Melissa Gilbert is jumping to the defense of her husband Timothy Busfield, speaking out publicly for the first time since he was charged with sexual contact of a minor — addressing prior sexual assault allegations she says she was aware of for a long time.
Melissa Gilbert who appeared on ‘GMA’ alongside her attorney Larry Stein — says the past few months have been “traumatic,” adding that she waited to speak until now after seeing what she describes as widespread misinformation.
During the interview … George Stephanopoulos points to Busfield’s criminal complaint, which references two prior sexual assault allegations back in 1994 and 2012 — one of which was settled — and asks Melissa Gilbert directly if she was aware.
Melissa Gilbert makes it clear she knew about the allegations when she started her relationship with Tim … saying “I didn’t go into my relationship blind. I am neither naive nor am I complicit.”
She says the two of them discussed the claims at length … and she strongly believes Busfield’s side of the story — saying he’ll ultimately have the opportunity to clear his name.
As we reported … Busfield was indicted in February on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor. He pled not guilty and is out on bail, with a trial scheduled for 2027.