Melissa Gilbert is standing by her husband, Timothy Busfield, in her first interview since he was charged with child sex abuse.
In a preview of the sit-down, set to air on Good Morning America last week, Gilbert tells George Stephanopoulos that the past few months have been “the most traumatizing experience of our lives.”
“Our life as we knew it is done,” Gilbert says in the promo clip.
Busfield, perhaps best known for his role as Danny Concannon in The West Wing, tied the knot with Gilbert in 2013. Also an actress, Gilbert appeared as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the beloved series Little House On The Prairie, which aired for nine season on NBC.
“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 cancelled,” she continues. “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.”
Busfield was arrested in January over allegations that he was inappropriate with child actors while he filmed and directed the Fox series The Cleaning Lady. He was indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico the following month on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child.
The abuse, which involved two actors, aged seven and eight years old, allegedly occurred between late 2022 and early 2024
Busfield has denied the claims, and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He has alleged the claims are an act of retaliation because the boys were ultimately recast on the show.
His trial is expected to begin next May. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
