Bug Hall Bio: Age, Height, Wife Jill Marie DeGroff, Career, GoFundMe 2026, Net Worth & Facts

Bug Hall is an American former child actor who became one of the most recognizable faces of 1990s family cinema, then walked away from Hollywood entirely. He is best known as Alfalfa in The Little Rascals (1994), and he has spent the last several years living off-grid in rural Arkansas, raising a large family, and generating headlines that have nothing to do with acting.

In November 2026, Hall became a national story again when a GoFundMe he created to cover a few household bills raised tens of thousands of dollars within days — far more than he asked for — and then drew a backlash over his comments about his family and his refusal to return the excess. This biography covers his age, wife Jill Marie DeGroff, children, career, his 2026 fundraiser, net worth, quotes, and the controversies that define his post-Hollywood life.

Quick Facts

Searches for Alfalfa, The Little Rascals, The Big Green, Jill Marie DeGroff, Gemini Barnett, and child stars who left Hollywood all lead back to Hall. His name now circulates alongside debates about former child actors, GoFundMe ethics, and online religious commentary.

Early Life & Education

Brandon Hall was born on February 4, 1985, and was nicknamed “Bug” by his family. He is the second oldest of several children and spent his early childhood in Texas, where his mother owned a daycare. Before he auditioned for The Little Rascals, he had never left the state.

His younger brother, Gemini Barnett, was also a child actor, and when Gemini was cast in the television series Second Noah, the family moved to Florida. Hall insisted on attending public schools rather than being tutored on set, and he eventually graduated early from East Bay High School near Tampa.

He has described a fairly ordinary childhood outside of work, and he has said he never treated acting as a long-term plan. That attitude helps explain why he was able to leave the industry without the public collapse that has followed some former child stars — though his later years have brought a different kind of attention.

Career Journey

Alfalfa and the 1990s Child-Star Run

Hall was cast as Alfalfa Switzer in The Little Rascals, Universal’s 1994 feature adaptation of the Our Gang shorts. The film was a modest box-office performer but became a cable and VHS staple, and it made Hall the most recognizable member of its young ensemble. He and five other cast members won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance by a Youth Ensemble in a Motion Picture.

Work came quickly after that. He appeared in John Landis’s The Stupids and the soccer comedy The Big Green in 1995, voiced a small role in Disney’s Hercules in 1997, and starred as Scout Bozell in Safety Patrol in 1998. He also played Adam Szalinski in Disney’s Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves and Eddie Munster in the Fox telefilm The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas, which earned him a YoungStar nomination.

As a teenager he appeared in Skipped Parts (2000) and the Disney Channel movie Get a Clue (2002), and he stacked up guest roles on Charmed, Strong Medicine, CSI, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, and 90210.

Leaving Hollywood

Hall converted to Catholicism in 2013, and by 2020 he had left acting altogether. In 2021 he said he and his family had moved to a farm in the Midwest to undertake a vow of poverty. By 2026 the family had relocated to rural Arkansas, where he has said he is building a house and working the land.

He has framed the move as a deliberate rejection of the entertainment industry rather than a fallback. “It’s now six years since I self-cancelled,” he wrote in his 2026 fundraiser, using a term that suggests he sees his exit as something he chose before it was chosen for him.

The November 2026 GoFundMe

In early November 2026, with his wife expecting their sixth child, Hall opened a GoFundMe asking for $2,000. He wrote that he had “fallen a little behind on the few bills we have (phone, propane for the camper, and an unexpected electric hookup service fee)” and that he had avoided asking for help for six years because he did not want to “offload the glorious burden” of the life he had chosen.

The campaign raised far more than the goal. Within a week it had brought in about $27,000, and by November 10 it had reached roughly $37,000. GoFundMe paused the fundraiser for review on November 9, which meant the family could not immediately withdraw the money.

Hall had said he would shut the campaign down once it hit $2,000. He changed his mind and said he would keep the excess despite the backlash, arguing that the donors had given it freely.

Career Stats

• 1994: Starred as Alfalfa in The Little Rascals; won a Young Artist Award with the ensemble
• 1995: Appeared in The Stupids and The Big Green
• 1996: YoungStar nomination for The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas
• 1998: Lead role in Safety Patrol
• 2013: Converted to Catholicism
• 2020: Left acting; moved toward an off-grid life
• 2026: GoFundMe raised roughly $37,000; paused for review by November 9

Personal Life

Hall is married to Jill Marie DeGroff. The couple has five daughters and, as of November 2026, were expecting a sixth child — a son. The family lives in rural Arkansas, where Hall has said they are building a home and working toward being as self-sufficient as possible.

His Catholicism is central to how he describes his life. He has called himself a “radical Catholic extremist” and has said his decision to leave Hollywood was driven by faith rather than failure. The family’s circumstances — a camper, a propane bill, a house under construction — are part of the same story he tells about choosing poverty on purpose.

