Melissa Gilbert claims Timothy Busfield's accusers are 'victims of the parents'?

Melissa Gilbert clears air on giving gifts to her husband Timothy Busfield's accusers in the wake of his arrest

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Published April 07, 2026
Melissa Gilbert claims Timothy Busfield's accusers are 'victims of the parents'?

Melissa Gilbert finally spoke about buying gifts for boys who put child abuse allegations on her husband Timothy Busfield.

For those unaware, Busfield, a renowned actor and director, was taken into custody in January of this year on allegations of criminal s******* involvement with a minor (under 13) in New Mexico. Twin boys claimed that he inappropriately touched them on the set of Fox 2022 series The Cleaning Lady.

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In February 2026, a grand jury charged him on four counts of criminal s****** contact of a minor and all counts are third-degree felonies. He is currently on bail but awaiting his trial scheduled to begin on May 10, 2027, in New Mexico.

On Monday, April 6, Gilbert appeared on ABC News Nightline with her husband’s attorney, Larry Stein, where she shared her side of the story three months later.

When George Stephanopoulos inquired her about giving gifts to the boys on Christmas, she turned to her Stein and replied, “I’ll let Larry get into the specifics of what happened with that part of the complaint.”

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

Stein went on to state that the twin boys are “victims in this case,” adding that their parents fabricated the allegations after they were recast on the show.

“They are victims of the parents, not victims of Tim. … The boys were the parents’ meal ticket, and when they were fired, they assumed Tim was responsible for it. The truth is he was not,” Busfield’s attorney concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that parents of twin boys have not yet broken their silence on Stein’s claims.

Areeba Sheikh
Areeba Sheikh is a reporter specialising in trending topics, with a focus on music, entertainment culture, and viral moments. For the past two years she has been covering wide artists, releases, and digital conversations, blending storytelling with trend analysis to capture how online buzz, fandom, and pop culture shape global audience engagement.
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