Melissa Gilbert has publicly defended her husband, actor Timothy Busfield, for the first time since he was charged with child sexual abuse in New Mexico. In an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, the former Little House on the Prairie star described the allegations as 'the most traumatizing experience of our lives' and insisted Busfield is 'the last person in the world who would hurt a child'.
Busfield, 68, faces four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child after a grand jury indictment in Albuquerque. The charges relate to incidents alleged to have occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024 on the set of the TV drama The Cleaning Lady, where Busfield worked as a director and actor. He is accused of inappropriately touching one boy over his clothing when the child was seven and again at age eight; the boy's twin brother also reported being touched.
Busfield has pleaded not guilty and dismissed the accusations as 'all lies' in a video shared with TMZ. He is tentatively set for trial in May 2027 and has been allowed to remain free pending the proceedings. Prosecutors have cited a pattern of sexual misconduct, including allegations from 1994 involving a 17-year-old extra on Little Big League, which Busfield settled privately, and a 2012 claim of fondling at a Los Angeles cinema that did not lead to charges.
Gilbert, who married Busfield in 2013, said that even if he is exonerated, his career is over: 'He's cancelled and this will never – even if he's exonerated, he will always be that guy.' She admitted she had been advised not to speak publicly while the case is unresolved but felt 'it's time' to break her silence.
