Melissa Gilbert Called Timothy Busfield the ‘Best Person on the Planet’ Before Legal Troubles

Less than three weeks before actor Timothy Busfield was charged with sex abuse in New Mexico, his wife — beloved Hallmark actress and “Little House on the Prairie” alum Melissa Gilbert — declared in a TV interview that her husband was “the best person on the planet.”

On January 8, 2026, a judge issued an arrest warrant for Busfield on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and a single count of child abuse, according to the Los Angeles Times. As news spread of the allegations the following day, Gilbert deactivated her Instagram account.

Other than that step, it’s unknown how the actress is handling the accusations against her husband, whom she has steadfastly supported since their 2013 wedding, including in an interview just before the holidays.

---

Melissa Gilbert Expressed Relief About Having a ‘Relationship That’s Easy’

Play

Busfield, an alum of hit shows including “West Wing” and “Thirtysomething” as well as the movie “Field of Dreams,” is accused of “inappropriately touching two child actors who are brothers” while filming the FOX crime drama “The Cleaning Lady,” per the Los Angeles Times.

On December 22, less than three weeks before the charges against Busfield were filed, Gilbert appeared on New York’s PIX11 News to promote her various projects. During her segment, the hosts asked Gilbert about Busfield, whom one quipped was “kind of a big deal.”

Beaming, Gilbert said, “He is a big deal, you know, an Emmy Award-winning actor and brilliant director … He is the best human on the planet. Every day, I count my blessings that I met this extraordinarily supportive partner.”

“We were having a conversation with friends at dinner the other night,” she continued, “about how nice it is, finally, at this age, for both of us to have a relationship that’s easy. Having done complicated for so many years.”

Prior to meeting Busfield, Gilbert was married to Bo Brinkman from 1998 to 1994 and Bruce Boxleitner, with whom she shares two grown children, from 1995 to 2011, according to Us Weekly. Busfield, meanwhile, was married to Radha Delamarter from 1981 to 1986 and they had one son. He then was then married to Jenny Merwin from 1988 to 2007, and they share two children. According to People, the couple now has eight grandchildren between them.

---

Melissa Gilbert Said in December She Had ‘Total Faith’ in Timothy Busfield

Getty

Gilbert joined the cast of “When Calls The Heart” as a guest star in 2025, playing forensic inspector Georgie McGill, who rekindled an old romance with Jack Wagner’s character, Bill Avery. Her character is expected to return for multiple episodes in season 13, which premiered on January 4.

That was also the last day of Gilbert’s appearances in the off-Broadway play “Pen Pals,” which she told PIX11 her husband planned to attend several times. Adding that she’d asked for Busfield’s advice on what to wear to her TV interview that day, Gilbert smiled, “He’s great. And I trust his advice implicitly. I love his eye, I have total faith in him.”

In the arrest warrant for Busfield, according to People, Albuquerque Officer Marvin Brown said he conducted a phone interview with the actor on November 3. Busfield told the officer that he was in New York and Gilbert was listening in via speakerphone.

When the PIX11 hosts asked Gilbert about the couple’s holiday plans on December 22, Gilbert happily exclaimed, “Zero! This is our first Christmas with no children. Last year, we were in Albuquerque. I think there were 15 of us. This year’s just us and the dogs. That’s it, just peaceful.”