Two child actors who worked with Busfield on the show “The Cleaning Lady” have accused him of inappropriately touching them, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Melissa Gilbert spoke out against child sex abuse weeks before husband Timothy Busfield was accused of it

Two child actors who worked with Busfield on the show "The Cleaning Lady" have accused him of inappropriately touching them, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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January 10, 2026 2:58 p.m. ET

Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield in Monte Carlo on June 20, 2023. Credit:

VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty

- New Mexico authorities have issued a warrant for Timothy Busfield's arrest.

- The *West Wing* star faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse after two child actors accused him of inappropriately touching them.

- Busfield's wife, *Little House on the Prairie* star Melissa Gilbert, spoke out against child sex abuse weeks before the warrant for his arrest was issued.

Melissa Gilbert's recent remarks about child sex abuse have taken on new weight.

The *Little House on the Prairie* star expressed her candid thoughts on the subject in mid-November, less than two months before New Mexico authorities issued a warrant for the arrest of her husband,* West Wing* star Timothy Busfield, citing two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse.

"So, I debated posting this, but I feel compelled to share," she began in a message on Instagram. "After seeing many women's posts with the hashtags #iwasfifteen #imfifteen #iwasachild, I decided to Google-search myself at that age and see what came up."

Melissa Gilbert in 2022.

John Lamparski/Getty

Gilbert shared a photo of herself on a family vacation alongside a photo of her kissing a 23-year-old costar on *Little House*.

​​"Now, at this age, at this time, I am actually nauseated," she wrote. "The girl on vacation in Hawaii with her family is the same girl who was expected to 'fall in love with' and kiss a man on film who was several years older than she was. Through the lens of today, this is shocking. I have no words other than to say, 'I WAS A CHILD.' 'I WAS FIFTEEN.'"

Gilbert did not allege any inappropriate conduct by her older costar.

The actress then expressed her gratitude to her mother and her costar Michael Landon, who played her father on *Little House* and also served as a writer, director, and executive producer on the series.

"Thank God my mom and Michael and so many others were there to make sure I was safe," she wrote. "Can you imagine if I hadn't had them all? I am so fortunate (sort of). Many other young women aren't."

Gilbert's comments were directed at Megyn Kelly, who faced backlash at the time after suggesting that some skeptics did not think Jeffrey Epstein was a pedophile, noting, "There's a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?"

"@Megynkelly, you need to be careful with your words," Gilbert wrote in her post.

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Now, Gilbert's husband has been publicly accused of inappropriately touching two child actors on the set of the Fox series *The Cleaning Lady*, one of whom claimed that Busfield touched his "private areas" on more than one occasion.

In a warrant obtained and reviewed by **, Albuquerque police officer Marvin Brown said he had a phone call with Busfield about his relationship with the children on Nov. 3 — and noted that Gilbert was also present for the call, which the *West Wing* star took via speakerphone. Gilbert posted her Instagram comments about her experience and child sex abuse two weeks later.

Brown said that on the call, "Timothy and his wife, Melissa, did tell me that before this, they did have a relationship with [the children] and their family outside of work. They advised that they did buy the two boys Christmas gifts and were together on several social functions."

Timothy Busfield on 'The Cleaning Lady'.

Representatives for Busfield and a representative for Gilbert did not immediately respond to EW's requests for comment.

The warrant alleged that the children, who are twin brothers, told their mother that Gilbert's abuse occurred from fall 2022 to spring 2024 while he was working as a director and executive producer on *The Cleaning Lady*.

Brown said Busfield told him that Warner Bros., the studio behind the show, launched an independent investigation after the boys raised complaints about Busfield's behavior, and that he knew the identities of the children who had issued the complaints.

The warrant stated that the child who accused Busfield of sexual abuse was diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety, and that he has also reported having nightmares about Busfield touching him.

*If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.***

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