Veteran actor Timothy Busfield turned himself in to Albuquerque police this week amid serious allegations of child sexual abuse from the set of The Cleaning Lady. The 58-year-old West Wing star insists he's innocent and vows to fight the claims. His wife, Melissa Gilbert, is standing by him as the legal drama unfolds.
Oh honey, the Hollywood tea just got scalding. Timothy Busfield, the Emmy-winning charm from The West Wing, surrendered to cops in New Mexico on Tuesday after an arrest warrant dropped last Friday, January 9. He's facing two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse, all tied to alleged incidents in 2022 while directing an episode of the now-canceled Fox drama The Cleaning Lady. 😲
The accusations? Busfield is said to have abused two young twin actors, aged 7 and 8 at the time, who met him on set during season 2. Their parents reported it to Albuquerque PD two years later, sparking the investigation. A therapist's report in the warrant claims one boy said Busfield 'had touched and rubbed his penis 3 or 4 times and appeared to be ashamed.' Messy, right?
But Busfield? He's spilling his side hot and fast in a video obtained by TMZ. 'Hi everybody, it’s Tim... I’m gonna confront these lies. They’re horrible... I did not do anything to those little boys and I’m gonna fight it,' he declared, after driving 2,000 miles from Michigan to face the music. To police, he admitted he might've tickled or picked them up—'it wouldn’t be uncommon for me'—but swore he was never alone with the kids and doesn't remember specifics.
Enter the lawyers: Christina McGovern, who probed for Warner Bros., told TMZ, 'I conducted an independent and thorough investigation... I found no corroborating evidence that Mr. Busfield engaged in inappropriate conduct or that he was ever alone with the twins on set.' His civil attorney, Larry Stein, hints at revenge—claiming the boys' mom vowed payback after they were cut from the final season. Warner Bros. echoes the safety-first vibe: 'We take all allegations... very seriously and... will continue to cooperate with law enforcement.' Even NBC yanked a planned Law & Order: SVU episode featuring him. 🔥
As for Melissa Gilbert, the Little House icon and Busfield's wife? Her rep told Us Weekly and Just Jared, 'Melissa stands with and supports her husband... her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family.' No deepfakes or wild online chatter from her— she's zipping it per his legal team's request.
The Busfields had a friendly vibe with the families off-set, even gifting Christmas presents. But with U.S. Marshals once hunting him down, this saga's far from over. Will the truth exonerate Tim, or is this the end of an era? Spill more if you know!
