A viral online discussion has erupted around a decades-old television scene, casting a new and uncomfortable light on historic Hollywood practices. The focus is on Melissa Gilbert's first on-screen kiss, which occurred when she was just 15 years old with her 23-year-old co-star Dean Butler on Little House on the Prairie.
Arrest Warrants Spark Re-examination of Past Scene
The renewed scrutiny comes in the wake of serious criminal charges against Gilbert's husband, actor and director Timothy Busfield. Busfield, 67, turned himself in to authorities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on January 13, 2026. An arrest warrant had been issued, alleging two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse.
The charges stem from incidents alleged to have occurred on the set of the Fox series The Cleaning Lady, which Busfield directed during its second season. Authorities claim he inappropriately touched twin boys who were child actors on the programme.
An Uncomfortable First Kiss and a Mother's Tears
This contemporary case has prompted many to look back at Gilbert's own experiences as a young actress. In 1979, the then-15-year-old, who played Laura Ingalls, filmed her character's first romantic kiss with Almanzo Wilder, played by the 23-year-old Butler. The scene was so distressing for Gilbert's mother, Barbara Abeles, that she began sobbing loudly near the set.
The emotional outburst caused such a disturbance that Michael Landon, the show's star and director, was forced to abruptly halt filming by shouting 'cut'. In his 2024 memoir, Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond, Butler wrote, "It was totally unexpected. This kind of outburst just didn't happen on our set."
Butler suggested the tears were partly due to Abeles's disapproval of the age gap in the casting. "Her unhappiness culminated, perhaps, in not being able to bear seeing me kiss her daughter. It was a protective displeasure," he reflected, noting, "Today that eight-year-difference between us is a tiny gap, but 45 years ago, it was the Grand Canyon."
Reflections on a Different Era in Hollywood
Butler, now 68, has revealed that he and Gilbert, now 61, have remained close and have discussed the kiss over the years. He recalled her confiding that she felt profoundly uncomfortable. "You were a man, a grown-up man with a car and an apartment," she told him. "I was a really young teenager… I wasn't allowed to shave my legs and I'd never even been on a date." She also expressed that she "just wasn't ready to have that kind of physical contact with anybody."
Speaking to People magazine in April 2024, Butler elaborated on the challenge. "When I met Melissa in 'Back to School,' there was no sign of a woman there," he said, describing her as a bright, spunky girl. He praised her performance despite her lack of life experience, but acknowledged the inherent anxiety for both actors before filming the iconic kiss.
Butler has been candid about how such a casting would be viewed today. He told The U.S. Sun, "I don't know that you could make that today… You absolutely could never do it today. That would be impossible. And it would be appropriate that you couldn't do it today." He credited the late Michael Landon's sensitive direction with navigating what could have been a "very dicey situation."
The juxtaposition of a historic, awkward coming-of-age moment for a child star with fresh, grave allegations against her husband has ignited a complex conversation about the protection of young performers, both then and now.
