An arrest warrant has been issued for Emmy-winning actor and director Timothy Busfield in connection with allegations of child sexual abuse, according to authorities in New Mexico. The warrant, signed by a judge on Friday, charges Busfield with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.
The allegations stem from incidents involving a child who reported that Busfield touched him inappropriately on the set of the Fox television series The Cleaning Lady, in which Busfield both acted and directed. The child’s mother reported the abuse to New Mexico’s child protective services, stating it occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024.
According to a criminal complaint filed by an Albuquerque police investigator, the child said the first incident happened when he was seven years old, with Busfield touching him three or four times. On another occasion when the child was eight, Busfield allegedly touched him five or six times. The child, identified only by initials, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, and reportedly experienced nightmares about the abuse.
The investigation began in November 2024 after a doctor at the University of New Mexico hospital alerted police. The child’s parents had sought help at the recommendation of a law firm. Busfield’s attorney and agent did not respond to requests for comment. His wife, actress Melissa Gilbert, had apparently deleted her Instagram account as of Sunday. The show’s producer, Warner Bros, conducted its own investigation into the allegations but could not corroborate them.
Busfield is best known for his roles in The West Wing, Field of Dreams, and Thirtysomething, for which he won an Emmy in 1991. He has not yet been publicly arraigned, and the case continues to develop.
