Timothy Busfield’s Wife Melissa Gilbert Defends Him In 1st TV Interview Since His Arrest

Melissa Gilbert is speaking out in defense of husband Timothy Busfield in her first TV interview since his arrest. Nearly two months after Busfield pleaded not guilty to four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child, Gilbert appeared on “Good Morning America” on April 6 along with his civil attorney and said she has no doubt of his innocence. In addition to the current charges against him, Busfield was previously accused of sexual assault by a then-minor in 1994 which he denied, resulting in a settlement, and by a woman in 2012 which Busfield maintained was consensual contact. Busfield has also denied the most recent accusations that he inappropriately touched two child actors on the set of the show “The Cleaning Lady,” which he was directing in Albuquerque. The two 11-year-old actors accusing Busfield initially told police in 2024 that he did not touch them inappropriately, but a year later the boys’ mother filed another police report claiming that the twins revealed the alleged abuse in a therapy session. In light of Gilbert’s “GMA” appearance, Busfield’s attorneys issued a statement that read, “We hope the remainder of the interview airing on tonight’s ‘Nightline’ will make clear that the parents are criminals: one served more than three years in jail and lost their license to practice law for defrauding 1,500 people of $6,000,000, and the other for writing bad checks and stealing cars.” For their part, the prosecution states in part: “While it is not surprising that the defendant is attempting to garner public support through the media, our focus remains on the victims.” The alleged victims’ parents did not immediately respond to Access Hollywood’s request for comment.