The Child Star Who Played Alfalfa in 'The Little Rascals' Is Now Expecting His Sixth Child and Living Off-Grid in Rural Arkansas — Photos

A former child star who once had one of Hollywood's most recognizable hairstyles has traded movie sets for an off-grid family life in rural Arkansas.

For viewers who grew up watching family movies in the 1990s, his childhood face may be instantly familiar. More than three decades later, however, his life bears little resemblance to his Hollywood years.

Now, the former actor is preparing to welcome his sixth child while living with his family on new land in Arkansas. Days before the baby's expected arrival, he turned to strangers online for financial help.

Bug Hall Became a Child Star as Alfalfa

The boy was Brandon "Bug" Hall, best known for playing Alfalfa in the 1994 family comedy "The Little Rascals." Hall's signature cowlick helped make his character instantly recognizable.

The role put him in front of millions of moviegoers while he was still a child and became the performance most closely associated with his early career. He did not disappear from public life once childhood ended.

Hall continued acting, and public appearances over the following decades documented his transition from child performer to adult actor.

By 2011, he was attending Hollywood events as an adult, nearly two decades removed from the movie that had introduced him to a large audience. Hall remained visible at industry and celebrity events in the years that followed.

In 2016, he attended the Celebration of Discovery, and another red-carpet appearance followed in 2019 at an Indochino launch. Those appearances belonged to a life he would soon leave behind.

Hall Left Hollywood and Took a 'Vow of Poverty'

In 2020, Hall stepped away from Hollywood after a substance abuse arrest. He later described his departure from the industry as "self-cancelled," language he continues to use when discussing the decision.

The move was not simply a break from acting. According to the Daily Mail's account of his life after Hollywood, Hall took what he calls a "vow of poverty," gave away his savings and possessions, and built a life centered on his Catholic faith and family.

He has described himself as a "radical Catholic extremist" saying, "My goal is to maintain a life as free of any need for an income as possible. If there's a financial need that comes up, I'll go take some work or do an odd job, for cash to fulfill that need."

That philosophy eventually took Hall far from the entertainment world where he had spent much of his life. He now lives off-grid in rural Arkansas with his wife and children. Rather than maintaining a regular Hollywood career, he has said he takes work when his family has a financial need.

His departure from acting was deliberate, even though he said he had enjoyed the work. In an April 2025 video titled "Into the Unknown," Hall discussed why he walked away despite "loving" what he had been doing.

Looking back at his career, he compared the work to "fiddling with straw." By then, the childhood actor associated with a major 1990s movie had chosen a very different measure of what he wanted from his adult life. That choice also meant accepting the financial consequences.

Hall Turned to GoFundMe Ahead of His Sixth Child's Arrival

Six years after what he calls his "self-cancelled" departure, circumstances led Hall to something he said he had avoided throughout that period: asking the public for money. On Nov. 5, 2026, he started a GoFundMe campaign titled "Helping the Hall-Barnetts Finish Before Baby Six."

"It's now six years since I self-cancelled, and I have avoided doing one of these in all that time. I always said this was my choice, and so I didn't want to offload the glorious burden of it unless there was no other choice. Well, here we are."

The fundraiser initially sought $2,000. Hall explained that his family had recently reached new land but still needed materials to get everything working properly. At the same time, he said he had fallen behind on several of the limited bills the family still carries.

Those expenses included their phone bill and propane for the camper. He also cited an unexpected fee for electric hookup service.

"We've made it onto the new land in record time, but I'm a few materials short of having things working right, and I've fallen a little behind on the few bills we have (phone, propane for the camper, and an unexpected electric hookup service fee)."

The timing made those expenses more urgent for the family. When the campaign began, Hall said their sixth baby was less than a month from arriving. His immediate goal was to finish the remaining work before the birth.

"We're all overjoyed to be where we are, and we're even enjoying roughing it, but baby six is less than a month away, and I really need some help getting the last few things buttoned up beforehand."

The Fundraiser Quickly Surpassed Its $2,000 Goal

The appeal quickly exceeded the amount Hall had requested. As of November 7, the fundraiser displayed $9,295 raised toward its $2,000 goal, with 110 donations. That put the total at more than four times the original target only two days after the campaign was dated.

The request for help creates an unusual intersection between the life Hall left and the one he has built.

After walking away from a career that had made him publicly recognizable, giving away possessions, and trying to minimize his family's dependence on income, Hall is now using an online crowdfunding platform to cover practical needs before another child arrives.

He did not present the campaign as a reversal of his decision to leave Hollywood. Instead, Hall described it as an exception after six years of trying to carry the financial consequences of that choice himself.

He also said his plan was not to remain dependent on donations. "My hope is to finalize everything here over the next two weeks so I can take some work until the baby arrives."

Hall Faced a Separate Legal Matter in 2026

Hall's public life has not been entirely quiet since leaving the entertainment industry. In April 2026, TMZ reported that Hall had been arrested over a failure to appear in court.

According to documents cited by the outlet, the charge concerned a missed court date from Dec. 31, 2024. Hall had previously received a traffic citation on Oct. 29, 2024, for not having liability insurance.

The episode came years after his departure from Hollywood and months before the latest glimpse into his family's circumstances.

Hall Is Now Focused on His Family's Life in Arkansas

Today, Hall's attention is on the Arkansas property, the camper, the bills that remain, and the impending arrival of his sixth child. It is a striking distance from where his public story started in 1994.

Back then, audiences knew Hall as the slick-haired boy playing Alfalfa in "The Little Rascals." In the years that followed, he grew up in public, continued acting, and appeared at Hollywood events well into adulthood.

Then he chose to leave that world. His current lifestyle is not simply the result of fading from the spotlight. By Hall's own account, withdrawing from Hollywood, taking a "vow of poverty," and reducing his dependence on money were deliberate decisions.

The fundraiser also makes clear that the lifestyle still comes with expenses. Even an off-grid household needs propane, a phone, materials, and, in this case, an electric hookup.

With another baby due, Hall said he reached a point where he was willing to ask others to help cover those immediate needs. He acknowledged that many people are facing their own financial pressures.

"Times are hard for everyone, and I'm no more deserving than anyone else, but I ask in your charity that you help where you can, whether monetarily, by sharing this, or by prayer and sacrifice for the Hall-Barnetts of the Holy Cross."

More than 30 years after Alfalfa made him a recognizable child star, Hall is living on very different terms. His public story runs from a 1994 family comedy to red carpets in 2011, 2016, and 2019, followed by his withdrawal from Hollywood and an off-grid home in Arkansas.

Today, with baby number six less than a month away when he launched his fundraiser, Hall's stated priority is much smaller in scale than a Hollywood production: finishing what his family needs at home before the new arrival.

And after years of trying to live with as little need for money as possible, Hall framed his decision to ask for help around the same principle that has shaped his post-Hollywood life — taking only what is needed and returning to work when circumstances require it.