Timothy Busfield surrenders in New Mexico amid child sex abuse case

Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield is officially in police custody in New Mexico, days after allegations that he sexually abused two child actors on the set of the Fox drama “The Cleaning Lady” came to light.

A spokesperson for the Albuquerque Police Department confirmed on Tuesday that the 68-year-old actor “turned himself in at the Metro Detention Center.” Busfield, known for television series “The West Wing” and “Thirtysomething,” will be booked on his arrest warrant, the spokesperson said.

Busfield denied the allegations in a video published by TMZ. “I’m gonna confront these lies,” he said in the video, “they’re horrible.”

In the video reportedly filmed at his attorney’s office, the actor said he was informed about the warrant for his arrest on Friday, the same day it was issued. He said he procured legal representation and on Saturday “got in a car and drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque.”

He added of the allegations: “They’re all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys.”

Busfield said he and his legal team would “fight” against the charges, and he predicted, “I’m gonna be exonerated.” He urged supporters to “hang in there,” thanked them for their support and said he looked forward to returning to work.

Attorney Stanton “Larry” Stein said in a statement on Tuesday that the actor was innocent and “determined to clear his name.” Stein also referenced the affidavit, in which Busfield suggested to the investigator that the child actors’ mother might have sought “revenge” on the director for “not bringing her kids back for the final season.”

“What followed appears to be a calculated effort to construct a case, driven by animus not fact, despite prior investigations finding no evidence of wrongdoing,” Stein said.

Last week, a New Mexico judge issued a warrant for Busfield’s arrest on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and a single count of child abuse. According to an affidavit, Busfield is accused of inappropriately touching two child actors, who are brothers, while he worked as a director on the Fox drama.

Fox, along with “Cleaning Lady” producer Warner Bros. Television, said on Sunday that it prioritizes the health and safety of its cast and crew and was aware of the charges against Busfield. The studios also said they had been working, and will continue to work, with law enforcement in its investigation.

The actors’ mother, per the complaint, reported the alleged abuse to the state’s child protective services in October 2025, claiming that Busfield sexually abused her children from November 2022 to spring 2024. Police launched an investigation in November 2024 after being notified by a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital of alleged abuse the children experienced.

The affidavit, which details the alleged abuse the minor actors experienced, said Warner Bros. Television in the spring of 2025 investigated a complaint concerning Busfield’s behavior with a minor actor on set. An anonymous complaint made through the SAG-AFTRA hotline in February 2025 accused Busfield of kissing “a minor male on his face” in December 2024 while the child was in the hair and makeup trailer, according to documents. “The anonymous complaint further alleged that there are pictures of Mr. Busfield, ‘tickling and caressing the head and body of minor boys,’” the affidavit said.

Busfield’s attorney on Tuesday included a statement from the third-party investigator Warner Bros. Television retained to investigate the misconduct complaint.

“Based on what was alleged, and all evidence gathered, including multiple witness statements, I found no corroborating evidence that Mr. Busfield engaged in inappropriate conduct or that he was ever alone with the twins on set,” workplace investigator Christina McGovern said.

Stein added: “The claims being made against Tim are completely false, and we will fight this to the end until the truth prevails.”

Busfield surrendered himself less than a day after several outlets reported that the U.S. Marshals Service would aid New Mexico officials in their search for the actor. Prior to the child sex abuse allegations, the “Thirtysomething” actor had been accused of sexual assault by two separate women in the 1990s and in 2012.

As the allegations against Busfield became public, his wife, “Little House on the Prairie” actor Melissa Gilbert, reportedly removed her profile on Instagram. In a statement Tuesday, Gilbert’s publicist Ame Van Iden said the actor, 61, would not publicly comment on her husband’s case and denounced “any purported statements.”

Iden said in the statement that Gilbert stands by her husband and would focus on “supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment.” Busfield has three adult children from two previous marriages and is the stepfather to Gilbert’s two adult sons from her two previous marriages.