Timothy Busfield tells grand jury he's been 'canceled' after being charged with child sexual abuse

Actor Timothy Busfield said his career is over, as he has allegedly been 'canceled' after he was indicted on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under age 13 earlier this year.

Busfield, 69, told a grand jury in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in February that his 'career's done' in the wake of the allegations, according to testimony from the district attorney's office that was obtained Wednesday by USA Today.

'I'm canceled,' Busfield said. 'I'll never, I don't, 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 continued: 'I've lost TV shows, a movie they've digitally replaced me from. My agency fired me. I'm done. This is not about me or a pity thing.'

Busfield said in two hours of testimony to the grand jury that his last hope was that his wife Melissa Gilbert's career was not sunk by his legal troubles.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Busfield's attorney for further comment.

'My children, grandchildren, everybody in my life is done because of these false allegations for money and for revenge,' Busfield told the 12-person grand jury. 'My wife and her business, I'm not going to break that.'

In addition to her acting efforts, Gilbert has a lifestyle business called Modern Prairie. 

She has recently begun selling goods inspired by her former series Little House on the Prairie amid a renewed interest in the brand since a Netflix reboot made its debut earlier this month. 

Busfield is charged with four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under 13, which he has denied.

Prosecutors in New Mexico announced on February 6 that Busfield had been indicted in connection with four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under 13.

The allegations against Busfield involve two child actors who worked with him on the TV series The Cleaning Lady, which he produced and worked as a director on from 2022–2025.

In his grand jury testimony, Busfield denied improper contact with the children. He claimed that the allegations were spurred by spite from their parents after he left them out of the cast for the series' fourth season, according to the report.

The actor told the court that the parents allegedly coached their children to falsely accuse him of the improper conduct. 

As he delivered testimony, Busfield told the grand jury that he was nervous, adding, 'This is all very real and the stakes are very high.'

The grand jury also heard testimony from Albuquerque Police Officer Marvin Brown in the February 5 session, and did not request to speak to any more witnesses in the case.

The actor's attorney Larry Stein previously told the outlet that his client is innocent, and that facts in the case would bear that out as it circulated through the legal system.

'What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial,' Stein said.

The trial is currently slated to commence in May of 2027.

In January, Busfield surrendered himself to authorities, but he was subsequently let out of jail by a judge who said the actor hadn't demonstrated a pattern of criminal behavior.

The Michigan-born actor has appeared in films including Field of Dreams, Little Big League and Revenge of the Nerds; and on TV shows such as The West Wing and Thirtysomething.

Busfield has also racked up multiple credits as a director, having worked extensively behind the lens on shows such as The Client List, The Night Shift and Designated Survivor.