Melissa Gilbert spoke out about child sex abuse on social media weeks before her husband, Timothy Busfield, was hit with an arrest warrant for allegedly touching two minors inappropriately on his TV show set.
Busfield, best known for portraying a journalist on The West Wing, is facing two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. Authorities say he engaged in illegal acts with 11-year-old twins.
On November 15, seven weeks before the charges against her husband, Gilbert reflected on her experience as a child actor The Little House on the Prairie.
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As a teenager on that show, she filmed romantic scenes with a love interest played by Dean Butler, who is nine years older than her.
‘So, I debated posting this but, I feel compelled to share. After seeing many women’s posts with the hashtags #iwasfifteen #imfifteen #iwasachild, I decided to Google search myself at that age and see what came up. And this is some of what I found,’ Gilbert, now 61, wrote in her caption of her Instagram post.
‘And now, at this age, at this time, I am actually nauseated. The girl on vacation in Hawaii with her family, is the same girl who was expected to ‘fall in love with’ and kiss a man on film who was several years older than she was,’ she continued, referring to working with Butler, who is now 69.
‘Through the lens of today, this is shocking. I have no words other than to say , “I WAS A CHILD,”’ Gilbert added. ‘Thank God my mom and Michael and so many others were there to make sure I was safe. Can you imagine if I hadn’t had them all? I am so fortunate (Sort of). Many other young women aren’t.’
Glibert made the post in response to Megyn Kelly seemingly downplaying the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein by questioning whether he was even a pedophile.
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Michelle Gilbert (pictured with her husband, Timothy Busfield, in 2023) spoke out about child sex abuse in an Instagram post seven weeks before Busfield was hit with an arrest warrant for allegedly touching two minors inappropriately
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Gilbert posted this picture of herself when she was 15 years old to show how young she really was on the set of Little House on the Prairie. She was expected to film mature, romantic scenes with an actor much older than her, something she has a different outlook on today
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Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls is shown kissing Dean Butler as Almanzo Wilder in this scene that aired in 1979. Gilbert was 15 years old and Butler was 24
‘@Megynkelly you need to be careful with your words,’ Gilbert concluded her post.
Gilbert has not publicly commented on the allegations against her husband, whom she has been married to since 2013.
According to an affidavit, an investigation was opened into Busfield when staff at the University of New Mexico Hospital called police and reported children potentially being groomed on the set of the TV show ‘The Cleaning Lady’, which Busfield directs.
An officer reportedly spoke with the parents of two child actors on the set of the show, and Busfield allegedly ‘grew closer to the boys’ during their time on set, per a criminal complaint filed last week in New Mexico.
The arrest warrant obtained by People alleged that Busfield and Gilbert had ‘a relationship’ with the victims and their families outside of work.
‘They advised that they did buy the two boys Christmas gifts and were together [at] several social functions,’ read the warrant written by Albuquerque Police Officer Marvin Brown.
Brown stated Busfield ‘would invite the family to off-set gatherings, with his wife buying Christmas gifts to foster closeness.’
Busfield allegedly told the children ‘to call him Uncle Tim’, and the criminal complaint said he ‘would tickle them on the stomach and legs, despite them not liking the tickling.’
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Busfield and Gilbert attend the ‘Busfiled/Gilbert’ photocall during the 62nd Monte Carlo TV Festival on June 20, 2023 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco
The children did not allege sexual touching at the time, but in October 2025 one of the parents reported to Child Protective Services that her child disclosed alleged sexual abuse by Busfield.
The child told a therapist that Busfield touched his ‘genitalia’ and ‘bottom’ while in a bedroom on the set of the TV show, according to the affidavit first reported by KTLA.
According to the affidavit, Busfield told an officer that he had ‘playful’ contact with the children on his set, but denied any wrongdoing.
He allegedly suggested that the allegations were due to the parents wanting ‘revenge’ on him after their children were not asked back for the show’s final season.
According to a complaint filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, the alleged abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024.
A warrant has been issued for Busfield’s arrest in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, though no court or jail records indicate he has been taken into custody.
At least one of the children in the case was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder following the alleged abuse, according to the complaint.
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