Earlier this year, we reported that the former Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert’s husband Timothy Busfield had been arrested after being accused of sexually abusing two 11 year-old twin boys.
On Monday morning, Gilbert sat down for an interview with George Stephanopoulos that aired on Good Morning America. During their talk, Gilbert admitted that she was aware of the previous sexual assault claims made against Busfield when she married him in 2013.
Gilbert Defends Busfield
Busfield, 68, was previously accused of sexual assault in the years 1994 and 2012, respectively. When asked about this, Gilbert, 61, leapt to her husband’s defense.
“I need to make something abundantly clear. These allegations have been out in the ether for a very long time,” Gilbert said.
“When Tim and I got together, the internet existed. I didn’t go into my relationship blind. I’m neither naive nor am I complicit,” she continued. “I talked to him about it, I asked him questions about it. I heard his side of the story — which nobody has ever heard — which is the truth. And when the time is right, and that is not now, Tim will tell the truth of all of these past allegations when he needs to.”
Busfield’s Past Sexual Assault Allegations
The first sexual assault allegation against Busfield involves a 17-year-old extra on Little Big League who “sued in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming Busfield assaulted her, served her alcohol, groped her, attempted sex in a trailer.” According to the warrant, Busfield denied the extra’s claims and countersued for extortion.
The matter was ultimately settled, and Busfield’s later “defamation bid against her lawyers got tossed, leaving him to foot nearly $150,000 in costs. No charges filed.” Both parties settled after Busfield appealed the costs award.
The second sexual assault allegation dates to March 18, 2012. It was then that a 28-year-old woman accused Busfield of battery in a Los Angeles movie theater. According to the arrest warrant, the woman alleged that Busfield “slipped hands under clothes, touched genitals for four minutes. Prosecutors later “passed due to slim evidence” and Busfield “called it consensual.” No lawsuits were filed over the claims.
On January 9, the Albuquerque Police Department issued a warrant for Busfield’s arrest. In it, Busfield was accused of engaging in unlawful sexual conduct with two 11-year-old boys. Busfield surrendered to police on January 13. He then spent a week in jail before being released by a judge on January 20.
Gilbert Struggles With Busfield’s Arrest
During today’s interview, Gilbert said that life has been “hell” for her and Busfield since his arrest.
“This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives,” she lamented. “Our life as we knew it is done.”
“We are grieving what we had — all of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects,” Gilbert added. “For Tim, it’s done. He’s canceled. Even if he’s exonerated, he will always be that guy.”
Gilbert went on to claim that Busfield is “the last person in the world who would hurt a child.”
“No one knows him better than I do. I know literally everything about him. Our marriage has, you know, we’ve had a lot of ups and downs. We’ve been through struggles, we’ve had our own issues to deal with and we worked through everything,” Gilbert concluded. “He’s nothing if not completely honest with me. I trust him with my children’s lives, with my grandchildren’s lives, my nieces and nephews. He is an honorable, caring, generous human being.”
Busfield’s trial is set to begin in May of 2027. Only time will tell how this turns out for him.