Actress Melissa Gilbert says husband Timothy Busfield 'will be exonerated'

NEW YORK -- Actress Melissa Gilbert said she believes her husband, actor and directorTimothy Busfield, will be exonerated of charges against him, describing the situation as "traumatizing."

"This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives," Gilbert told "Good Morning America" co-anchor George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview that aired Monday on "GMA," her first sit-down interview about the four counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor charges against Busfield.

In the interview, Gilbert, who is known for her role in "Little House on the Prairie," opened up alongside Busfield's civil attorney Larry Stein about what she believes happened and the aftermath of the charges.

"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," said Gilbert, who wed Busfield in 2013. "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."

She continued, "And 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."

When asked by Stephanopoulos why she is speaking out now, Gilbert replied, "It's time."

"We've been hearing and reading too much -- untruth," she added. "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."

Busfield was indicted on Feb. 6 by a grand jury in New Mexico on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor, according to Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman.

The actor -- known for his roles as Ethan Weston on "Thirtysomething" and Danny Concannon on "The West Wing"-- later pleaded not guilty to all four counts.

The charges against Busfield stem from accusations that he inappropriately touched a child actor on the set of the TV show "The Cleaning Lady," which he was directing and was filmed in Albuquerque, according to a criminal complaint filed in January 2026.

Watch more of George Stephanopoulos' interview with Melissa Gilbert on "Nightline" on Tuesday, April 7, at 12:35 a.m., ET, on ABC and streaming on Hulu.

According to the criminal complaint, a therapist who interviewed the child documented him "disclosing having nightmares about the director touching him and waking up scared."

The actor denied the allegations when interviewed by investigators, according to the criminal complaint.

Gilbert on past allegations against Busfield

Also in the criminal complaint are references to two women who accused Busfield of sexual assault in 1994 and 2012. Busfield countersued andsettled one of the cases. Criminal charges were not filed in either case.

When asked by Stephanopoulos if she was aware of the cases before the criminal complaint, Gilbert said "she talked to him about it" before their relationship began.

"I am neither naive, nor am I complicit," she said. "I talked to him about it, I asked him questions about it, I heard his side of the story, which no one has ever heard, which is the truth. And 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."

Gilbert said she is committed to standing by her husband, saying,"I know this man in my bones. No one knows him better than I do."

"I know literally everything about him," she continued. "Our marriage has -- you know, we've had a lot of ups and downs. We've been through struggles. We've had our own issues to deal with, and we've worked through everything. He is nothing if not completely honest with me. I trust him with my children's lives, with my grandchildren's lives, my nieces and nephews. He is an honorable, caring, generous human being."

Gilbert and Stein said they are confident that Busfield will be exonerated.

"I am 100% confident he will be exonerated," Gilbert added. "But I will tell you that there is a practical side to this, and we do have to be prepared for all scenarios."

Gilbert, Stein contend parents are behind allegations

Both Stein and Gilbert said they believe the parents of twin child actors on "The Cleaning Lady" are behind the new allegations against Busfield.

Stein alleges the parents of the child actors blamed Busfield when their sons were recast in 2024 and wanted revenge. According to court documents, a witness heard the boys' mother say, "If her children were not brought back, she would get Timothy Busfield."

Stein talked about the discrepancies between what he says the boys originally said and what was described in the complaint.

"What the boys said originally was, 'He never touched me.' They were both asked at the time and they were specifically asked, 'You know what's appropriate. You know where touching is appropriate,'" Stein said.

He added, "And before that, they said that sometimes he would tickle them on the shoulder. And they said, 'Now, do you know what's appropriate? Did he ever touch you in any inappropriate [way]?' And the boys said no."

When asked about subsequent interviews where one of the boys said he was touched in an inappropriate manner, Stein said, "One of the boys in that interview was preceded by the father, telling the boy when he would wake up at night that he was having nightmares."

"The boy would say -- and we have this in the records -- the boy would say, 'I wasn't having nightmares. I was just hot or cold,'" Stein said. "And the therapist said, 'Well, why didn't you tell your father that you weren't having nightmares?' He said, 'Because I didn't wanna disappoint him.'"

Additionally, Stein is accusing the parents of seeking financial gain, telling ABC News, "When they were fired, they assumed Tim was responsible for it. The truth is he was not."

When asked about a claim in the criminal complaint that Busfield and Gilbert bought the twin child actors Christmas gifts and were "together on several social functions," Stein said gifts were given to multiple children at a Christmas party.

"Tim did not give the boys gifts. Melissa gave them gifts. Melissa gave them and every other child at a Christmas party a gift," Stein said. "Every child at the Christmas party, not treating them special or different than anyone."

ABC News has reached out to the parents of the children but did not hear back.

Earlier this year in court, the director of photography of "The Cleaning Lady" testified that alleged inappropriate contact couldn't have happened on set because the childrenwerealways surrounded by the crew.

Busfield's trial is tentatively set for May 2027 in New Mexico.

In a statement to ABC News on April 2, the district attorney's office said its focus "remains on the victims."

"The Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office handles hundreds of child abuse cases every year. When a child reports abuse, we take it very seriously," the statement said. "In this matter, a neutral grand jury indicted the defendant on four Counts of Criminal Sexual Contact of a Minor (Child Under 13)."

"This office follows our ethical duty to only proceed on cases where a good faith basis exists to prosecute," the statement continued. "While it is not surprising that the defendant is attempting to garner public support through the media, our focus remains on the victims.We will continue to fight for them every step of the way."

Watch more of George Stephanopoulos' interview with Melissa Gilbert on "Nightline" on Tuesday, April 7, at 12:35 a.m., ET, on ABC and streaming on Hulu.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC, ABC News and Hulu.