Timothy Busfield’s Arrest on Child Sex Abuse Charges Took ‘a Wrecking Ball’ to Melissa Gilbert’s ‘Life’

Melissa Gilbert’s life is in shambles after her actor husband, Timothy Busfield, was accused of child sex abuse, and friends worry the fallout may destroy the Little House on the Prairie legend’s once-happy marriage — and her entire life, sources say.

“Melissa is understandably in pieces,” an insider tells the National Enquirer. “She really loves Timothy. She’s spent years telling everyone what a mild-mannered and wholesome gentleman he is and that he’s the soul mate she wants to grow old with.”

But on Jan. 9, cops issued an arrest warrant in New Mexico for Busfield, who’s now facing two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. Four days later, he surrendered to authorities according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“The notion that he’d possibly be capable of something this heinous has taken a wrecking ball to Melissa’s world,” the insider shares. “Everyone’s extremely worried about her.”

According to sources, Melissa, 61, thought she’d found her happily ever after when she and the West Wing alum, 68, tied the knot in 2013.

Now, lawmen have accused him of inappropriate behavior toward twin boys, now 11, while the children worked on director Busfield’s TV series The Cleaning Lady in 2022. He has denied the charges and reportedly alleged that the kids’ mom was out for “revenge” after they weren’t hired for the show’s final season, TMZ reported. But the warrant also includes his admission that it’s “highly likely” he touched kids on the set, citing its “playful environment,” per US Weekly.

Busfield’s attorney says the star is determined to clear his name and notes an outside investigator hired by Warner Bros. “found no corroborating evidence that Mr. Busfield engaged in inappropriate conduct or that he was ever alone with the twins on set.” The lawyer further states that Busfield voluntarily submitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding the allegations — and passed.

Melissa previously endured failed marriages to actors Bo Brinkman and Bruce Boxleitner. Following her 2011 divorce with Bruce, she binged on plastic surgery, hooked up with a French boytoy and admitted in 2022 to Page Six, “It was like I lost my mind.”

Now, friends are bracing themselves for another epic meltdown — especially if Busfield is convicted.

A rep for Melissa says, “She is honoring the request of Tim’s lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds” and is standing with and supporting her spouse.

But a source notes, “Authorities clearly believe there’s sufficient evidence to prosecute.”