Timothy Busfield faces charges stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct involving two young boys. Photo: TNS
Emmy Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield, who surrendered to authorities last week to face charges stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct involving two young boys, shared intimate details about his sex life in court documents filed Friday (Jan 16).
In the filings, intended to prove Busfield is no threat to society as prosecutors fight to keep him behind bars, the West Wing actor reaffirmed he’s a lifelong heterosexual who has a healthy sex life with his wife, actor Melissa Gilbert, reported TMZ.
Busfield revealed he occasionally masturbates in the shower, but claimed he hasn’t done so in about six months. He also expressed his disgust for pornography, which he said he’s “never found to be sexually satisfying” and to which he’s “always had a visceral response.”
Gilbert appeared to support the latter statement, saying pornography has never been a part of the couple’s sexual relationship, nor has there ever been “any concerns” related to her husband’s use of explicit material, the filing reads.
The intimate information included in the documents is said to have been related to a psychosexual evaluation Busfield underwent last week. It reportedly concluded that he’s a “very low” risk to “commit sexual offenses compared to those convicted of a sexual offense.”
He and his defense are attempting to argue the findings are reason enough for him to be released from jail.
Busfield has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse for allegedly engaging in unlawful conduct with young twin brothers between November 2022 and the spring of 2024. The boys were child actors on the Albuquerque, New Mexico, set of the Fox crime drama The Cleaning Lady, for which Busfield directed multiple episodes.
According to one of the brothers, the abuse began when he was seven years old.
The 68-year-old actor has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and slammed the allegations as “all lies.” In an interview with police last fall, he suggested the boys’ parents were seeking revenge for their children being replaced on the show.
Busfield appeared in court on Jan 14 afternoon via video from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque. He was ordered held without bail pending a hearing on the state’s motion to keep him locked up.
Prosecutors argued Busfield should be held in jail while awaiting trial, writing that “his conduct reflects a calculated pattern of grooming, lack of boundaries and exploitation of professional authority to gain access to minors,” according to court documents obtained by Deadline. Previous allegations against the actor, involving two teen girls and at least one adult woman, have recently come to light.
In the filing opposing the state’s motion for pretrial detention, Busfield’s defense team submitted 75 letters expressing support from friends, co-workers and family members – including Gilbert, whom he married in 2013.
Writing about her “rock (and) partner in business and life,” the Little House On The Prairie alum said Busfield has “the strongest moral compass of any human (she has) ever known,” according to People.
“He has dedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others,” Gilbert, who starred in the short-lived TV series Stand By Your Man, continued. “He starts every day with kindness and compassion.” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
