Timothy Busfield and Melissa Gilbert allegedly admitted to having a friendly relationship with the twin boys accusing the director of child abuse.
As Us Weekly previously reported, the children allege Busfield inappropriately touched them multiple times — to include picking them up and tickling them — while working on the set of The Cleaning Lady. The warrant further alleged the situation became so intense that one of the boys was reportedly “very afraid” of Busfield, and had been scared to tell anyone because he was worried the older man “would get mad at him.”
In the same warrant, the West Wing actor, 68, told Officer Marvin Brown that he and his wife, Gilbert, “did buy the two boys Christmas gifts and were together [at] several social functions.”
Officer Brown concluded that Busfield allegedly chose to “invite the family to off-set gatherings, with his wife buying Christmas gifts to foster closeness.” Additionally, he theorized that the move was an example of “classic grooming to erode boundaries, isolate the victim, and silence suspicions by blending abuse into normalcy.”
However, Busfield insisted to Brown that he didn’t remember picking up either of the boys or “overtly tickling” them. When asked if he recalled having any physical contact with the kids, the 68-year-old admitted it was “highly likely that he would have,” and later confessed there was “no protocol” for how adults were allowed to physically interact with children on set, per the warrant.
The details of the arrest warrant come after Us reported that Gilbert, 61, shared a cryptic comment to social media slamming unnamed people who were allegedly “playing the victim.”
On Monday, January 5, the former Little House on the Prairie star shared a quote to her Instagram page that read: “You seem to have a mistaken discomfort for injustice.”
In the comments section, she explained she was referring to those “playing the victim and blaming others.”
“It’s about not taking accountability for your own situation,” Gilbert added. “It’s about being a big whiny baby. I saw this quote and it struck me. I have a particularly hard time with people who play the victim. Own your s***. Step up. It’s all pretty general. Has nothing to do with politics but everything to do with privilege, attitude and weakness.”
Gilbert also recently spoke out about the potential dangers of child abuse in the entertainment industry while reflecting on having to kiss a 23-year-old costar when she was just 15.
“Through the lens of today, this is shocking. I have no words other than to say , ‘I WAS A CHILD. I WAS FIFTEEN,’” she said in a November Instagram update. “Thank God my mom and Michael [Landon] and so many others were there to make sure I was safe. Can you imagine if I hadn’t had them all? I am so fortunate (Sort of). Many other young women aren’t.”
Us has reached out to representatives for Busfield for comment.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
