Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert has finally spoken out about her husband Timothy Busfield's charges, which include two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor (involving a boy under 13) and one count of child abuse. These charges relate to alleged inappropriate touching of a child actor on the set of the Fox crime/drama series The Cleaning Lady (2022-2025), which Busfield directed. Busfield has denied the allegations.
The show follows a Cambodian doctor who brings her young son to the United States for medical treatment.
Gilbert requested privacy during this time and publicly emphasized her support for him and their family through social media, statements from her publicist and a supportive letter to the court.
She deactivated her personal social media page after New Mexico officials issued an arrest warrant for Busfield, but on Monday, Gilbert went public again, this time on the Instagram page for her womens' lifestyle brand "Modern Prairie." The actor and former SAG-AFTRA president posted her message alongside a photo of her looking wistful while holding a coffee mug.
She wrote: "I’m sending you all my love and gratitude during this extraordinarily difficult time. Not only for Tim, me and our family, but in the collective heaviness so many of us seem to be carrying right now. Add an unexpected storm to the mix, and it can all feel like a bit too much... Thank you, truly, for the love, patience, and support you continue to show Tim and me. Thank you for helping me to feel safer, more grounded, and deeply held by this extraordinary community of women here at Modern Prairie."
The child actor accusing Busfield claims that when he was seven years old, the actor/director inappropriately touched him three or four times in private areas over his clothing, as stated in a criminal complaint filed with the Albuquerque Police Department. The boy also alleged that Busfield touched him five or six times a year later when he was eight. He did not report the incidents earlier because he was afraid there would be repercussions, given that Busfield was the director. The boy's mother eventually reported the abuse, which allegedly occurred between late 2022 and spring 2024, to Child Protective Services.
Earlier this month, Busfield traveled to New Mexico to turn himself in. Since then, another man has accused Busfield of sexually abusing his daughter several years prior.
Busfield is well-known for his roles on the TV series The West Wing and Thirtysomething, winning an Emmy for the latter, as well as for his role as Mark in the Oscar-nominated film Field of Dreams. He has been married to Gilbert, his third wife, for 12 years. Gilbert has a son with her second husband, Bruce Boxleitner, and an older son from her first marriage to Bo Brinkman. Busfield has three children from his prior marriages. ~Alexandra Heilbron
If she hadn't cheated on Bruce Boxleitner, she wouldn't be married to a pedophile. Bruce was a catch. I don't know how you go from someone so handsome and fine to this. She was definitely hitting above her league with Bruce.
It's called Karma.
first, I’m shocked that you’re married to this man cause it just doesn’t look like a very good pairing from what I know of you and what I know of him Second, I’ve seen the show the cleaning lady there’s only one child on that show that would’ve been young enough for this accusation for the age that is being stated and you know what I believe. The child and I can see why he didn’t come forward in the beginning it’s a hard thing to do even when you’re an adult alone when you’re a child and the fact that you’re standing up for your husband when really maybe you need to find out if he’s had any problems before from his ex i regard to kids I get you wanna stand behind your man that you don’t believe he did these things, but do you really think a child is just gonna say these things for no reason and there’s only one boy in the show young enough to qualify for the H age that’s being said so knowing this, it was going to come out which child it is. Why would they purposefully let this be known just for something that’s not real it’s I believe the kid and you need to believe the kid you’re just gonna end up on the wrong side of this.
Melissa never cheated on Bruce. Get your story straight. She was way to good for him. In this cruel world celebrities are being shaken down for money every day. I'm standing with Melissa. Let the accusers come forth in court with proof and not just hearsay. Melissa needs our support no matter how things turn out.
If I hadn't read her autobiography, I wouldn't have believed it myself. She cheated whenever she was out of town working on another TV movie. And she's very nasty about one of her Little House co-stars, she doesn't mind showing how not nice a person she is. I mean, the guy playing her dad on Little House was a cheat, and she idolized him even after so she didn't have a good role model in him. Also, her nose job was really awful. She had such a cute nose, not sure why she felt the need to change.
I have always liked Melissa Gilbert for being part of SAG, an actress who plays strong parts, etc., but standing with her husband, is only right if he IS right! Hopefully, the facts will come to light. I do not care if someone is family or not. In 'Little House', I did not like her character as much as Melissa Sue Anderson's, but that is who she played. I do not know of any facts about her, so that is all I can comment on.
My niece & her friends didn't like a teacher who was replacing one who was on a leave of absense. They cooked up a scam to have him fired in case their former teacher would come back. They all said he touched them, and said nasty words in class. ( when other students weren't there of course). When he was suspended, and the former teacher did not come back, and the new replacement wasn't up to their expectations, they tried it again. Didn't work the second time around- one of the other kids in the class was aware of what they were doing, and eventually they admitted to it. RUined the firt guy's career. Sometimes kids lie. Sometimes they don't.
I BELIEVE THE KID. THAT'S HOW IT STARTS WITH THESE PEDO'S TICKELING ?????????????????????????????????????????THE KIDS/UNDERAGE TEENAGERS, AND THEN THE HANDS GO ON THE BODYPARTS. I SEEN THIS HAPPEN 44 YEARS AGO, WITH A RELATIVE???????? BOYFRIEND OF 28 YEARS. SHE ????COVERED FOR HIM????....END OF STORY. I BELIEVE THE KIDS???????????????. I ALSO READ SOMEWHERE OR HEARD IT ON THE NEWS, THAT THIS GUY???? HAS DONE THIS BEFORE THE TWO BOYS????????????? AND WAS ACCUSED. WHERE THERE IS SMOKE, THERE'S FIRE.???? (P.S) OPRAH WINFREY SAID THATS HOW IT STARTED WITH HER UNCLE. TICKLING HER AND THEN TOUCHING HER PRIVATES, BEFORE FULL BLOWN MOLESTATION.????????????