Megyn Kelly had no patience for Melissa Gilbert’s latest call to protect vulnerable young women in Hollywood. The broadcaster questioned Gilbert’s public stance while her husband, Timothy Busfield, continued fighting serious criminal charges.
Kelly’s criticism followed Gilbert’s emotional essay about former child stars and Hollywood’s treatment of young performers. But the message quickly collided with the legal controversy surrounding the Little House on the Prairie alum’s husband.
Megyn lasted Melissa Gilbert while Timothy Busfield faces allegations he denies
Megyn addressed Gilbert during the August 26 episode of The Megyn Kelly Show. She accused the actress of attempting to repair her public image amid the controversy surrounding Busfield.
“Tell it to your p—— husband. This is unbelievable,” Megyn said. “This is an attempt to, like, rehabilitate herself and her reputation.”
Her comments came after Gilbert published her essay, “Enough Is Enough,” on Substack. She mourned former child stars Michelle Trachtenberg, Daveigh Chase, and Hayden Panettiere. “When three of us die so close together, something is very, very wrong,” Gilbert wrote while questioning Hollywood’s treatment of young performers.
Gilbert argued that the entertainment industry had long exploited and discarded its youngest stars. She called for stronger protections and greater support for young women working in Hollywood.
Megyn, however, argued that Gilbert should not position herself as a protector. “[She] tried to cloak herself in Glory as somebody who stands up for children under threat in Hollywood,” Megyn said. “Please sit this one out.”
The criticism centered on Busfield’s ongoing criminal case. A Bernalillo County grand jury indicted him in February on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child. As per The Associated Press, the allegations involved two young brothers connected to a television production in Albuquerque.
Busfield denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty. His case remained pending, and he was presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The clash left Gilbert’s advocacy under an uncomfortable spotlight. Her call for accountability had become inseparable from the controversy inside her own household.
