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NEED TO KNOW
Melissa Gilbert's Modern Prairie brand has canceled an event set for on Jan. 16, one day after her husband Timothy Busfield surrendered to authorities
An arrest warrant alleged that the actor sexually abused twin 11-year-old boys who he met on the set of the FOX series The Cleaning Lady
The Bernalillo District Attorney filed official child sex abuse charges against Busfield on Jan. 13
Melissa Gilbert's brand has canceled an upcoming public appearance by the actress one day after her husbandTimothy Busfieldwascharged with child sex crimes.
TheLittle House on the Prairiestar, 61, was set to host an "Ask Melissa Anything"virtual Q&A for her lifestyle brand Modern Prairieon Friday, Jan. 16, but the brand released an update to subscribers of the event on Wed. Jan 14 that it was called off due to "an unexpected scheduling change."
"We're reaching out with an important update about Friday's Modern Prairie event," an email from the brand read. "Due to an unexpected scheduling change, Melissa will not be available, and the event has been canceled. We know many of you were looking forward to gathering together, and we truly appreciate your understanding as we respect Melissa's need for privacy and space."
The statement continued, "We'll share details about a rescheduled date as soon as we're able. Thank you for continuing to show care, empathy, and support within our community.
On Friday, Jan. 9, the Albuquerque Police Department initially issued an arrest warrant obtained by PEOPLE alleging that Busfield, 68, engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with 11-year-old twin boys, whose identities were withheld from the public. One of the minors claimed the incidents began when he was 7 years old.
The actor, who is known for his role as Danny Concannon onThe West Wing, has sincesurrendered to authoritiesin New Mexico on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
That same day, Bernalillo District Attorney Sam Bregman announced thatBusfield had been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13) and one count of child abuse.
In a video obtained byTMZ, Busfield spoke out for the first time, stating: "I did not do anything wrong" and said he drove to Albuquerque to turn himself in. "They're all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys and I'm gonna fight it," he said. "I'm gonna fight it with a great team, and I'm gonna be exonerated, I know I am, because this is all so wrong and all lies."
Gilbert's rep, Ame Van Iden, alsoissued a statement on the actress' behalf. "Melissa Gilbert is not making public statements at this time," the statement began. "Any purported 'statements' circulating online — including AI-generated deepfakes of her 'breaking her silence' — should not be treated as coming from her."
"She is honoring the request of Tim's lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds," the statement continued. "During this period, her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment. Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time. We ask that their privacy be respected."
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Modern Prairie previously shared a statement on Tuesday as well, nothing thatit was "aware of recent media reports regarding serious allegations involving a family member"of Gilbert and that the allegations "do not involve Modern Prairie, our operations, nor our community."
"Modern Prairie unequivocally condemns abuse in all forms and remains committed to values of safety, integrity, and respect."
The investigation began on Nov. 1, 2024, after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) alerted police about alleged abuse. According to the warrant, the victims' parents told issuing Officer Marvin Kirk Brown that the minors were child actors who met Busfield on the set of the FOX seriesThe Cleaning Lady, where he served as a director.
Per the warrant, Busfield allegedly "grew closer to the boys" when he joined the television program, which ran from January 2022 until June 2025. "It was reported that Timothy would tell his children to call him 'Uncle Tim,'" the warrant alleged, further stating that the parents told the officer that they then "both discovered that there were allegations against Timothy of sexual assault against both women and minors."
When the mother asked her sons "if anyone had ever touched them in a manner that made them feel uncomfortable. The children allegedly responded by asking, 'You mean like Uncle Tim?' " according to the warrant.
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The parents consulted an attorney, who told them to take the siblings to UNMH, where they say professionals suggested the boys "were groomed," per the warrant. However, Officer Brown said that the siblings did not disclose any sexual contact at this time, although they both claimed Busfield "would tickle them on the stomach and legs," and was then determined that the case did not meet their acceptance criteria.
On Oct. 3, 2025, the mother filed a police report and told Child Protective Services that "her children both disclosed that there was sexual abuse by Timothy from around November 2022 to Spring 2024." According to the warrant, she was told that because physical abuse had not occurred, nothing could be done.
The mother told authorities on Sept. 2, 2025, and Sept. 22, 2025, one of her sons told his counselor that Busfield inappropriately touched him.
One of the victims was also diagnosed with moderate post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety by a therapist when he was 10 following claims of "inappropriate touching." The therapist said the child began "having nightmares about the director touching him and waking up scared," and claimed Busfield "had touched and rubbed his penis 3 or 4 times and appeared to be ashamed," per the warrant.
It further alleges that the minor suffered from bed-wetting and other behavioral issues. "After the sets were over, [victim] said he was scared and speed-walked to his father and hid behind his dad," according to the warrant, which added, "[Victim] said he was afraid to tell anyone because Tim was the Director, and he feared Tim would get mad at him."
The warrant alleges that the victim told authorities he did not come forward "because he did not want to be mean to" Busfield.
Their mother claimed in the warrant that the crew used to distribute iPads for parents to watch their children on set, but the practice was stopped when Busfield was hired. A production assistant told investigators that one of the victims was also unsupervised on set often.
Busfield allegedly told police that the parents were upset their sons had been replaced with a younger actor who auditioned, which occurred shortly before he got a call from Warner Bros. informing him they were investigating a complaint. Busfield also alleged that he'd been told by an actress on the show that the mother of the alleged victims "wanted revenge," per the warrant.
"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]" the document stated.
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When asked by investigators if he ever picked up or tickled the boys, Busfield allegedly said it was "highly likely that he would have" because he wanted "a playful environment."
"It's not allowed at all," Busfield allegedly told investigators of touching on set. "There is no, there's no protocol. I mean, I'm always around people, right? It would be, you know, in front of the parents."
"There would never be a weird moment about it. I don't really remember picking those boys up," he continued, per the warrant. "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."
However, Busfield allegedly said he and Gilbert had a relationship with the boys and their parents "outside of work," claiming they even bought them "Christmas gifts and were together on several social functions."
Following the results of the internal investigation by Warner Bros., it was documented that an individual "claimed to have witnessed the incident in the Hair and Make-Up trailer, executive producer/director Tim Busfield entered and kissed a minor male on the face as the minor was getting a haircut" in December 2024.
"In my training and experience, pedophiles often infiltrate families under a trusted role, like Timothy, who, as a producer, exploited the hectic film sets to tickle and touch [the victim] on his penis and buttocks, masking it as play," officer Brown wrote in the warrant.
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"He would invite the family to off-set gatherings, with his wife buying Christmas gifts to foster closeness, making [the victim] feel special and dependent— classic grooming to erode boundaries, isolate the victim, and silence suspicions by blending abuse into normalcy," Brown continued. "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."
Busfield has also faced prior sexual assault allegations dating back to 1994, according to the warrant.
In a statement to PEOPLE, 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."
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.
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