• Wife: Jill Marie DeGroff
• Children: Five daughters and one son
• Brother: Gemini Barnett, a former child actor
• Faith: Roman Catholic, converted in 2013
• Home: Rural Arkansas

Dating History and Affairs

There is no documented dating history or affair scandal attached to Hall. He has been married to Jill Marie DeGroff for years, and their relationship is the subject of most of his recent public statements — usually because he is defending their decision to have a large family.

That is the closest thing to a “relationship controversy” in his story, and it is a genuine one: when critics told him to stop having children if he could not afford them, he responded publicly rather than ignoring it.

Controversies

The “dishwashers” and “heir” comments. In September 2024, when announcing the birth of his son, Hall referred to his four daughters as “dishwashers” and to the newborn as his “heir.” The comments drew sharp criticism and have followed him since, resurfacing during the 2026 fundraiser. He has not retracted them.

The 2022 Twitter ban. In December 2022, Hall was temporarily banned from Twitter after posting in support of marital duty and corporal punishment of minors, specifically regarding his daughters. He responded on Instagram by writing that “the truth will always be unpopular” and that “the truthful will always be persecuted.”

The GoFundMe backlash. His 2026 fundraiser became a national story because of the gap between his stated goal and what he accepted. Critics said a former actor with a public platform should not be asking strangers for grocery money, and that keeping the excess after promising to close the campaign was dishonest. Supporters said he was transparent about his circumstances and that donors knew what they were doing.

Substance and legal issues. In June 2020, Hall was arrested in Parker County, Texas, for inhaling an air duster and charged with a misdemeanor count of possession for use to inhale a volatile chemical. He was released on a $1,500 bond. In 2026 he was arrested again after being charged in Ohio for failing to appear for a 2024 court date related to not having vehicle liability insurance.

Awards & Achievements

• Young Artist Award for Best Performance by a Youth Ensemble in a Motion Picture, 1994, for The Little Rascals
• YoungStar Award nomination for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Made-for-TV Movie, 1996
• Starred in three consecutive family films between 1994 and 1996
• Voiced a role in Disney’s Hercules (1997)
• Built a second career as a homesteader and farmer after leaving acting

Physical Statistics

• Height: Not publicly disclosed
• Weight: Not publicly disclosed
• Hair Color: Brown
• Eye Color: Brown
• Build: Average
• Style: Practical — work clothes and boots on the farm rather than red-carpet looks

Quotes

“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.”

Bug Hall, GoFundMe description, November 2026, via Page Six

“Nah. I’m busy building a farm and feeding my family and community.”

Bug Hall, reply to a critic on X, November 2026, via Page Six

“I mostly worked full time, while also working to prepare our new home site.”

Bug Hall, on his work and homestead, November 2026, via Page Six

Favorites

• Favorite way of life: Off-grid homesteading on his Arkansas property
• Favorite subject: Catholic theology and family life
• Favorite work: Building the family home with his own hands
• Favorite memory: Making The Little Rascals as a child, which he still discusses fondly
• Favorite audience: His children, whom he says he wants to raise outside the entertainment industry

Earnings

Bug Hall’s net worth has not been publicly disclosed. Any figure online is speculation. As a child actor in the 1990s he earned studio salaries and residuals, but he has not worked in film or television since 2020 and has said he took a vow of poverty.

His 2026 GoFundMe raised roughly $37,000 against a $2,000 goal, a sum that is now the subject of public dispute over whether he should return the excess. Whatever assets he holds, the family’s own description of its finances — a camper, a propane bill, an unfinished house — suggests they are modest.

Interesting Facts

• He had never left Texas before auditioning for The Little Rascals.
• His younger brother, Gemini Barnett, was also a child actor.
• He insisted on attending public school instead of being tutored on set.
• He broke both arms in a motorcycle crash as a young adult.
• He converted to Catholicism in 2013 and left acting in 2020.
• His 2026 fundraiser was paused by GoFundMe for review on November 9.
• His nickname “Bug” came from his family, not from a studio.

Did You Know Already?

• He is best known for playing Alfalfa in the 1994 film The Little Rascals.
• He won a Young Artist Award as part of the film’s ensemble.
• He voiced a role in Disney’s Hercules in 1997.
• He has five daughters and one son.
• He lives in rural Arkansas and is building a house with his family.
• He asked for $2,000 and received roughly $37,000 in November 2026.

Social Media Links

• X (Twitter): @Bug_Hall
• IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm0204449

Note: We only list verified official pages. Fan, parody, or unverified social accounts are intentionally left out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Bug Hall’s story is two stories. The first is a child actor who made one beloved movie, worked steadily through his teens, and then chose to walk away. The second is a 41-year-old father of six in rural Arkansas whose finances, religious convictions, and social media posts have made him a recurring tabloid subject. Whether you read his 2026 fundraiser as a man honestly asking for help or as a celebrity exploiting goodwill depends on which of those stories you think is the real one — and he has made it clear he does not intend to apologize for either.

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