Podcast Mentions ‘Tough Week’ After Arrest of Melissa Gilbert’s Husband

Busfield is married to Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls in the TV version of ‘Little House on the Prairie.’

NEED TO KNOW

• Little House in the Prairie 50th Anniversary Podcasthost Pamela Bob recognized a “challenging week in the U.S. of A” during the show’s Thursday, January 15 episode
• Bob’s remarks occurred several days after Timothy Busfield, the husband of Melissa Gilbert, an actress from Little House on the Prairie, was taken into custody on allegations involving two instances of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one charge of child abuse.
• The conversation did not directly mention Gilbert or Busfield.

The Little House in the Prairie 50th Anniversary Podcastrecognized that this was a “challenging week” during the arrest ofTimothy Busfield, husband of Melissa Gilbert, who portrayed Laura Ingalls in the television version of the cherished book series.

During an interview featured on the show’s Thursday, January 15 episode, host Pamela Bob conversed with two of the series’ actors — Dean Butler, who portrayed Laura’s future husband Almanzo Wilder, and Alison Arngrim, the actress known for playing Nellie Oleson — discussing how she found comfort and warmth from “Little House on the Prairie” during a challenging week in the United States.

And I was very happy to watchLittle House in the Prairieto feel reassured and cozy, and secure, and as though there is affection and kindness in this universe,” Bob said. “So, hooray,”Little House.”

The podcast did not explicitly address the accusations leveled against Busfield, who is currently imprisoned in New Mexico, pending a court hearing regarding child sexual abuse charges.

On Jan. 13, Busfield turned himself into the Albuquerque Police Department following the issuance of an arrest warrant. That same day, he waschargedtwo instances of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one charge of child abuse.

In a video statement recorded on January 13, Busfield refuted claims of child sexual abuse leveled by two 11-year-old boys he worked with during the production of the FOX series.The Cleaning Lady.

I’m certain all of you, who are watching this, know that I was instructed to come to Albuquerque — I’m here now. I received the call on Friday night, and I needed to get a lawyer,” Busfield said in the video. “On Saturday, I got into my car and drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque. I’m going to address these lies. They’re terrible.

On January 14, Busfield appeared in court for the first time, and a judge decided he would remain in custody without bail before a pretrial detention hearing. The judge stated that the hearing will occur within the next five business days. January 29 is the deadline for his initial hearing.

As reported earlier by, the prosecutors are aiming to maintain his detention as he awaits trial.

In a pretrial detention request obtained by , prosecutors also claimed that Busfield wasaccusedAccused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl when he was associated with a California theater group 25 years ago. The claim did not result in any legal charges being brought against him.

Later, the theater group verified that they had started an inquiry into the claims, and that Busfeld had not been associated with the organization since 2001.

Following the recent accusation submitted in the pretrial detention motion, Busfield’s civil lawyer Larry Stein provided a statement to . “The claims were never disputed, they were never validated, and they date back 25 years,” Stein stated. “It appears there is no link between these allegations about women from 25 years ago and the current accusations involving young boys.”

Gilbert, meanwhile, issued a statementOn January 13, shortly after Busfield’s video was released, through her representative Ame Van Iden, she stated that she “stands with and supports her husband,” and asked for privacy.

The statement began, ‘Melissa Gilbert is not issuing public comments at this moment.’ It continued, ‘Any so-called ‘statements’ appearing online — including deepfake videos created by AI that claim she is ‘breaking her silence’ — should not be considered as originating from her.’

Never overlook a tale — subscribe now’s free daily newsletterto keep yourself informed about the top offerings, ranging from celebrity updates to engaging human interest pieces.

She is following the request from Tim’s legal team to remain silent in public as the legal proceedings continue,” the statement added. “Throughout this time, her attention is on assisting and looking after their extensive family as they deal with this situation. Melissa remains behind her husband and will speak to the public when the right moment comes. We kindly ask for their privacy to be honored.

If convicted, Busfield may be sentenced to as many as 15 years in prison.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse, send the message “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor.

Read the original story on