Timothy Busfield sexual misconduct allegations mount as wife Melissa Gilbert expresses support | New Mexico
As allegations of prior sexual misconduct against him continue to mount, Timothy Busfield received a statement of support from his wife and fellow actress Melissa Gilbert; because he was also ordered held without bail in connection with child abuse charges on set in New Mexico.
A representative for Gilbert, known for her work on Little House on the Prairie, said in a statement shared with media outlets that she “supports her husband” and is “focused on supporting and caring for their family as they navigate this moment.”
Gilbert’s statement also asked for privacy in part, saying Gilbert intends to comply with Busfield attorneys’ request “not to speak publicly while the legal process is ongoing.”
Those remarks Wednesday from a judge presiding over Busfield’s first hearing prompted him to hold him without bail, at least tentatively, until a hearing scheduled for Jan. 20. Prosecutors in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Busfield is charged, have requested that the Emmy winner be held in custody until his trial, but it’s possible he could be released on conditional bail.
In the sworn police statement outlining the accusations against 68-year-old Busfield, it was stated that these accusations involved two 11-year-old twin brothers with whom Busfield worked on the set of the TV series The Cleaning Lady, which he directed and starred in.
According to police, the children, identified by the initials SL and VL, claim Busfield touched them inappropriately. Police in Albuquerque, where most of Cleaning Lady was filmed, issued a warrant for Busfield’s arrest on Jan. 9, charging him with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse.
He turned himself into police on Tuesday to be taken to jail, but provided a video statement to entertainment outlet TMZ in which he vociferously denied the accusations.
“It’s all lies,” Busfield said in the video. “I didn’t do anything to those little kids and I’m going to fight this.”
Despite his declaration of innocence, Albuquerque prosecutors and police cited what they described as an example of sexual harassment in his work.
Court filings following Busfield’s arrest say a man came forward Tuesday and accused the actor of sexually assaulting his daughter while she was attending an audition at the B Street Theater in Sacramento, which Busfield co-founded. documents, the Sacramento news outlet reported. KCRAHe said the matter resulted in Busfield going to therapy and the girl’s family agreeing not to take the matter to the police.
B Street Theater said in a statement to media outlets that Busfield withdrew from the organization following “legal counsel.” [conducted] An internal investigation into the episode in 2001. The theater’s statement stated that it could not go into details due to the criminal case in New Mexico.
The court documents also mentioned two other allegations against Busfield that were contained in an affidavit given to police before his recent arrest.
In 1994, a 17-year-old extra in the movie Little Big League claimed that Busfield assaulted her after serving her alcohol. Busfield, one of Little Big League’s stars, sued for extortion and settled privately, but was ordered to pay $150,000 in costs after unsuccessfully claiming the allegations against him were fabricated.
Separately, in 2012, a 28-year-old woman alleged that Busfield fondled her at a Los Angeles movie theater. Busfield argued that it was consensual and that neither a criminal nor civil lawsuit was filed.
Cleaning Lady’s four-season run on Fox ends in 2025. It was produced by Warner Bros., which said it was conducting its own investigation into Busfield but could not confirm the allegations against him.
Busfield’s acting credits include Revenge of the Nerds, Field of Dreams, The West Wing and Thirtysomething. His performance on Thirtysomething earned him an Emmy award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series in 1991.
Gilbert and Busfield, 61, have been married since 2013. Instagram account As of Sunday. And lifestyle brand Modern Prairie canceled a virtual Q&A session scheduled for Friday, saying in a statement reported by People that the decision was motivated by Gilbert’s need for “privacy and space.”
One industry peer who offered her moral support was actor Glenn Scarpelli, who wrote on Instagram on Thursday: “Loving my Old Friend Melissa Gilbert right now. No comments, just love… That’s it.”
Associated Press contributed reporting
