Melissa Gilbert Deletes Her Instagram Account amid Husband Timothy Busfield's Child Sex Abuse Allegations
- - Melissa Gilbert Deletes Her Instagram Account amid Husband Timothy Busfield's Child Sex Abuse Allegations
Nicholas RiceJanuary 12, 2026 at 1:51 AM
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Melissa Gilbert. -
Melissa Gilbert's Instagram account has been deleted after police issued an arrest warrant alleging that her husband, Timothy Busfield, engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with two boys
Social media users who click the actress' page see a message that reads, "Profile isn’t available. The link may be broken, or the profile may have been removed"
Gilbert and Busfield married in 2013, a year after reconnecting at a bar
Melissa Gilbert has deleted her Instagram account amid child sex abuse allegations facing her husband, Timothy Busfield.
As of Sunday, Jan. 11, the actress' Instagram page cannot be viewed, and prior posts show error messages.
Social media users who click Gilbert's Instagram account see a message that reads, "Profile isn’t available. The link may be broken, or the profile may have been removed."
Gilbert, 61, deleted her page after the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) issued an arrest warrant alleging that Busfield, 68, engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with two boys.
Representatives for both Gilbert and Busfield have not responded to PEOPLE's multiple requests for comment.
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Melissa Gilbert (left) and Timothy Busfield (right) in June 2023.
In the warrant from the APD that was obtained by PEOPLE, Officer Marvin Brown alleged that 11-year-old twins, whose identities were withheld from the public, were the subject of sex crimes by Busfield. One of the minors alleged that the incidents began when he was 7 years old.
An investigation into Busfield began in November 2024, after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) alerted police about alleged sexual abuse, the warrant said.
The victims' parents told Brown that the minors were child actors who met Busfield on the set of the FOX series The Cleaning Lady. He served as a director on the television show, which ran from January 2022 until June 2025.
The parents were advised by an attorney to take the children to UNMH. There, they said professionals suggested the boys "were groomed," per the warrant. However, it was later determined that the case did not meet authorities' acceptance criteria at the time.
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In October 2025, the victims' mother filed a police report and told Child Protective Services (CPS) 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.
During an investigation, Busfield, who is known for his role as Danny Concannon on The West Wing, allegedly told police that the parents were upset their sons had been replaced with a younger actor who auditioned, according to the warrant.
Shortly after, the actor got a call from Warner Bros., informing him they were investigating a complaint.
Rebecca Sapp/Getty
Timothy Busfield in February 2019.
Gilbert and Busfield married in 2013, a year after reconnecting at a bar.
Weeks before her husband's arrest warrant was issued, Gilbert spoke out about child sex abuse in a social media post.
In November, Gilbert shared a throwback photo of herself and reflected on her Little House on the Prairie experience, when she filmed with an older love interest, though she did not allege any improper behavior by the actor. (Gilbert shared the reflective post after Megyn Kelly made comments about convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.)
Last April, Gilbert celebrated her 12th wedding anniversary, marking the occasion with a tribute to Busfield on Instagram.
"How lucky I am. I love you @timbusfield," the star wrote, also calling her husband "my favorite person, who has my favorite face and my favorite soul."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
