Busfield Appears in Court on On-Set Abuse Claims (Full Transcript)
[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Mr. Busfield is set for felony first appearance this afternoon. Actor and director Timothy Busfield made his first court appearance for charges relating to child sexual abuse. Authorities in Albuquerque have accused Busfield of inappropriately touching a young boy on the set of the TV series The Cleaning Lady that he was directing. A criminal complaint filed by an investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department says the boy reported that Busfield allegedly touched his private areas over his clothing three or four times when he was seven years old and five or six times when he was eight. The complaint also states the child was reportedly afraid to tell anyone because Busfield was the director and he feared he would get mad at him. The boy's twin brother told authorities he was also touched by Busfield. The mother reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, according to the complaint. In the complaint, prosecutors wrote that Busfield has denied the allegations to investigators and suggested that the boy's mother was seeking revenge for her children being replaced on the series. He also said he likely would have picked up and tickled the boys, saying the set was a playful environment. In a video, Busfield told 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. Busfield's attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday.
- Timothy Busfield made a first court appearance in Albuquerque on felony charges tied to alleged child sexual abuse.
- A criminal complaint alleges repeated inappropriate touching of a child over clothing when the child was seven and eight, with a twin brother also reporting contact.
- The alleged incidents were reported by the mother to Child Protective Services and are said to have occurred between Nov. 2022 and spring 2024.
- Busfield denies wrongdoing, claims the allegations are lies, and suggests a retaliatory motive related to casting changes.
- Busfield said any physical interaction could have been playful tickling; his attorney did not provide immediate comment.