Melissa Gilbert has been blasted as ’embarrassing’ and ‘delusional’ as she sang and danced to an inspirational song about ‘staying strong’ – amid her husband Timothy Busfield’s child sex abuse charge, Daily Mail reports.
The 68-year-old former West Wing actor was indicted by a grand jury on February 6 and accused of touching two twin boys on the set of The Cleaning Lady while filming in Albuquerque between November 2022 and spring 2024. He has vehemently denied all the allegations and pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual contact with a child.
Melissa Gilbert has stood by her husband’s side throughout the scandal and recently returned to work on her lifestyle brand, Modern Prairie, after stepping away ‘to focus on my family’, according to Daily Mail.
The account features videos of Gilbert’s homemaking content, and on Monday uploaded a video of Melissa Gilbert singing and dancing to the Des’ree song You Gotta Be, an uplifting track featuring the lyrics ‘You gotta be bad/You gotta be bold/You gotta be wiser/You gotta be hard/You gotta be tough/You gotta be stronger.’
While the video was intended to inspire, it quickly backfired amongst those who found the tone rather odd amid the controversy surrounding her husband.
‘I hope you sing that to yourself because you are delusional,’ one person posted.
‘Stop embarrassing yourself,’ one commenter wrote. Similarly, another posted: ‘How embarassing [sic].’
One annoyed Instagram user wrote: ‘The nerve…’
One surmised, ‘She’s Lost It’, while another posted, ‘God knows the truth.’
Overall, the overwhelming messages were in support of the video, with several urging her to hang in there.
‘Hang in there. Hugs and prayers sent your way,’ one wrote.
‘Go girl! Be strong!’ another said.
Gilbert’s husband Busfield has been accused of inappropriately touching twin boys — identified only as VL and SL in court documents — on the set of The Cleaning Lady, which he directed.
A warrant was issued for his arrest last month, and he turned himself in.
Busfield has since been released from custody, with his devoted wife Mellissa Gilbert weeping with joy when a judge allowed him to walk free.
He was indicted on four counts of sexual contact with a child by a grand jury and has since pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
The following day, February 11, Busfield waived his arraignment and court appearances for all pretrial proceedings.
His request was granted by Judge Joseph Montano on February 18.
One of the alleged victims told a forensic child interviewer that Busfield touched his ‘private areas’ on set when he was seven years old, according to a criminal complaint.
The boy alleged the abuse happened five or six times between sets.
He claimed Busfield assaulted him again when he was eight years old, claiming it happened three or four times.
The boy’s twin brother told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but he did not specify where and didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to get in trouble, the complaint said.
Busfield has denied the allegations, and his attorneys have argued the accusations are part of a revenge plot manufactured by the boys’ parents after the children lost their roles in the TV series.
Before turning himself in, he called the allegations lies in a video shared by TMZ.
‘I’m going to confront these lies. They’re horrible. They’re all lies, and I did not do anything to those little boys, and I’m going to fight it,’ he insisted.
But Assistant District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch called evidence of abuse against the Hollywood veteran ‘strong and specific’ during a January 20 court hearing.
Brandenburg-Koch also said witnesses expressed fear about potential retaliation and professional harm.
‘The boys’ allegations are supported by medical findings and by their therapist,’ the ADA said. ‘Their accounts were specific and not exaggerated.’
Busfield is known for appearances in The West Wing, Field of Dreams and Thirtysomething.