Timothy Busfield has surrendered himself to law enforcement in New Mexico after an arrest warrant amid allegations of child sex abuse.
Busfield, 68, claimed in a video obtained by TMZ on Tuesday, January 13, that he will “confront these lies,” adding, “I did not do anything to those little boys.”
Luxury Handbag Shopping confirmed on January 9 that Busfield was named in a New Mexico arrest warrant after being accused of child sexual abuse by two twin boys on the set of The Cleaning Lady while he served as the director of the Fox drama.
In the warrant obtained by Us, a local police officer interviewed Busfield over the phone, who claimed it was “highly unlikely” that he had physical contact with the accusers.
“I did ask Timothy what the protocol was for touching children and picking them up and touching them? I also asked if that was allowed?” the law enforcement officer wrote. “Timothy initially said, ‘It’s not allowed at all. There is no, there’s no protocol. I mean, I’m always around people, right?”
Busfield further alleged that he didn’t “remember” ever tickling or picking up the two child actors, though he didn’t rule out the possibility that physical contact may have occurred.
“If it happened, I don’t remember overtly tickling the boys ever, but it wouldn’t be uncommon for me,’” the officer wrote of the actor’s statement, who also claimed Busfield said he was never alone with his accusers.
The police officer further wrote in the report that Busfield and his wife, Melissa Gilbert, claimed that they had “a relationship” with the alleged victims’ families outside of work and even bought them Christmas presents.
Busfield has been married to Gilbert, 61, since 2013.
The Little House on the Prairie alum has not publicly addressed Busfield’s scandal, but did condemn the concept of child sexual abuse as “disgusting” just weeks before the warrant was filed.
Prior to Busfield’s arrest warrant, Gilbert opened up about her own experience being a child actor on set.
“At this age, at this time, I am actually nauseated,” Gilbert wrote in a November 2025 social media post, referring to her teen Little House character acting opposite a 23-year-old in an onscreen romance. “[I was] expected to ‘fall in love with’ and kiss a man on film who was several years older than [I] was. Through the lens of today, this is shocking.”
Nearly two months later, Gilbert shared another post about accountability and victim-blaming.
“You seem to have mistaken discomfort for injustice,” an anonymous quote that Gilbert uploaded to Instagram on January 5 read, which accompanied hashtags for “Fragility,” “You Know Who You Are” and “That’s Right, I’m Looking at You.”
Gilbert later clarified what called her to share the message.
“Basically this comment about playing the victim and blaming others. It’s about not taking accountability for your own situation,” she wrote in the comments section. “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.”
She continued, “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.”
Gilbert deactivated her social media profiles in light of Busfield’s arrest warrant.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
