Melissa Gilbert has said she is "neither naive nor complicit" in standing by her husband, the actor Timothy Busfield, who faces charges of child sexual abuse in New Mexico. In her first interview since the charges were filed, the former Little House on the Prairie star said she had "heard his side of the story" and that it was "the truth".
Speaking on Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos, Gilbert said she knows Busfield "in my bones" and that "no one knows him better than I do". She described herself as "100% confident he will be exonerated" while also preparing for all possible outcomes of the case.
The couple, who married in 2013, have faced scrutiny over past allegations against Busfield. In one case, he was accused of groping a 16-year-old girl during an audition at Sacramento's B Street Theatre, which he co-founded. Authorities said the matter ended with Busfield attending therapy and the girl's family agreeing not to report him. In 1994, a 17-year-old extra on the film Little Big League claimed he assaulted her after serving her alcohol. Busfield settled the allegations privately, asserting he was being extorted, and was later ordered to pay $150,000 in costs after an unsuccessful claim that the accusations were fabricated.
Gilbert said she had talked to Busfield about these allegations before their relationship began. "I am neither naive, nor am I complicit," she said. "I talked to him about it; I asked him questions about it; I heard his side of the story – which no one [else] has ever heard, which is the truth." She added that she anticipates Busfield will share "the truth of these past allegations when he needs to", but that the time "is not now".
Busfield, 68, is accused of inappropriately touching a boy over his clothing on the set of The Cleaning Lady, a television drama for which he directed and acted, when the child was aged seven and again at age eight. The boy's twin brother also reported being touched inappropriately. Busfield has pleaded not guilty and dismissed the accusations as "all lies" in a video shared with TMZ. He is tentatively scheduled to stand trial in May 2027 and is currently awaiting proceedings out of custody.
Gilbert, 61, said she chose to speak out because she and her husband had been "hearing and reading too much untruth".
