'Grieving' Melissa Gilbert Defends Husband Timothy Busfield Against 'Traumatizing' Child Sexual Abuse Charges: 'Our Life as We Knew It Is Done'

Melissa Gilbert is doubling down on defending husband Timothy Busfield as he faces child sexual abuse charges.

The Little House on the Prairie actress spoke out in support of Busfield in her first sit-down interview after her spouse of nearly 13 years was arrested in January.

Speaking to Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos in a teaser for an upcoming interview scheduled to air in full on Monday, April 6, Gilbert declared, "This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives."

"Our life as we knew it is done," she admitted of her and Busfield — who was released from a New Mexico jail on his own recognizance on January 20 while awaiting trial for child sexual abuse charges.

His trial is currently scheduled to begin in May 2027, though the timeline is subject to change and could start sooner, criminal defense attorney Amber Fayerberg told People last month.

Gilbert continued, "We are grieving what we had — all of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects. For Tim, it's done. He's canceled."

The Miracle Worker actress said Busfield "will always be that guy" who was accused of assaulting a minor "even if he's exonerated."

"[He’s] the last person in the world who would hurt a child," Gilbert insisted. "And believe me, if I thought for a second that Tim Busfield hurt a child, he'd have a lot more to worry about than prison."

As for why Gilbert chose to be interviewed by Stephanopoulos on national television, a spokesperson for the 61-year-old said she and Busfield's lawyer Larry Stein "decided it was time to sit down to clarify the facts of the case, which seem to have become lost to distraction, selective information and click bait."

Busfield's scandal began at the beginning of 2026, when the Albuquerque Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest on January 9.

He was accused of engaging in unlawful sexual conduct with two 11-year-old boys after meeting them on the set of Fox's The Cleaning Lady. Busfield was the primary director and executive producer of the series, while the children starred as actors in the drama.

Busfield ultimately surrendered himself to police on January 16 and was released from custody a week later.

Gilbert has stood by her husband from the start and was one of 75 people to write letters of support for him ahead of the January 20 pretrial detention hearing, where a judge ruled for his release.

In her note, Gilbert called Busfield "my love, my rock, my partner in business and life," mentioning how she knows him "better and more intimately than anything in his life ever has."

She penned, "I only want this extraordinary man safe and whole. So, I will close by asking you to please, please, take care of my sweet husband. As he is my protector, I am his, but I cannot protect him now and I think that, more than anything else, is what is truly breaking my heart. I am relying on your to protect him for me."

Busfield was formally indicted by a Bernalillo County grand jury on February 6 on four third-degree felony counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13).

According to court documents, the charges involve alleged events that took place in October 2022 and September 2023. Busfield pleaded not guilty to all four counts in a plea entry filed in New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court on February 10. He waived his arraignment and court appearances for all pretrial proceedings one day later, with Judge Joseph Montano granting his request on February 18.