Melissa Gilbert, best known for NBC’s Little House on the Prairie, addressed her husband, The West Wing star Timothy Busfield’s arrest, in a new interview, saying it has made their lives unbearable.
Busfield surrendered to the Albuquerque Police Department in New Mexico on January 13 after a warrant was issued for his apprehension on January 9, based on allegations that he inappropriately touched minors on the set of Fox’s The Cleaning Lady, which ran from 2022 to 2025.
Highlights
- Timothy Busfield was arrested and indicted on multiple charges involving alleged inappropriate misconduct with minors.
- His wife, Melissa Gilbert, defended her husband in a new interview while conveying that she feels their life and career will never recover from the controversy.
- Her statement came after she faced criticism online, with some accusing her of turning a blind eye to the allegations against her husband.
Gilbert wrote a letter to the judge overseeing the case that same week, asking him to “take care” of her “sweet husband.”
“Tim is canceled. Even if he is exonerated, he will always be that guy,” she said in her most recent remarks about him.
Melissa Gilbert opined that there is little left to her and her husband’s life amid the charges against him
Image credits: Sam Wasson/Getty Images
Busfield’s victims were identified as 11-year-old twins.
They were allegedly violated by the TV star multiple times during their time on the Fox show, beginning when they were 7 years old.
Busfield was indicted on four counts of criminal inappropriate contact with a child by a Bernalillo County grand jury in February.
He pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
Image credits: Metropolitan Detention Center
Melissa Gilbert opened up about the impact of her husband’s arrest on their lives in a Good Morning America interview, which will air on Monday, April 6.
People secured an exclusive first look at it, reporting she labeled this phase of her life as “hell.”
Gilbert said she believes her and her husband’s life is “done” and that they have moved on to grieve “what we had — all of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects.”
Image credits: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
“Timothy is the last person in the world who would hurt a child,” the actress went on to claim.
She added that if she believed the accusations against him for even a second, “he’d have a lot more to worry about than prison.”
A representative for Gilbert told People that she addressed the case because she felt the facts had “become lost to distraction, selective information, and clickbait.”
Gilbert was previously accused of turning a blind eye to allegations against her husband
Image credits: Good Morning America
Gilbert maintains a business Instagram account called OfficialModernPrairie, where she posts lifestyle content.
On January 13, the same day her husband was booked into Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center, she gave her followers a tour of her kitchen and refrigerator.
The post was captioned, “We get asked all the time what’s in our Modern Prairie test kitchen fridge… and the honest answer is: all the good stuff.”
Image credits: Sam Wasson/Getty Images
A critic used the caption to remark, “I think right now you’re getting asked more than anything about why you are married to a p**ophile.”
Another added, “This is not the first time a woman has looked the other way in the hopes of keeping what they perceive as true love.”
“Seems like both she and her husband are living in a fantasy world,” a third exclaimed.
“Melissa Gilbert, read the room,” the next requested.
Timothy Busfield’s trial has been set for next year, much to his lawyer’s disappointment
Image credits: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Busfield’s lawyer, Larry Stein, told People following the indictment that it was beyond his comprehension why the District Attorney was “choosing to proceed with a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial.”
“The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State’s evidence,” Stein explained, before going on to allege that “the prosecution appears driven by something other than the facts or the law.”
Busfield was released from prison on his own recognizance on January 20.
He was ordered to appear for all his future court dates and was barred from possessing firearms or other dangerous weapons.
He was also advised not to consume liquor, contact the alleged victims or their families, discuss the case with any witness, or have unsupervised contact with any minor children.
Busfield is allowed to travel, but he will remain under the supervision of pretrial services in New Mexico.
The felony charges against him carry a penalty of six years in prison per charge.
According to Stein, the actor will “fight these charges at every stage,” and he “looks forward to testing the case in court.”
Busfield’s trial is said to commence on May 10, 2027.
“She cares more about their dreams and goals than about the victims,” a netizen said in response to Gilbert’s statement
