Melissa Gilbert acknowledged the “extraordinarily difficult time” her family is going through after her husband, actor Timothy Busfield, was accused of inappropriately touching two boys on the set of a television program.
The Little House on the Prairie star posted on her company’s Instagram account, Modern Prairie, on Monday, saying, “This season has reminded me, very clearly, how important it is to slow down, prioritize what truly matters, and allow ourselves moments of rest.” We can refuel, think, and regain our center when we occasionally take a break from the chaos, the news, and even our everyday obligations.
“I sincerely appreciate all of your love, tolerance, and support for Tim and me,” Gilbert continued. “Thank you to this amazing group of women at Modern Prairie for making me feel safer, more rooted, and incredibly held. I’ll be returning to things gradually and carefully, taking things one step at a time.
When an Albuquerque judge ordered Busfield to be released from custody last Tuesday, Gilbert started crying. Following the allegations, Gilbert deleted her personal Instagram account. The couple has been married since 2013. Busfield, who starred in Thirtysomething and West Wing, was taken into custody earlier this month on allegations of child abuse and sexual contact with a minor. Busfield has vehemently refuted the accusations, calling them “horrible lies.”
The allegations are related to Busfield’s work as an executive producer and frequent director on the Fox television series The Cleaning Lady. An arrest warrant claims that the 68-year-old made inappropriate contact with twin child actors while they were on set, starting when the boys were about seven years old. Between takes, Busfield allegedly started touching his private parts over his clothing, according to a later claim made by one of the kids.
In November 2024, Albuquerque officials opened an investigation into Busfield due to suspicions that Busfield had “groomed” the child actors. When one of the kids told his therapist that he had had sex with someone late last year, the investigation was restarted.
Busfield traveled from New York to New Mexico, where the show was filmed, to turn himself in after an arrest warrant was issued. More than 80 letters of support from Busfield’s friends and family, along with a copy of an adult psychosexual evaluation that found him to be “very low risk,” were submitted by his attorneys as they argued for his release. He “does not appear to have a sexual attraction to prepubescent or adolescent males or females,” according to the report.
When granting Busfield’s release, Judge David Murphy took the submission into consideration and acknowledged that Busfield should be released pending trial “given the lack of a pattern involving children” and the state’s failure to demonstrate that Busfield posed an immediate threat to the community.
