Melissa Gilbert Defends Timothy Busfield in New Interview, Calls His Arrest 'Most Traumatizing Experience of Our Lives'
Melissa Gilbert Defends Timothy Busfield in New Interview, Calls His Arrest 'Most Traumatizing Experience of Our Lives'
Liza EsquibiasThu, April 2, 2026 at 1:11 PM UTC
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PEOPLE has an exclusive preview of Melissa Gilbert's sit-down interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos about her husband Timothy Busfield's arrest on child sex abuse allegations
In the preview, Gilbert defends Busfield, calling the allegations against him "traumatizing" and maintaining his innocence
Busfield faces four felony charges of criminal sexual contact with minors and has pleaded not guilty to all counts
Melissa Gilbert is standing firm in her support for husband Timothy Busfield amid his legal troubles.
For the first time since Busfield, 68, was arrested on allegations of child sexual abuse in January, the Little House on the Prairie alum, 61, sits down for an interview with Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos.
PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the conversation, which is set to air in full on Monday, April 6.
Melissa Gilbert sits down with George Stephanopoulos on 'Good Morning America'Credit: Good Morning America/Youtube
A representative for Gilbert told PEOPLE that the actress and Busfield’s lawyer Larry Stein, wanted to speak with Stephanopoulos because she “decided it was time to sit down to clarify the facts of the case, which seem to have become lost to distraction, selective information and click bait.”
“What has this whole episode been like for you?” Stephanopoulos asks Gilbert, who replies, “Hell. This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives.”
“Our life as we knew it is done,” she says. “We are grieving what we had — all of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects. For Tim, it's done. He's canceled. Even if he's exonerated, he will always be that guy. [He’s] the last person in the world who would hurt a child. And believe me, if I thought for a second that Tim Busfield hurt a child, he'd have a lot more to worry about than prison.”
Melissa Gilbert sits down with George Stephanopoulos on 'Good Morning America'Credit: Good Morning America/Youtube
On Jan. 9, the Albuquerque Police Department issued a warrant for Busfeild’s arrest, alleging that he engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with two 11-year-old boys, whom he met on the set of Fox's The Cleaning Lady when they were child actors and he served as a director. He surrendered to police on Jan. 13.
A week later, he was released from custody with conditions while he awaits trial. When the judge ruled for his release at the Jan. 20 pretrial detention hearing, Gilbert could be seen crying from the viewing area of the courtroom and whispering, "Thank you, God.”
Ahead of that hearing, Gilbert was one of 75 people who wrote letters of support for Busfield to the judge in the case. In her message, she called the actor "my love, my rock, my partner in business and life," adding that she knows him "better and more intimately than anything in his life ever has."
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"I only want this extraordinary man safe and whole. So, I will close by asking you to please, please, take care of my sweet husband," she added. "As he is my protector, I am his, but I cannot protect him now and I think that, more than anything else, is what is truly breaking my heart. I am relying on your to protect him for me."
Timothy Busfield; Melissa GilbertCredit: Sam Wasson/Getty (2)
On Feb. 6, Busfield was indicted by a Bernalillo County grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13), District Attorney Sam Bregman announced at the time. All four charges are third-degree felonies and pertain to events in October 2022 and September 2023, according to court documents.
He pleaded not guilty to all four counts on Feb. 10, per a plea entry filed in New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court. On Feb. 11, he waived his arraignment and appearances in court for all pretrial proceedings, and Judge Joseph Montano granted the request on Feb. 18.
Busfield’s trial is scheduled to begin in May 2027, his criminal defense attorney Amber Fayerberg confirmed to PEOPLE in March. The date is subject to change and could take place sooner.
In a statement to PEOPLE following the indictment, the actor’s lawyer Stanton "Larry" Stein said, "The indictment was not unexpected."
Timothy BusfieldCredit: Giovanni Rufino via Getty
"What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial. The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure. This prosecution appears driven by something other than the facts or the law," Stein said.
"Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court — where evidence matters — not behind closed doors."
After being released on his own recognizance, Busfield has been ordered to appear for all his future court dates and is not allowed to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons, consume any alcohol or illegal drugs, have contact with the alleged victims or their families, discuss the case with any witnesses or have unsupervised contact with any minor children. The judge also allowed him to travel, but he will be under the supervision of Pretrial Services in New Mexico.
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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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
