Timothy Busfield is currently in the custody of a New Mexico jail after the former West Wing actor was accused of abusing twin child actors on the set of a Fox show he executive-produced and directed.
The 68-year-old turned himself over to law enforcement in Albuquerque last week, adamantly denying the accusations, describing them as “horrible lies.” He is scheduled for his second appearance in front of a judge on Tuesday, where his team of lawyers is prepared to fight for his release.
They’ve argued that Busfield recently passed a polygraph test over the accusations, and a Warner Bros. independent investigation was not able to substantiate the claims the children raised.
Here is everything to know about the accusations against Busfield and the actor’s response:
What are the accusations against Busfield, and what is he charged with?
Busfield is charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse related to twin child actors whom he worked with on the Fox television series The Cleaning Lady, according to a warrant issued for his arrest on Friday, Jan. 9.
Albuquerque officials launched an investigation into Busfield back in November 2024, when police were called to the University of New Mexico Hospital over concerns that the brothers were possibly “groomed” by Busfield, who served as executive producer and director of the show.
The boys referred to Busfield as “Uncle Tim” and claimed the Hollywood veteran pestered them with unwanted tickles. The incidents allegedly began occurring when the children were around seven years old. At the time, neither child disclosed any sexual contact, and no further action was taken.
Investigators returned to the matter in October 2025, when the boys’ mother filed a report with Child Protective Services. In interviews with police, one of the boys claimed Busfield had repeatedly touched his private areas over his clothes while filming the show. The boy said he “was afraid to tell anyone because Tim was the director, and he feared Tim would get mad at him.”
Officials were able to obtain therapist records from September 2025, where the same child disclosed “that a director of a series … had engaged in inappropriate touching.” Diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety, the boy was so distraught that he was having “nightmares about the director touching him and waking up scared,” according to a 13-page arrest warrant.
After conducting several interviews with members of the production crew, an Albuquerque detective submitted his findings as part of the arrest warrant, writing “in my training and experience, pedophiles often infiltrate families under a trusted role, like Timothy, who, as a producer, exploited the hectic film sets to tickle and touch [the child actor] on his penis and buttocks, masking it as play.”
Where is Busfield now, and how has he responded to the accusations?
Busfield turned himself in on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and he remains in custody ahead of a pretrial detention hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 20. Busfield has adamantly denied the accusations, describing them as “horrible lies” in a video statement released shortly before he surrendered to law enforcement. (His civil attorney, Larry Stein, similarly told Rolling Stone that the claims against his client are baseless.)
“I’m going to confront these lies,” Busfield said. “They’re horrible, they’re all lies, and I did not do anything to those little boys … I’m going to fight it with a great team, and I’m going to 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 working.”
On Friday, Jan. 16, lawyers for Busfield submitted a 237-page opposition filing in response to the charges, demanding Busfield’s release from jail. They argued that Busfield recently passed a polygraph test regarding the accusation, and that a Warner Bros. independent investigation was unable to substantiate the claims. They also submitted an adult psychosexual evaluation that deemed Busfield as being “very low risk.” They noted he “does not appear to have a sexual attraction to prepubescent or adolescent males or females.”
The actor’s attorneys also described the boys’ mother and father as “stage parents” who allegedly sought revenge on Busfield after the Fox show replaced their sons with another child actor.
“The children’s parents have a well-documented history of fraud and dishonesty,” Busfield’s attorneys alleged in court documents. “The timeline does not indicate an investigation naturally unfolding, but instead an express effort to seek revenge against Mr. Busfield after losing the lucrative opportunity that came with their children’s acting on The Cleaning Lady.”
Is this the first time Busfield has been accused of sexual misconduct?
Albuquerque prosecutors alleged Busfield “has a documented pattern of sexual misconduct, abuse of authority, and grooming behavior,” detailing two previously known instances. In the early 1990s, Busfield was accused in a lawsuit of sexual assault by a 17-year-old female extra on the set of Little Big League. The woman claimed Busfield plied her with alcohol before groping and attempting to have sex with her in a trailer. A second allegation was raised in March 2012, when a 28-year-old woman accused Busfield of groping her at a Los Angeles movie theater. Busfield denied both accusations, and no criminal charges against Busfield were ever filed.
A third alleged incident came to light after news that Busfield was wanted for arrest. A father contacted law enforcement, claiming Busfield sexually assaulted his 16-year-old daughter “several years ago” when the teen was auditioning for Busfield at his B Street Theatre in Sacramento, California.
The father claimed the Emmy-winning actor “kissed” his daughter, and “put his hands down her pants and touched her privates.” When the family learned of the alleged sexual abuse, “[Busfield] begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy,” a pretrial detention motion alleged. “[The father,] a therapist himself, thought at the time that was the best thing to do.”
How has Busfield’s wife, Melissa Gilbert, reacted?
Busfield has been married to actress Melissa Gilbert since 2013. The Little House on the Prairie star has deactivated her Instagram account in light of the accusations, but she submitted a letter to the court vouching for her husband’s character.
“Timothy Busfield is my love, my rock, my partner in business and life,” she wrote. “Tim has the strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known. He has dedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others. He starts every day with kindness and compassion.”
“On every single set, where Tim is working, multiple people come up to me to tell me he is their favorite director ever,” Gilbert added. “Your Honor, this is the strangest letter I’ve ever had to write. I am trying to tow a line between logic and all the feelings swirling through me. I began this letter with logic, but now the feelings have taken over. I can’t help it. I only want this extraordinary man safe and whole.”
Has there been any other fallout?
NBC shelved an upcoming episode of Law & Order: SVU in which Busfield appeared as a guest star on the popular New York City crime drama in the wake of the charges. Additionally, his longtime agency, Innovative Artists, dropped him as a client.
