Jason Bateman Says He Was ‘Hazed’ by Older ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Costars

Jason Bateman is reflecting on the highs and lows from his time on Little House on the Prairie.

The actor, who played James Cooper Ingalls, the second adopted son of Caroline and Charles Ingalls in seasons 7 and 8, appeared on the Thursday, Sept. 18 edition of Hot Ones.

During the interview, Bateman was asked whether or not it was true that “the older kids in the cast played an April Fool’s joke on you by telling you that your character had died.”

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“Untrue,” Bateman replied. “What they did do is they pinned me down on the ground, straddled me with knees on my shoulders and gave me noogies or whatever they call it on my chest.”

Surprised, host Sean Evans asked, “There was a hazing ritual on Little House on the Prairie?” to which Bateman, 56, answered, “Yeah.”

Although Bateman admitted that “they knocked on my chest like I was a front door,” it was he who ultimately came out on top.

“I went to the makeup artist and said, ‘Put a big black-and-blue mark all over my chest,'” Bateman recalled. “And then I went to their parents and I said, ‘Look what your kids did to me.’ And that was good. I got them in trouble.”

After Evans noted that he “got the last laugh,” Bateman said with a confident smile, “I got skills.”

Despite the tomfoolery on set, Bateman has had nothing but praise for the show’s star, director and executive producer, the late Michael Landon.

“Michael Landon was the director, executive producer, star, writer. Everybody loved him,” Bateman said on a February episode of SiriusXM’s Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

“George Clooney would be the perfect comparison today,” he added. “His ease with people, with the process, with the business, with Joe on the street. Women are crazy about him. Guys wanna be his buddy.”

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He continued, “Watching him juggle all those balls and be this leader and presence on a set and be kind with people, but also be kind of a stern boss if he needs to, that was pretty inspirational.”

Bateman began acting in commercials as a child before landing his first big role in the beloved series at age 11. Since then, he has racked up over 100 acting credits, including his most recent Netflix project, Black Rabbit, alongside Jude Law.