Melissa Gilbert is standing by husband Timothy Busfield as he faces child sex abuse charges and allegations of sexually assaulting several women – charges which he vehemently denies.
The 61-year-old former Little House on the Prairie star has retreated with Busfield to a cottage in upstate New York and told her inner circle she does not believe the accusers and is convinced her husband is innocent.
‘She knows this man and she trusts him,’ an insider told the Daily Mail. ‘She believes him and loves him. That’s why she stands behind him.’
The source said Gilbert would never support her husband – who has pleaded not guilty – if she believed he had abused children, given her own experience growing up in Hollywood in the 1970s.
‘Look, Melissa has always been an advocate for kids in the business,’ the insider said. ‘She grew up in the Wild West of Hollywood kids and teens in the 70s and 80s where they could be victimized again and again, and there was no oversight, no one paid attention.
‘She knows more than most people how abuse happens on sets, with adults around kids. She has heard these stories since she was a little girl.
‘She is passionate about protecting kids. If she thought for even a minute that he was guilty, she would dump his a** so fast.’
Busfield, 68 – best known for roles in The West Wing and Thirtysomething – was indicted by a grand jury on February 6 and accused of touching twin boys on the set of The Cleaning Lady while filming in Albuquerque between November 2022 and spring 2024.
Gilbert and Busfield have been married since April 24, 2013
Busfield has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual contact with a child
According to court documents, one of the alleged victims told a forensic child interviewer Busfield touched his ‘private areas’ on set when he was seven years old.
The boy alleged the abuse happened five or six times between filming.
He claimed Busfield groped him again when he was eight years old, saying it happened three or four times.
The boy’s twin brother told authorities he was also touched by Busfield but did not specify where and said he stayed quiet because he did not want to get in trouble, the complaint said.
The former West Wing actor has vehemently denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual contact with a child.
His lawyers say the claims were fabricated by the boys’ parents in revenge after the twins were not brought back for the show’s final season.
The insider said Gilbert also believes that explanation.
‘Melissa doesn’t take any sort of child abuse lightly and it’s absolutely horrifying. She loves this man, but not at the cost of kids.
‘If she thought he was guilty, she wouldn’t have done any of the stuff she has done.’
After Busfield’s arrest, more than 70 people wrote letters to the judge pleading he be released before trial. Gilbert’s letter was later made public.
‘Please, please take care of my sweet husband,’ she wrote. ‘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.’
A tearful Gilbert (in court) has supported her husband, saying he has the ‘strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known’
Multiple women have accused Busfield of inappropriate sexual advances
‘Tim has the strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known. He has dedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others.’
Busfield was released from custody on January 20 while he awaits trial
Busfield has been ordered to appear for all his future court dates and is not allowed to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons, consume any alcohol or illegal drugs, have contact with the alleged victims or their families, discuss the case with any witnesses or have unsupervised contact with any minor children.
Before turning himself in, he blasted the allegations in a video shared by TMZ.
‘I’m going to confront these lies. They’re horrible. They’re all lies, and I did not do anything to those little boys, and I’m going to fight it,’ he insisted.
During the legal proceedings, prosecutors have pointed to what they described as a ‘pattern of misconduct.’
A new allegation surfaced in January 2026 involving a father who claimed Busfield sexually abused his 16-year-old daughter during an audition at the B Street Theatre in Sacramento several years ago.
Court documents also reference uncharged allegations dating back decades.
In 1994, a 17-year-old girl accused Busfield of sexual assault on the set of the film Little Big League.
During a deposition that same year, actress Eliza Roberts – who was married to Julia Roberts’ brother, Eric – testified Busfield engaged in ‘creepy’ behavior and sexual harassment, including making explicit sexual comments to her.
In 2012, Busfield was accused of sexual battery by a 28-year-old woman who alleged he groped her breasts and genital area in a Los Angeles movie theater.
Busfield has repeatedly denied all allegations. He has never been charged before, nor found civilly liable — and friends say Gilbert sees no reason not to believe him.
Gilbert stepped back for several weeks from her role as Chief Creative Officer for her lifestyle brand, Modern Prairie
Actress Eliza Roberts has accused Busfield of being ‘creepy’ towards her
‘She doesn’t know what he did before they got together but he has told her that these accusations are baseless,’ the insider said.
‘She has no reason not to believe him. It’s incompatible with what she knows about him.’
‘She knows that he had other women before they got together, but she’s never seen any indication that he would make unwanted advances against any woman.
‘If she believed for a moment that he was capable of this, she wouldn’t support him so publicly. But she trusts her husband and she trusts his word.
‘They have had a lot of deep talks about this. They have gone over every allegation and he has put her mind at ease.’
They added: ‘She made the decision to stand behind her husband 100 percent, visibly. This is ugly stuff, and she’s connected to it forever. She has shed a lot of tears, and had to have her friends be strong for her. This is such a nightmare.’
Last month, Gilbert announced she was returning to work at her lifestyle brand Modern Prairie after stepping away ‘to focus on my family.’