Trigger Warning: This article includes discussion of alleged sexual assault, with details.
Timothy Busfield claimed his career had come to an end after being allegedly “canceled” following child sex abuse charges. The 69-year-old actor-director made the statement while testifying before a grand jury in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in February.
Timothy Busfield addresses child sexual abuse charges before a grand jury
According to USA Today, a grand jury indicted Busfield in February on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child over alleged incidents that occurred on the set of The Cleaning Lady between late 2022 and early 2024. However, he denies all the allegations.
In his two-hour testimony, Busfield said, “My career’s done. I’m, I’m canceled. I’ll never, I don’t, I’ll never work again just based on people’s fear that I would do this again, and even if it wasn’t true, I’m done. I’ve lost TV shows, a movie they’ve digitally replaced me from. My agency fired me. I’m done. This is not about me or a pity thing.”
Busfield said the allegations had damaged his relationships with his children, grandchildren, and loved ones. He also claimed the accusations had harmed his wife’s business and said he did not want to affect her career. His wife, Melissa Gilbert, is the former child star of Little House on the Prairie.
Two boys have accused the Emmy Award-winning actor of inappropriately touching them while he worked on The Cleaning Lady. One of the boys told a forensic child interviewer that Busfield allegedly touched him when he was seven years old, reports KRQE News 13.
The boy told investigators that the alleged incidents happened five or six times, and again when he was eight. Another child also accused the actor of touching him. An arrest warrant was issued for Busfield in early January. The Michigan-born actor later surrendered to authorities. However, before turning himself in, he denied the allegations in a recorded video and said he would fight the charges.
On June 18, Busfield’s team asked the court to dismiss the indictment, alleging the prosecution failed to present a fair case. The case is expected to go to trial in May 2027.
Have you or someone you love been sexually assaulted or abused? You are not alone. Contact RAINN 24/7 to connect with a real, live person who’s trained to help. https://rainn.org/help-and-healing/hotline/.
