Busfield, who was recently accused of child abuse, was previously accused of sexual assault in 1994 and 2012.

Melissa Gilbert researched Timothy Busfield’s past sexual assault allegations before marrying him: ‘Heard his side’

Busfield, who was recently accused of child abuse, was previously accused of sexual assault in 1994 and 2012.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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April 6, 2026 12:08 p.m. ET

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Timothy Busfield and Melissa Gilbert in 2020. Credit:

Lars Niki/Getty

Actress Melissa Gilbert has revealed that she previously investigated past sexual assault allegations against husband Timothy Busfield — who's currently awaiting trial on counts of child abuse — before marrying him in 2013.

In a pre-taped interview with *Good Morning America*'s George Stephanopoulos that ran Monday morning on the ABC talk show, Gilbert defended both current allegations against him and prior accusations of sexual assault from 1994 and 2012.

"I need to make something abundantly clear. These allegations have been out in the ether for a very long time," the *Little House on the Prairie* star said.**"When Tim and I got together, the internet existed. I didn't go into my relationship with him blind. I am neither naïve, nor am I complicit."

George Stephanopoulos, Larry Stein, Melissa Gilbert on 'GMA'.

Of allegations against Busfield that reportedly stemmed from the production of the 1994 movie *Little Big League *and* *the 2012 accusation, Gilbert said she "talked to him about it" and "asked him questions about it." Per the *Los Angeles Times*, prosecutors declined to file charges for the 2012 incident — in which Busfield was accused of battery after a woman said he sexually assaulted her in a Los Angeles movie theater — due to "slim evidence." Busfield called the incident "consensual" per a warrant.

"I heard his side of the story, which no one has ever heard, which is the truth," Gilbert told *GMA*. "When the time is right, and that is not now, Tim will tell the truth of all of these past allegations when he needs to."

When reached for comment, Busfield's attorney, Larry Stein — who appeared alongside Gilbert during the ABC interview — tells *, *"The judge who released him at the detention hearing found that there was no connection between allegations that are 30 years old with adult women, and the allegations regarding prepubescent boys" that led to the most recent charges against the actor.

Melissa Gilbert defends Timothy Busfield amid child sex abuse case: 'Our life as we knew it is done'

Timothy Busfield's child sex abuse case sets trial date

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"He's taken a lie detector test and proven that he's innocent which will be admitted to the jury if the case goes forward. I can't waste my time or the public's time on unproven, irrelevant allegations," Stein continues, adding that "the psychologist who tested [Busfield] found that he had no interest in prepubescent boys."

Stein's comment to EW and Gilbert's statements on *GMA* come after Stephanopoulos inquired about past accusations against Busfield, which Stein previously described to EW as "totally irrelevant to the current case."

On Feb. 6, Busfield was indicted by an Albuquerque, N.M., grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor, with Busfield's trial set for 2027. The allegations came after two child actors that Busfield worked with on the TV series *The Cleaning Lady* alleged that he touched them inappropriately; per a warrant, one accused the actor of having rubbed his genitals and touched his buttocks on the set of the Fox drama, on which Busfield worked as a producer, director, and actor between 2022 and 2025.

"We’ve been hearing and reading too much untruth. And we felt that the time was right to speak out. Also, honestly, I wasn’t capable until now. It’s been a very traumatic time," Gilbert said of the allegations. When asked later in the discussion what the experience has been like for her and Busfield as a couple, Gilbert called the ordeal "hell."

"This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives. Our life as we knew it is done. We are grieving what we had. All of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects," she added. "For Tim, it's done. He's canceled. Even if he's exonerated, he will always be that guy. The last person in the world who would hurt a child. 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."**

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