The celebrity wife of Michigan-born actor Timothy Busfield is sticking with her husband amid child sex abuse allegations.
In a statement to Fox News on Friday, former “Little House on the Prairie” actress Melissa Gilbert confirmed she will not be making any live public statements, but committed herself to supporting her husband of 12 years.
“She is honoring the request of Tim’s lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds,” the statement said.
“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.”
Busfield was born in Lansing and later returned to Michigan with Gilbert to live in Howell while he was an artist in residence at Michigan State University in 2016–17.
The 68-year-old is accused of repeatedly inappropriately touching two brothers on the set of “The Cleaning Lady,” a 2025 TV series Busfield directed and acted in.
One child, now 8, told Child Protective Services that Busfield touched him nearly 10 times between November 2022 and spring 2024, sometimes rubbing his penis and buttocks, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. Marshals were called in to help bring Busfield to custody after he was charged in New Mexico last week. He surrendered Tuesday but denied the claims and is “determined to clear his name,” his lawyer, Larry Stein, told Fox News Digital.
Busfield has been working for years. He played the skeptical brother-in-law in the iconic baseball film “Field of Dreams,” ambitious White House reporter Danny Concannon on the award-winning series “The West Wing” and Elliot Weston on the show “Thirtysomething.”
Gilbert’s lifestyle brand, Modern Prairie, canceled a scheduled virtual Q&A.
Gilbert and Busfield met in 2012 and were married in 2013. The couple celebrated their 12th anniversary in April.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.mlive.com ’
