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Melissa Gilbert stands by 'protector' Timothy Busfield as she’s named on witness list in child sex abuse case
By Stephanie Giang-Paunon
Published January 17, 2026
Melissa Gilbert is standing firmly by her husband as Timothy Busfield faces child sexual abuse charges.
The "Little House on the Prairie" star, 61, is listed as a potential defense witness for Busfield, according to a court filing submitted Friday obtained by Fox News Digital.
The document includes Busfield’s response opposing the state’s motion for pretrial detention and names 13 people the defense may call, including Gilbert.
TIMOTHY BUSFIELD HELD WITHOUT BAIL IN NEW MEXICO CHILD SEX ABUSE CASE
"Little House on the Prairie" actress Melissa Gilbert continues to support her husband, Timothy Busfield. (Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)
In addition to being named as a potential witness, Gilbert submitted a letter to the judge voicing her support for her husband. The filing includes 75 letters written on Busfield’s behalf, many from family members and colleagues.
In her letter, Gilbert referred to herself as Busfield’s wife and outlined the history of their relationship, writing that the two first crossed paths in the 1980s before reconnecting decades later. She noted they fell in love in 2012.
"The reality is that Tim Busfield is my love, my rock, my partner in business and life. He is my comfort and my council. His joy, humor and quick wit bring sparkle to my life. Tim is, quite simply, the beating heart of our wild and wonderful extended family," she wrote.
Gilbert told the court she knows Busfield "better and more intimately than anyone else in his life," describing him as a man guided by principle and compassion.
"Tim has the strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known," she wrote. "He has dedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others. He starts every day with kindness and compassion."
Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield married in 2013. (Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images)
She also pointed to what she described as Busfield’s consistently positive reputation in the entertainment industry, saying she is repeatedly approached by people eager to share their experiences working with him.
On "every single set where Tim is working," Gilbert wrote, "multiple people" have told her he is "their favorite director ever." She added that similar comments come from strangers "in restaurants, on red carpets and in grocery stores too."
Gilbert also highlighted Busfield’s relationship with her youngest son, Michael, describing his role in the teenager’s life as deeply meaningful.
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"Tim nurtured and guided Michael," she wrote. "He admonished, praised, loved, consoled, cajoled, fretted, cared for, and fed my son both physically and spiritually."
Timothy Busfield appears via Zoom in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday. The actor is being held without bond on charges of child sexual abuse. (Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court)
She credited Busfield’s military background with shaping his values, saying it reinforced his commitment to "honor, integrity, compassion and care for his fellow human beings."
As she concluded the letter, Gilbert admitted how difficult and emotional it was to address the court.
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"This is the strangest letter I've ever had to write," she wrote. "So, I will close by asking you to please, please, take care of my sweet husband," Gilbert continued. "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 you to protect him for me."
On Jan. 9, an arrest warrant was issued for the director and Emmy Award-winning actor and obtained by Fox News Digital.
Timothy Busfield in a jail booking photo. (Bernalillo County Detention Center)
The police investigation into the allegations against Busfield began on Nov. 1, 2024, after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital alerted officers about a case of alleged sexual abuse.
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According to an arrest warrant obtained by Fox News Digital, two 11-year-old twins allege that the director, whom they were told to call Uncle Tim on the set of "The Cleaning Lady," had touched them inappropriately.
Busfield made his first court appearance Jan. 14 in Bernalillo County. He is being held without bond and remains in custody ahead of his pretrial detention hearing scheduled for Jan. 20.
Fox News Digital's Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/melissa-gilbert-protector-timothy-busfield-witness-list-child-sex-abuse-case