley filed for Chapter 13 in June 1999; he died in 2012.
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