Actor and director Timothy Busfield is facing charges of sexual abuse involving a minor after he was accused of misconduct with a child actor on the set of The Cleaning Lady.
Busfield — who executive-produced 14 episodes of the Fox series and directed six, as well as a one-episode appearance as an immigration officer — was accused of touching the child actor inappropriately in incidents that allegedly occurred between late 2022 and early 2024, according to the Albuquerque Police Department affidavit obtained by Us Weekly in January 2026.
In an interview with police during the investigation, Busfield denied that there was anything “weird” about his interactions with the children on set, according to the criminal complaint. He is facing two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse.
Us has reached out to reps for Busfield for comment.
Keep scrolling for everything to know about the controversy:
Timothy Busfield Was Accused of Sexual Abuse Involving a Minor
A warrant for Busfield’s arrest, obtained by Us, was issued by authorities in New Mexico on January 9, 2026, after he was accused of sexual misconduct involving a minor.
The alleged incidents occurred while Busfield was directing The Cleaning Lady, which aired on Fox from 2022 to 2025. Busfield’s accuser and his twin brother worked as child actors on the show.
According to the criminal complaint, the child involved claimed that Busfield first touched his “private areas” inappropriately when he was 7 years old. He accused the West Wing alum of touching him three or four times.
In a separate incident when the child was 8 years old, Busfield allegedly touched him five or six times.
The boy was “very afraid of Tim and was relieved when he was off set,” according to the affidavit. He also stated that he “was afraid to tell anyone because Tim was the director, and he feared Tim would get mad at him.”
The child’s mother reported to Child Protective Services that the alleged abuse occurred between late 2022 and the second half of 2024, according to the complaint. The child was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety following the alleged incidents.
Timothy Busfield Was Interviewed About the Sexual Abuse Allegations
According to the affidavit, Timothy Busfield was interviewed by Officer Marvin Brown via phone regarding the alleged incidents in November 2025. He was asked if he had any “physical contact” with the children, such as picking them up or tickling them.
“Timothy said it was highly likely that he would have,” the affidavit stated, adding that Busfield described the set as a “playful environment.” Busfield added that there was “never a weird moment about it” and that any contact was “in front of the parents,” according to the complaint.
Busfield also stated that there was “no protocol” for touching children on set.
“I mean, I’m always around people, right? It would be, you know, in front of the parents. There would never be a weird moment about it,” he said. “I don’t really remember picking those boys up. I remember picking up the boy who followed them. I’d pick him up and he’d be giggling and that would sort of get him ready to act.”
Busfield claimed the children were “never alone on set without the teacher, a welfare worker, or a parent.”
Timothy Busfield Was Accused of Grooming The Cleaning Lady’s Child Actors
According to the complaint, Timothy Busfield also admitted that he and wife Melissa Gilbert “did buy the two boys Christmas gifts and were together [at] several social functions.”
Brown concluded that Busfield allegedly chose to “invite the family to off-set gatherings, with his wife buying Christmas gifts to foster closeness.” He further theorized that this was an example of “classic grooming to erode boundaries, isolate the victim, and silence suspicions by blending abuse into normalcy.”
Melissa Gilbert Slammed People Who ‘Play the Victim’ in Social Media Post
Days before the arrest warrant was issued, Melissa Gilbert took to Instagram to share a quote that read, “You seem to have a mistaken discomfort for injustice.”
In a comment, she stated that she was referring to those “playing the victim and blaming others.”
“It’s about not taking accountability for your own situation,” Gilbert added. “It’s about being a big whiny baby. I saw this quote and it struck me. I have a particularly hard time with people who play the victim. Own your s***. Step up. It’s all pretty general. Has nothing to do with politics but everything to do with privilege, attitude and weakness.”
In November 2025, Gilbert also reflected on having to kiss a 23-year-old costar when she was just 15 on Little House on the Prairie.
“Through the lens of today, this is shocking. I have no words other than to say , ‘I WAS A CHILD. I WAS FIFTEEN,’” she wrote via Instagram. “Thank God my mom and Michael [Landon] and so many others were there to make sure I was safe. Can you imagine if I hadn’t had them all? I am so fortunate (Sort of). Many other young women aren’t.”
Gilbert has since deleted her social media accounts.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
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