Busfield surrendered to New Mexico authorities Tuesday and has denied the accusations against him.

Melissa Gilbert ‘stands with and supports’ husband Timothy Busfield amid child sex abuse allegations, rep says

Busfield surrendered to New Mexico authorities Tuesday and has denied the accusations against him.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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January 13, 2026 5:24 p.m. ET

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Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield at the Monte Carlo TV Festival in 2023. Credit:

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

- Melissa Gilbert's publicist released a statement saying that she "stands with and supports her husband," Timothy Busfield.

- The statement said Gilbert's "focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment."

- Busfield surrendered to New Mexico authorities Tuesday after they issued a warrant for his arrest, citing allegations of child sex abuse.

Melissa Gilbert is standing with her husband, Timothy Busfield, as he faces accusations of child sex abuse.

A representative for the *Little House on the Prairie* actress released a statement explaining Gilbert's position after Busfield surrendered to New Mexico authorities Tuesday.

"Melissa Gilbert is not making public statements at this time," publicist Ame Van Iden told ** in a statement. "Any purported 'statements' circulating online — including AI-generated deepfakes of her 'breaking her silence' should not be treated as coming from her. She is honoring the request of Tim's lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds."

The statement continued, "During this period, her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment. Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time. We ask that their privacy be respected."

Timothy Busfield and Melissa Gilbert at the Harvey Theater in New York in 2020.

Lars Niki/Getty

Gilbert, who has been married to Busfield since 2013, deactivated her social media accounts after authorities issued a warrant for her husband's arrest Friday.

Busfield surrendered to the Albuquerque Police Department on Tuesday. If he is found guilty of the alleged child abuse, the *Thirtysomething* star could face three to many more years in state prison.

Two child actors accused Busfield of inappropriately touching them while they were working with him on *The Cleaning Lady* between fall 2022 and spring 2024, according to a warrant for the actor's arrest. One of the children said that Busfield touched his "private areas" on multiple occasions, and has been diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety.

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Busfield denied the allegations in a video obtained by TMZ. "I'm going to confront these lies," the actor said. "They're horrible. They're all lies. And I did not do anything to those little boys, and I'm going to fight it. I'm going to fight it with a great team, and I'm going to be exonerated."

In the warrant, APD officer Marvin Brown stated that he had a phone conversation with Busfield and Gilbert in November 2025. During the call, the investigator said that Busfield alleged that a *Cleaning Lady* actress told him that the children's parents "wanted revenge" after the show declined to bring the young actors back during its last season. Busfield also said that the studio behind the show, Warner Bros., launched an independent investigation into the matter after the boys raised complaints about him, and that he was aware of the boys' identities during the investigation.

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Brown also said that Busfield and Gilbert told him that "they did have a relationship with [the children] and their family outside of work. They advised that they did buy the two boys Christmas gifts and were together at several social functions."

*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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