The 'Little House on the Prairie' star's husband, Timothy Busfield, is facing child sex abuse allegations
Credit: Melissa Gilbert/Instagram; VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Melissa Gilbert shared a makeup-free selfie with a message to “#LoveLifeEvenWhenItsHard”
- The May 16 Instagram post was shared as the Little House on the Prairie star’s husband faces legal troubles
- Timothy Busfield has been accused of child sex abuse, and he has a trial scheduled to begin in May 2027
Melissa Gilbert shared an unfiltered photograph of herself and a candid message about rolling with the punches amid her husband Timothy Busfield's ongoing legal troubles.
In a Saturday, May 16, Instagram post, the actress, 62, tagged @OfficialModernPrairie, her lifestyle brand and digital community for women over 50 years of age, and wrote in her caption, "So many women posted photos on our app, I’ll accept the challenge and bring it here to IG."
"This is me. No makeup. Early morning. Jammies. No filter," Gilbert continued, referencing her accompanying selfie.
"Definitely getting into the picture of my life today. So much more to come," she then wrote, adding a group of hashtags, including: "#KeepMovingForward," #NeverGiveUp" and "#LoveLifeEvenWhenItsHard."
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Gilbert's post was shared after she returned to Instagram days earlier on Tuesday, May 13.
Though the Little House on the Prairie alum has appeared on her company Modern Prairie's socials frequently in recent months, she posted for the first time since January on her own Instagram account.
Gilbert initially deleted her social media account when child sex abuse allegations surrounding her husband were first brought to light. Busfield, 68, was indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13) on Feb. 6. All counts are third-degree felonies and pertain to alleged events in October 2022 and September 2023.
The actor, who has been married to Gilbert since 2013, has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
Busfield initially surrendered to police on Jan. 13, four days after the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) issued a warrant for his arrest, alleging that he engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with 11-year-old twin boys. On Jan. 14, he faced an additional allegation of sexual abuse, which he has not been charged with.
Busfield was released from custody in New Mexico with conditions on Jan. 20 while he awaits trial. He waived his arraignment and appearances in court for all pretrial proceedings on Feb. 11. The request was granted on Feb. 18 by Judge Joseph Montano. His trial is now scheduled to begin in May 2027.
Gilbert previously told Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos in her first interview since Busfield's arrest that she is "100% confident he will be exonerated" and that she believes "justice" would include "exoneration" and "an apology."
The actress also said she "didn't go into my relationship blind" and spoke with Busfield about the prior allegations, explaining, "I heard his side of the story — which nobody has ever heard — which is the truth. And when the time is right, and that is not now, Tim will tell the truth of all of these past allegations when he needs to."
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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