Timothy Busfield’s Legal Battle Has ‘Cost Him a Fortune’ Amid Melissa Gilbert’s ‘Unwavering’ Support

Timothy Busfield is confident he’ll be exonerated in court, but the finances of the former Thirtysomething star — and Little House on the Prairie legend wife Melissa Gilbert — are taking a major hit as he fights to prove his innocence, sources say.

The West Wing alum, 68, is reportedly worth $1 million, while Melissa, 61, is said to have $500,000 in assets.

“This case has already cost him a fortune in legal fees. It’ll run into many hundreds of thousands, and neither he nor Melissa are all that wealthy, at least not by Hollywood standards,” an insider observes. “He’s already been canceled in the entertainment industry, regardless of the verdict, and they’re looking at downsizing their home and retiring somewhere low-key and modest once this is eventually behind them.”

Busfield was recently indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child, per CNN. He is accused of engaging in sexual misconduct against twin boys, now 11, in 2022, while they worked on the director’s TV series The Cleaning Lady.

He has insisted, “I did not do anything to those little boys, and I’m gonna fight it.”

Busfield’s lawyer maintains there’s no evidence of any wrongdoing and claims the children’s mother is seeking revenge. According to reports, the actor told cops that he heard the mom vowed to get back at him after the kids weren’t cast for the show’s final season.

The lawyer says Busfield also voluntarily submitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding the allegations and passed.

The insider adds, “Melissa’s support is unwavering. She’s devoted her entire life to helping Timothy any way she can — and that includes supporting him financially. She’s put a lot of her work on pause and cut off friends and acquaintances in the industry who haven’t lent their support toward Timothy, too.”

The source notes pals are now pleading with Melissa to “protect herself” as it’s a “colossal gamble to pin her colors to the mast like this. It feels like misplaced loyalty to a lot of folks.”