The West Wing actor Timothy Busfield, and husband of actress Melissa Gilbert, has been accused of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse.
An arrest warrant issued by the Albuquerque Police Department reveals that the 68-year-old actor allegedly engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with two boys, who are both 11 and related during his time as an executive producer on the TV series The Cleaning Lady. One of the minors alleged the incidents began when he was seven-years-old.
© Getty ImagesPeople magazine first reported the news.
According to the publication, an investigation began in November 2024 after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital alerted police after becoming suspicious of potential sexual abuse.
In a statement, a Warner Bros. Television representative said: "The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority, especially the safety of minors on our productions. We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and when needed, take appropriate action. [We] have been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement."
HELLO! has contacted reps for Timothy for comment.
© FOX Image Collection via Getty IThe Cleaning Lady ran on Fox from January 2022 until June 2025, and also starred Oliver Hudson, Élodie Yung, and Adam Canto. Timothy was an executive producer and director, helming six episodes.
The arrest warrant alleges that when he joined the series, he allegedly "grew closer to the boys," according to the children's parents.
"It was reported that Timothy would tell his children to call him 'Uncle Tim,'" the warrant alleged, going on to claim that the parents told the officer "that they both discovered that there were allegations against Timothy of sexual assault against both women and minors".
© AFP via Getty ImagesThe mother then asked her sons, "if anyone had ever touched them in a manner that made them feel uncomfortable," and "the children allegedly responded by asking, 'You mean like Uncle Tim?'"
The warrant alleges that the parents contacted a lawyer who advised them to take their children to UNMH, where professionals reportedly told the parents that the boys appeared to have been "groomed".
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesOfficer Marvin Kirk Brown issued the warrant and noted that the pair both claimed Timothy "would tickle them on the stomach and legs" but did not disclose any sexual abuse.
"He would invite the family to off-set gatherings, with his wife buying Christmas gifts to foster closeness, making SL feel special and dependent— classic grooming to erode boundaries, isolate the victim, and silence suspicions by blending abuse into normalcy," Brown wrote.
"This dual tactic, charming parents while secretly violating the child, builds a web of complicity that is hard to unravel, delaying detection, as families trust the abuser's facade."
© ABC via Getty ImagesThe warrant also alleges that when Timothy joined the crew, the parents were no longer allowed to watch their children during filming on iPads.
The documents reveal that in response to the claims, "Timothy said Warner Brothers had an outside investigation through another firm, do an investigation. Timothy was told there were complaints about him from the boys. Timothy acknowledged that the boys involved were [Victim 1] and [Victim 2]," but that he has been told by an actress on the show that the mother "wanted revenge," because the boys had been replaced with a different actor on the series.
© Disney General Entertainment ConHe admitted that it was "highly likely that he would have" tickled the boys because he wanted "a playful environment," adding: "There would never be a weird moment about it. I don't really remember picking those boys up. I remember picking up the boy who followed them. I'd pick him up, and he'd be giggling, and that would sort of get him ready to act."
Timothy found fame in the series Thirtysomething and is also recognizable for his role as Mark, the brother-in-law of Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), in Field of Dreams, and Danny Concannon on the television series The West Wing.
He married actress Radha Delamarter and the pair welcomed a son, but their married ended in 1986.
In 1988, he married fashion designer Jennifer Merwin, with whom he has two children, and they split in 2007. In 2013 he tied the knot with actress Melissa Gilbert, known for her work in Little House on the Prairie.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
