Melissa Gilbert gives first interview since Timothy Busfield arrest
Melissa Gilbert gives first interview since Timothy Busfield arrest
Anna Kaufman, USA TODAYThu, April 2, 2026 at 5:57 PM UTC
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Melissa Gilbert gives first interview since Timothy Busfield arrest
Melissa Gilbert is speaking out in her first sitdown interview since her husband, Timothy Busfield, was indicted on sex-crimes charges.
The "Little House on the Prairie" actress, 61, told "Good Morning America" host George Stephanopoulos in a teaser clip for their conversation that Busfield's arrest was "the most traumatizing experience of our lives."
Busfield, whom Gilbert wed in 2013, was arrested in January in connection with allegations of abusing minors. The "West Wing" actor, 68, is accused of abusing minors during his time filming the television series "The Cleaning Lady." On Feb. 6, a New Mexico grand jury indicted the director on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child.
1 / 0See Melissa Gilbert, from 'Little House' to 'Dancing with the 'Stars'
Melissa Gilbert became part of our cultural history at age 8 when she took on the role of Laura Ingalls in the television adaptation of "The Little House on the Prairie". Since then, the actress has continued to make waves as a performer and entrepreneur. See her life in the spotlight, beginning here at "The Little House on the Prairie" 50th anniversary cast reunion and festival in Simi Valley, California on March 23, 2024.
Inside Timothy Busfield, Melissa Gilbert's marriage amid sexual abuse claims
Gilbert went on to describe the experience as "hell" in the interview clip, telling Stephanopoulos, "Our life as we knew it is done."
"We are grieving what we had," she continued. "All of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects − For Tim, it's done. He's canceled, and this will never, even if he's exonerated, he will always be that guy."
She went on to describe him as "the last person in the world who would hurt a child," adding, "Believe me, if I thought for a second that Tim Busfield hurt a child, he'd have a lot more to worry about than prison." The interview is set to air in full on Monday, April 6, per People, which was the first to share it.
Tim Busfield was indicted on child sex abuse. Now four women say he abused them.
What is Timothy Busfield accused of?
Between late 2022 and early 2024, Busfield allegedly abused two young actors, who were 7 and 8 years old at the time, as they worked on "The Cleaning Lady," according to prosecutors. The actor also served as director on the show. He has denied any wrongdoing.
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Busfield has argued that the allegations he faces are an act of retaliation after the boys were recast on the show. In several court appearances, the actor has appeared in an orange prison uniform, as Gilbert watched on from the courtroom.
1 / 0See actors Timothy Busfield and Melissa Gilbert together in photos
"Little House on the Prairie" actor Melissa Gilbert announced that she will support her husband, "West Wing" actor Timothy Busfield, amid alleged child sex abuse claims against him, in a statement provided to People magazine and Us Weekly. The couple married in 2013.See them in pictures together through the years, beginning here at the opening night party for "Medea" at the BAM Harvey Theater on Jan. 30, 2020, in New York City.
One child alleged that Busfield touched his genitals several times; both said Busfield touched them inappropriately and instructed them to call him "Uncle Tim."
According to the criminal complaint, the children's mother reported the incidents to Child Protective Services. One child has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, and feared disclosing the alleged abuse because of retaliation from Busfield, the complaint alleges. In 2024, University of New Mexico Hospital staff members requested an investigation because it appeared the boys were being groomed.
According to the affidavit, Busfield acknowledged to police in a phone interview that the set was a "playful environment" and that he had probably tickled the boys. Production assistants told Albuquerque police that Busfield was sometimes touchy or unprofessional.
1 / 0Melissa Gilbert supports Timothy Busfield in court amid child sex abuse charges
Actor and director Timothy Busfield is be eligible for release from a New Mexico jail as he faces charges of child sex abuse, a judge ruled on Tuesday, Jan. 20, during a pretrial hearing in New Mexico. The ruling was made during Busfield's first in-person appearance in a New Mexico courtroom. A tearful Melissa Gilbert, who was seated behind her husband in the gallery, quietly celebrated the judge's decision.
Timothy Busfield faces fresh allegations from women
During a motion for pretrial detention on Jan. 14, Colin Swift, the father of an alleged victim, said he told law enforcement the day prior that Busfield sexually abused his daughter "several years ago" in California.
Since his arrest, at least four women have told police that the Emmy-award-winning actor and director groped their breasts and genitals and forced himself on them, dating from 1993 to 2000. One said she was a 16-year-old community theater intern when Busfield allegedly pushed his hand into her pants and his tongue into her mouth.
The women shared their stories with an Albuquerque police detective in January, according to six video interviews with the women that USA TODAY obtained from the Second Judicial District Court in New Mexico under a public records request.
A trial date has been set for May 2027 in New Mexico for the child sex-abuse charges.
Contributing: Laura Trujillo, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Melissa Gilbert calls Timothy Busfield sex-crimes arrest 'hell'
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