Timothy Busfield's role in the upcoming Amazon MGM rom-com 'You Deserve Each Other' has been removed following child sexual abuse allegations. The charges stem from incidents on the set of the TV series 'The Cleaning Lady' in 2022. Busfield, who maintains his innocence, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Timothy Busfield, the 68-year-old actor and director, has been edited out of Amazon MGM Studios' upcoming romantic comedy 'You Deserve Each Other' after facing serious child sexual abuse charges. Sources confirmed to Deadline and Variety that his scenes, including his portrayal of Bernie, the father of lead character Naomi played by Meghann Fahy, have been excised from the film despite principal photography already being completed.
The allegations originated from Busfield's time directing episodes of the Fox/Warner Bros. series 'The Cleaning Lady,' which ran for four seasons from 2022 to 2025. An arrest warrant was issued on January 9, 2026, accusing him of two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse. These stem from reported incidents involving twin boys, described in one account as a 7-year-old, who appeared on the show in 2022. Variety reported the accusation involved groping, while Deadline specified two minor boys without further detail on the nature of the contact.
Busfield turned himself in to authorities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on January 13 and is being held without bond at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center. He entered no formal plea during a brief court appearance the following day but has maintained his innocence. A pre-trial detention motion hearing is scheduled for January 21. If convicted, he faces a maximum of six years per sexual contact charge and three years for child abuse, potentially totaling 15 years. Busfield has also been dropped by his agency, Innovative Artists.
This marks the second project impacted by the allegations. On January 12, NBC removed a guest-starring episode of 'Law & Order: SVU' featuring Busfield from its January 22 schedule.
'You Deserve Each Other' is based on Sarah Hogle's 2020 bestselling novel and stars Penn Badgley as Nick alongside Fahy. The plot follows an engaged couple who secretly scheme to end their relationship to avoid wedding costs, only to rekindle their romance through pranks. Directed by Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn, who also revised the script originally written by Brett Haley and Marc Basch, the film features a supporting cast including Justin Long, Kyle MacLachlan, Natalie Morales, Ana Gasteyer, Hope Davis, Delaney Rowe, Lisa Gilroy, and Alyssa Limperis. Busfield was announced as part of the cast in July 2025. No release date has been set, and Amazon MGM did not comment.
