Timothy Busfield booted from Penn Badgley starrer rom-com after arrest

Timothy Busfield is being removed from his upcoming romantic comedy, You Deserve Each Other, after his arrest on child sex abuse charges. 

Sources confirmed to People that all scenes featuring the 68-year-old actor will be cut from the Amazon MGM Studios film, which stars Penn Badgley and Meghann Fahy. 

Busfield, known for The West Wing and The Cleaning Lady, surrendered to authorities on January 13 in New Mexico after a warrant was issued on January 9. 

He has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse involving 11-year-old twin boys, who reportedly met Busfield on the set of The Cleaning Lady. He has denied the allegations, calling them “horrible” and “all lies,” and is being held without bond pending trial.

The actor appeared in court on January 14, where a judge ruled he will remain in custody until his pretrial detention hearing on January 20. His wife, Melissa Gilbert, is listed as a potential witness in the case.

You Deserve Each Other, directed by Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn, is based on Sarah Hogle’s 2020 novel. Busfield had played Bernie, the father of Fahy’s character. Filming wrapped in summer 2025 in New York, but his scenes will be removed from the final cut. The film does not yet have a release date.

The movie follows Nick (Badgley) and Naomi (Fahy), a couple on the verge of marriage who have fallen out of love. As wedding plans create tension, both secretly attempt to sabotage the other, only to rediscover their feelings along the way.