Timothy Busfield, the 68-year-old actor known for 'The West Wing,' walked out of court a free man on Tuesday after a hearing on his child sex abuse charges. His wife, Melissa Gilbert, was right there by his side, tears in her eyes as the judge ruled in his favor. The case involves allegations from two young actors on the set of 'The Cleaning Lady.'
Oh, the drama in Albuquerque, New Mexico—where Timothy Busfield faced off against some seriously heavy accusations this Tuesday, January 20, 2026. The hearing zeroed in on bail conditions for the actor, who's charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse, all stemming from alleged inappropriate touching of two boys during the 2022 filming of 'The Cleaning Lady.'
Prosecutors weren't holding back, spilling that they're "concerned about again the defendant is using his control in deciding when he wants to comply with an order." They pointed out Busfield drove a whopping 2,000 miles and even snagged a polygraph instead of turning himself in pronto after the arrest order. Messy compliance vibes, right? 😏
But hold up—Busfield's lawyer, Amber Fayerberg, came armed and ready, dismantling the prosecution's case line by line. She highlighted audio recordings (first obtained by TMZ) where the boys straight-up told police, "No," when asked if Busfield ever touched their privates. Busfield's team calls it an "unequivocal denial," not just some failure to "disclose" as prosecutors spun it. The boys only opened up about the alleged touching—specifically one saying Busfield touched his penis and bottom—months later in therapy sessions back in September 2025.
Defense dropped more tea: It would've been near impossible for Busfield to be alone with the kids, thanks to on-set teachers and witnesses who saw zilch. And get this—an actress overheard the boys' mom vowing revenge if her kids got fired from the show (spoiler: they weren't asked back for the final season). Oh, and the dad? Ronald Rodis, a disbarred attorney convicted of federal conspiracy and wire fraud in 2016. Revenge plot much? 👀
Melissa Gilbert, ever the supportive spouse, sat in court with tears streaming down her face during the ruling. Busfield? Released without bail, free to jet out of state pending trial. He insists there's zero evidence he endangers anyone.
So, is this the plot twist that clears his name, or just intermission in Hollywood's latest scandal? Spill more if you know!
