West Wing actor accused of child sex abuse on set

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By Audrey Mcavoy

January 10, 2026 — 3.30pm

Honolulu: Authorities in New Mexico issued an arrest warrant for director and Emmy Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield to face a child sex abuse charge.

An investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department filed a criminal complaint in support of the charge, which says a child reported that Busfield touched him inappropriately. The acts allegedly occurred on the set of The Cleaning Lady, a TV series Busfield directed and acted in.

Busfield is known for appearances in The West Wing, Thirtysomething and Field of Dreams.

The child said the first incident happened when he was seven years old and Busfield touched him three or four times. Busfield allegedly touched him five or six times on another occasion when he was eight.

The child’s mother reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said.

Busfield’s attorney and agent did not immediately respond to email messages seeking comment on Saturday (AEDT).

The arrest warrant, which was signed by a judge, said the charge was for two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.

According to the complaint, the child – identified only by his initials – has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. A social worker documented him saying he has had nightmares about Busfield touching him and woken up scared.

The child was reportedly afraid to tell anyone because Busfield was the director and he feared he would get mad at him.

The Cleaning Lady aired for four seasons on Fox, ending in 2025. It starred Elodie Yung as a Cambodian doctor who comes to the US, witnesses a mob killing and ends up becoming a cleaner for organised crime.

The show was produced by Warner Bros., which according to the complaint conducted its own investigation into the abuse allegations but was unable to corroborate them.

Busfield is married to Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert. There was no immediate response to an email sent to her publicist.