Actor Timothy Busfield has stated that his career is over as he faces charges of child sex abuse. In grand jury testimony obtained by USA Today, Busfield, 69, told jurors in February that "My career is done" and that he has been "canceled."
"I'll never work again just based on people's fear that I would do this again and, and even if it wasn't true, I'm done," he testified. Busfield reported losing television shows, being digitally replaced in a movie, and being fired by his agency.
Busfield was arrested in January on charges of child abuse and criminal sexual contact of a minor. He faces accusations of inappropriately touching two 7-year-old actors on the set of the Fox series "The Cleaning Lady," where he produced and occasionally directed. One of the boys alleged that Busfield touched his genitals over his clothes multiple times. Busfield has vehemently denied the allegations, pleading not guilty to the charges.
During his testimony, Busfield admitted to tickling the boys and having his arms around them but denied inappropriately touching them. He suggested that the twins' parents orchestrated the false allegations as a form of revenge after the child actors were dropped from the fourth season of "The Cleaning Lady." The twin actors were reportedly earning a combined $30,000 per episode.
"These two criminals [the boys’ parents] have ruined me. And my wife [Melissa Gilbert] and her business, I’m not going to break that," Busfield said in his February testimony. He referred to the boys as victims of their parents' alleged scheme.
Despite the accusations, Busfield's wife, Melissa Gilbert, has supported him, stating that he is "the last person in the world who would hurt a child." She attended his court hearing in January.
Busfield's trial is scheduled to begin in May 2027. He was officially charged in February with four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child under the age of 13.