Melissa Gilbert is slammed for lecturing child star parents in wake of Daveigh Chase's death - while her own husband fights child sex accusations in court

Actress Melissa Gilbert has been criticized on social media after she made a lengthy post on Instagram lecturing child star parents in response to the death of The Ring actress Daveigh Chase.

The recent backlash comes as Gilbert's husband, Timothy Busfield, is fighting four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under age 13 in court. He has denied the allegations.

Daveigh Chase, best known for playing the little girl in the horror film The Ring, died aged 35 on June 16 from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) - the most advanced stage of HIV infection, according to the LA County Medical Examiner.

Chronic polysubstance use - the repeated use of more than one drug over a short period of time - was also listed as a significant condition contributing to her death.

Chase had been living on the streets of Los Angeles for years before she died. Her mother, Cathy Chase, previously told the Daily Mail that she believes her daughter's battle with addiction began after a motorcycle accident around 2016, when Daveigh injured her back and was prescribed strong painkillers, including oxycodone.

On Monday, Gilbert, 61, took to Instagram to discuss Daveigh's death and warn of the dangers of child stardom and the way it can make parents 'lose sight of... what their true responsibility is.' 

'I only worked with Daveigh a couple of days but I could see she was bright both in countenance and in mind. She was bubbly, sweet and professional,' Gilbert wrote in her post. 

'But there was something else there, a push or need to perform …for her parents,' the actress, who played the role of Laura Ingalls Wilder on The Little House on the Prairie from 1974 to 1983, continued. 

'I have been around a lot of child actors, myself included, which makes us all a part of a big multigenerational tribe. As a consequence, I’ve also been around a lot of stage parents,' Gilbert said. 

'Child stardom, in itself, is not a guarantee of dysfunction. However, when a parent or parents lose sight of who THEY are, of what their true responsibility is, and their lives revolve solely around their little star child, well, that’s where the trouble begins,' she went on. 

Gilbert then said she was 'heartbroken' over Daveigh's death and added, 'If I had the chance to speak to any parents who were thinking about getting their children in the industry I would tell them to please, please make sure that they are doing it for the right reasons.'

She advised taking child stars to accountants regularly and making sure that the child truly wants to act or be in the spotlight. 

She also advised ensuring 'that child has a life outside of the industry that is thriving and full of friends and responsibilities and “normal“ things.'

In the comments of Gilbert's post, most people were supportive and thanked her for the message she was trying to convey. 

A few comments were critical, however. 'Why does your post read, as if you're putting all the blame to what happened on her parents?! This is wrong!' one user began. 

'Unless you have had constant contact with the family over the years and know exactly how things went, I'd suggest to clean in front your own door before judging others,' the user continued. 

'Using her story to speak about this, is not right! As much as her family said, they did try to help her, but there was only so little they could do... If you wanna advocate for kids safety and mental health in the industry, don't use a recently deceased person as example,' the user went on. 

On X, the backlash was even more palpable. In the replies to a post of an article about Gilbert's lecture, several users brought up the pedophile allegations against her husband. 

'Melissa Gilberts husband is a pedophile sooooo,' one user wrote. Busfield has denied all wrongdoing. 

'How’s her husband’s trial going?' said another. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Daveigh's mother for comment in reaction to Gilbert's post. 

Busfield, 69, is Gilbert's husband of 12 years. He is also an actor and sometimes works as a director in the TV and film industry. 

Gilbert has been highly supportive of her husband. Shortly after he was booked on charges of criminal sexual contact with a child under age 13 in January, which he pleaded not guilty to, she told the court that he is 'my love, my rock, my partner in business and life.' 

'Tim has the strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known. He has dedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others. He starts every day with kindness and compassion,' she added.   

Earlier this month, Busfield asked an Albuquerque, New Mexico, judge to throw out an indictment in his case, saying prosecutors cut critical corners amid an aggressive push to put him behind bars.

Lawyers for the actor said New Mexico has 'abdicated its role in administering justice' in the case and showed a clear bias against Busfield.

Attorneys for Busfield said prosecutors omitted key evidence to a grand jury that would have benefited him - declining to reveal that an independent probe Warner Bros launched against him did not turn up any evidence of wrongdoing.

Busfield's attorneys have also said that the children he is accused of victimizing initially said during interviews with police that the actor didn't touch them inappropriately.

The defense then accused the boys' parents of coaching their children toward incriminating statements after the boys lost lucrative roles on the show.

The parents of the children, Angele LaSalle and Ronald Rodis, are the ones who informed authorities of the allegations.

Busfield took jabs at the past of his accusers and their trustworthiness in legal filings, according to TMZ. He said that LaSalle and Rodis concocted the allegations as a means of getting back at him after their sons were replaced on the television show two years ago.

Busfield told police during an interview on the topic that actress Elodie Yung informed him that LaSalle vowed to get her 'revenge on Tim Busfield for not bringing her kids back for the final season.'