Actress Melissa Gilberts’ response has been to stand by her husband, Timothy Busfield, amid child sex abuse allegations.
Busfield, an Emmy Award winning actor, turned himself in to police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, four days after a warrant was issued for his arrest and is now in custody at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center. The 68-year-old West Wing star is charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse, stemming from allegations involving 11-year-old twin boys during production of the 2024 series The Cleaning Lady.
The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office plans to seek pretrial detention, with a judge set to decide whether or not he will remain in custody until trial.
Before he surrendered, Busfield addressed the nation in a video obtained by TMZ.
“Hi everybody, it’s Tim. I’m sure most of you know, that are watching this, that I was ordered to come to Albuquerque – I’m here now. I got the call Friday night, I had to get a lawyer. Saturday I got in the car, drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque. I’m gonna confront these lies. They’re horrible.
“They’re all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys and I’m gonna fight it. I’m gonna fight it with a great team, and I’m gonna be exonerated, I know I am, because this is all so wrong and all lies.
“So hang in there and hopefully I’m out real soon and back to work. I love everybody for supporting me, thank you.”
Police documents show that Busfield claimed the mother of the alleged victims wanted to get revenge because her children weren’t cast in the last season of the now-cancelled Fox crime series on which Busfield served as executive producer and directed several episodes.
Melissa Gilbert, who married Busfield in 2013, has deleted her social media account shortly after the warrant for her husband’s arrest was issued, People reported.
A representative of the actress confirmed she’s staying by her husband’s side. “Melissa Gilbert is not making public statements at this time,” the statement began. “Any purported ‘statements’ circulating online — including AI-generated deepfakes of her ‘breaking her silence’ — should not be treated as coming from her.”
“She is honoring the request of Tim’s lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds.
“During this period, her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment. Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time. We ask that their privacy be respected.”
Weeks prior to her husband’s arrest, Gilbert took to Instagram where she spoke of child sexual abuse. Namely, she responded to Megyn Kelly’s claim that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein wasn’t a pedophile because he targeted “barely legal” minors, “like 15-year-olds.”
Gilbert recalled the times she started acting as a minor of 15 years, thanking the people she worked with for making her feel safe on set, and warning Kelly to “be careful with your words.”
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