In exclusive audio, Melissa Gilbert blasts parents over abuse claims
In exclusive audio, Melissa Gilbert blasts parents over abuse claims
Laura Trujillo, USA TODAYTue, April 7, 2026 at 10:59 PM UTC
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In exclusive audio, Melissa Gilbert blasts parents over abuse claims
When Melissa Gilbert appeared on "Good Morning America" April 6 to give her first interview about the indictment of her husband Timothy Busfield on child sex abuse charges, she was composed and concerned.
But during a police interview with Busfield in November 2025 obtained exclusively by USA TODAY, Gilbert joined and sounded angry.
She called the accusations: “cruel and it's vindictive and it's disgusting.”
Busfield was charged on Jan. 9 with child sex abuse and was arrested soon after in connection with allegations of abusing twin boys on the set of Fox's "The Cleaning Lady" when they were seven and eight years old.
The crime thriller, mostly shot in an Albuquerque studio, followed a surgeon in the Philippines who comes to the U.S. for her son’s medical treatment and winds up working as a cleaner for the mob. Busfield worked as a director and producer on the series.
A New Mexico grand jury indicted Busfield on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child on Feb. 6. A trial date has been set for May 2027.
1 / 0Melissa Gilbert supports Timothy Busfield in court amid child sex abuse charges
Actor and director Timothy Busfield is be eligible for release from a New Mexico jail as he faces charges of child sex abuse, a judge ruled on Tuesday, Jan. 20, during a pretrial hearing in New Mexico. The ruling was made during Busfield's first in-person appearance in a New Mexico courtroom. A tearful Melissa Gilbert, who was seated behind her husband in the gallery, quietly celebrated the judge's decision.
Melissa Gilbert gives first interview She shares traumatizing experience for family about Timothy Busfield charges
When Albuquerque Police detective Marvin Brown called Busfield on November 3, 2025, to interview him about allegations of child sex abuse, Gilbert joined the call.
“You're here with my wife, Melissa Gilbert and I,” Busfield tells him.
Brown read Busfield his Miranda Rights.
In the 35-minute recorded phone interview, recorded by Brown’s lapel camera, Busfield told the detective that he never was alone with the twin child actors and his goal was to create a fun, playful atmosphere on set.
He called the abuse accusations “ludicrous.”
“It's ridiculous that I would ever be inappropriate with the little boys,” Busfield said in the video obtained by USA TODAY from the Second Judicial District Court in New Mexico under a public records request.
Busfield, 68, is best known for his roles in “The West Wing” and “Thirtysomething.” He has denied the charges. In court, his lawyers have said the boys’ parents were so dependent on their salaries – about $2 million over three seasons - that they manufactured the abuse and manipulated their children to tell the lie.
“It's cruel and it's vindictive and it's disgusting. And in my opinion, that does nothing to help these children. It only hurts them,” Gilbert told police.
Gilbert said Busfield’s behavior on the set of “The Cleaning Lady” was friendly and he made the children feel comfortable. As a child, Gilbert played the title role of Laura Ingalls on the TV show “Little House on the Prairie” that aired from 1974 to 1983.
“It's really important that the kids feel comfortable with the people they're working with. So, it's just standard practice to become as friendly with them as possible so that they trust you, so they open up on screen,” she told police. “I always admired the way Tim works with children because he makes them so comfortable.”
Gilbert and Busfield hosted cast parties at their home with the boys and their parents and attended gatherings with the family at the home of other cast or crew members.
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“Adorable boys. They're boys,” she said. “They're cute, fun, little boys. I mean, I've Christmas shopped for them. I know them.”
“These are good kids,” Busfield added. “These are good kids.”
Busfield and Gilbert both blamed the boys' parents for the abuse allegations.
Busfield told police he was never alone on set with the children. Teachers or parents were always present.
“It's Warner Brothers Safety Protocol as it is probably legally … that establish that precedent where you're never alone (with children)” he said.
Busfield said he did promote a “playful environment.”
“Whether I'd tickle the kids or tell them they did a great job, and it was like a coach. I would treat them like a coach. That was my job. Great on this, great on that, all positive,” he told police.
When asked if he tickled or hugged the children on set, he replied: “I don't remember overtly tickling the boys ever, but it wouldn't be uncommon for me to.”
“What is the protocol for touching children and picking them up and touching?” Brown asked him.
“It's not not allowed at all. There's no protocol. I mean, I'm always around people. It would be in front of the parents. There would never (be) a weird moment about it. I don't really remember picking those boys up,” Busfield said. “It's disgusting. Never anything of any sexual, any weird ever with them. Just that's disgusting.”
Busfield said a law firm hired by Warner Bros. Television Studio had found no abuse after investigating anonymous tips left on a hotline for the actors’ union. None was serious enough to report to police.
He said he had heard that the family of the boys had threatened a civil lawsuit. “This is the first time I've heard of anybody going to the police, which has always been a shocker to us if it's the first thing we would've done if we felt that our kids were in trouble,” he said.
Gilbert worried that if the family filed a civil suit, that she and Busfield would need to tell their seven children about the allegations.
No civil lawsuit has been filed. The boys’ parents did not return phone calls from USA TODAY.
Gilbert's representatives have not responded to requests for comment from USA TODAY.
Gilbert described the past seven months as “hell” for her family. “This is horrible and nauseating beyond.”
Laura Trujillo is a national columnist focusing on health and wellness. She is the author of "Stepping Back from the Ledge: A Daughter's Search for Truth and Renewal," and can be reached at ltrujillo@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Exclusive audio – Melissa Gilbert blasts accusations in Busfield case
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