Timothy Busfield is being held in a New Mexico jail on charges of abusing two boys on a TV show set in the early 2020s. Authorities have also referenced at least three older allegations of sexual abuse against the “Thirtysomething” and “West Wing” actor, some of which appeared in news reports decades ago.
Busfield turned himself in to Albuquerque authorities earlier this week, after police issued an arrest warrant and raided his New York home. He’s been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse — all stemming from accusations that he abused twin boys while working on “The Cleaning Lady,” a Fox crime drama series that ended last year.
Court documents refer to multiple alleged incidents for which Busfield has not been charged: that he assaulted a 17-year-old girl who worked as an extra on “Little Big League” in the 1990s, battered a woman in a movie theater in 2012, and abused a 16-year-old girl who was auditioning at his Sacramento theater around 2001.
Busfield is best known for his work in the 1980s and 1990s, including an Emmy-winning performance as Elliot Weston in “Thirtysomething.” But he has remained active in TV and film projects, including a recurring role on the hit show “The West Wing” from 1999 to 2006 and a spot on a new episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” that was reportedly pulled from NBC broadcast schedules this week.
Here’s a breakdown of accusations against Busfield.
2020s: Accused of abusing boys on ‘Cleaning Lady’ set
Busfield was accused of sexually abusing and grooming two boys from around November 2022 to spring 2024, according to the affidavit of an Albuquerque police investigator who reviewed interviews with the boys’ parents and other records.
The alleged victims, now 11 and referred to by their initials VL and SL in the report to protect their identities, were child actors on the series “The Cleaning Lady,” which Busfield joined as a director in 2022.
SL alleged that “Tim” had touched his private parts and bottom multiple times while in the set’s bedroom, beginning when he was 7 years old. VL accused “Mr. Tim” of touching him, too.
The children’s parents alleged that they were at one point able to monitor the set through iPads, but the devices were taken away after Busfield started working on the show. The boys were supposed to be supervised by a set teacher at all times during production, but the teacher was often not watching them, according to police interviews with production assistants.
When Busfield was interviewed by police, he suggested the boys’ mother might have wanted revenge against him because the children weren’t brought back for the show’s final season.
Warner Bros. conducted an internal investigation into Busfield in February, after receiving an anonymous complaint through an actor’s union hotline that he kissed the face of a different boy on the same show while the 6-year-old was getting a haircut. Warner Bros. didn’t speak to key witnesses during the investigation, a court document stated.
A representative for Warner did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Christina McGovern, the investigator who led the Warner Bros. investigation, told NBC News, “Based on what was alleged, and all evidence gathered, including multiple witness statements, I found no corroborating evidence that Mr. Busfield engaged in inappropriate conduct or that he was ever alone with the twins on set.”
2012: Accused of attacking woman in movie theater
In 2012, a 28-year-old woman accused Busfield of slipping his hands under her clothes and touching her genitals in a Los Angeles movie theater. Prosecutors declined to press charges at the time due to slim evidence.
The incident was mentioned toward the end of Busfield’s criminal complaint for the New Mexico allegations. Albuquerque police officer Marvin Kirk Brown said in his affidavit that the alleged assault was previously mentioned in media reports.
“Our sources say the two began kissing during the movie, but the woman claims at some point … Busfield groped her in the breast and genital areas,” TMZ reported in 2012.
TMZ reported that the woman filed a police report the next day and that “Busfield has not been arrested, but we’re told cops would like to speak with him.”
Circa 2001: Accused of assaulting a 16-year-old girl at auditions
A court document filed Wednesday revealed an additional sexual misconduct allegation against Busfield, as prosecutors requested that he remain detained before trial.
A father named Colin Swift told law enforcement Tuesday that Busfield allegedly sexually abused his daughter “several years ago,” when she was 16. The father said that his daughter was auditioning for Busfield at B Street Theatre — a nonprofit the actor founded in Sacramento — when the actor kissed her, put his hands down her pants and touched her private parts. Busfield later allegedly begged the family not to report the allegations as long as he received therapy. The father, a therapist, said he agreed “at the time that was the best thing to do.”
The theater “is aware of a report concerning Timothy Busfield regarding an incident alleged to have occurred at B Street Theatre approximately 25 years ago,” associate executive director Liz Baidoo wrote in a statement, adding that an internal investigation was conducted at the time. “Mr. Busfield has not had any role in the organization since 2001,” she said.
Baidoo did not say how the investigation concluded and declined to provide further comment, citing the criminal investigation in New Mexico. “As an organization that has served Sacramento and the greater region for decades, our mission remains to provide a safe, creative, and inclusive environment for artists, students, families, and audiences. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by abuse or exploitation in any form,” she said in her statement.
1994: Accused of assaulting 17-year-old extra on ‘Little Big League’ set
In 1994, a 17-year-old girl who was an extra on the film “Little Big League” accused Busfield in a lawsuit of serving her alcohol, groping her, assaulting her and attempting to sexually assault her in a trailer. Busfield countersued, alleging extortion. They settled privately for an undisclosed amount.
Busfield later filed a defamation suit against the law firm that represented the girl, claiming it made up the sexual assault, according to Deseret News. A judge dismissed the lawsuit and ordered Busfield to pay $150,000 to the firm.
Busfield’s New Mexico criminal complaint noted this incident was reported in the news at the time. A 1996 news story about the dismissal of Busfield’s countersuit appeared in many news outlets.
An earlier story, appearing in the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 1994, quoted from Busfield’s lawsuit against “a pack of unscrupulous lawyers who have turned their back on their solemn oath to uphold the law, and have committed a wide range of criminal acts — ranging from extortion, to soliciting perjury, to threatening witnesses — against a well known and highly respected actor, Timothy Busfield, and a critically acclaimed independent motion picture production company Castle Rock Pictures.”
The Star Tribune also reported that before the 17-year-old girl’s lawsuit was settled, “a number of women filed legal affidavits about unusual, inappropriate encounters they had with Busfield at various bars around town.”
Busfield’s attorney denies the claims
Stanton “Larry” Stein, an attorney for Busfield, said in a statement that his client “is innocent and is determined to clear his name.”
Busfield’s wife, actress Melissa Gilbert, is “honoring the request of Tim’s lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds,” Gilbert’s publicist Ame Van Iden told Entertainment Weekly in a statement.
“During this period, her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment. Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time. We ask that their privacy be respected.”
Amber Ferguson contributed to this report.
The post The years-long list of sex abuse allegations against Timothy Busfield appeared first on Washington Post.
