Timothy Busfield filed key documents for his defense after being formally charged in a child sex abuse case, hitting back at the State of New Mexico’s motion to hold him for pretrial detention and sharing a list of potential witnesses that included his wife, Melissa Gilbert.
In documents obtained by TheWrap and filed by Busfield’s legal team Friday, the actor submitted 13 names that may serve as “potential witnesses” for his defense ahead of his pretrial detention hearing on January 20.
Among the list of names was Busfield’s wife, an actress best known for playing Laura Ingalls Wilder on NBC’s “Little House on the Prairie.” Until recently, Gilbert was notably silent following her husband’s arrest on child sex abuse charges, noting via a rep that she would not be making “public statements at this time.” However, the rep did state on Tuesday — after Busfield turned himself over to the authorities — that “[Gilbert] stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time.” She has since written a character letter on Busfield’s behalf (more on that later on).
In addition to Gilbert, Busfield’s legal team named a number of “The Cleaning Lady” cast and crew — including hairstylist Kristin Karr, cinematographer Alan Caudillo, actress Debra Toner, hairstylist Danielle Vigil — as the Fox series was allegedly where the misconduct took place.
As we previously reported, Busfield was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and an open count of child abuse, stemming from an investigation into his relationship with child actors he directed on Fox’s “The Cleaning Lady.” He directed six episodes of the series from 2022 to 2025 and executive produced 14 episodes.
As an additional allegation surfaced against Busfield this week, he vehemently denied the accusations in a video shared before turning himself over to the authorities in New Mexico on Tuesday.
“I’m going to confront these lies,” he said at the time. “They are horrible. They are all lies, and I did not do anything to those little boys.”
Busfield further denied the allegations in his Friday filing, claiming the accusers lacked credibility and that they had financial motives for accusing him.
“The State’s case rests almost entirely on the accounts of two stage parents … whose children were recast from ‘The Cleaning Lady’ in 2024,” Busfield’s filing reads. “These witnesses are not neutral observers. Their allegations emerged only after the loss of the twins’ role—and only after consultation with civil counsel—creating an obvious financial and retaliatory motive. That motive must be evaluated against the couple’s well-documented history of fraud and dishonesty.”
Busfield also provided results from a polygraph test, in which he was found to be “truthful” after denying inappropriately touching an alleged victim. Additionally, he submitted 75 letters from colleagues, friends and family members, all attesting to his character and professionalism.
Gilbert was among those who submitted a letter, writing “I will never be able to express the depth of gratitude I have to God for bringing this wonderful human into our lives.”
She added, “My husband, like my father, is former military, and that training only enhanced for him what he values most; honor, integrity, compassion and care for his fellow human beings.”
As she went on, she told the judge that this was “the strangest letter” she’s ever had to write. “I am trying to tow a line between logic and all the feelings swirling through me,” Gilbert noted. “I began this letter with logic, but now the feelings have taken over. I can’t help it. I only want this extraordinary man safe and whole.”
The post Timothy Busfield Names Wife Melissa Gilbert and ‘The Cleaning Lady’ Cast and Crew as ‘Potential Witnesses’ in Child Sex Abuse Case appeared first on TheWrap.
