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Comments Melissa Gilbert made against child sex abuse have resurfaced after a warrant was issued for her husband Timothy Busfield’s arrest in connection with child sex abuse charges.

The “Little House on the Prairie” alum, 61, took to Instagram in November to discuss Megyn Kelly’s comments about child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Gilbert mentioned how she, at 15, felt forced to “fall in love with and kiss” Dean Butler, 69, for the popular Western drama despite the pair’s eight-year age gap.


  Dean Butler and Melissa Gilbert during Season 6 of “Little House on the Prairie.” Courtesy Everett Collection Dean Butler and Melissa Gilbert during Season 6 of “Little House on the Prairie.” Courtesy Everett Collection

  Michelle Gilbert and Dean Butler during Season 8 of “Little House on the Prairie.” NBCUniversal via Getty Images Michelle Gilbert and Dean Butler during Season 8 of “Little House on the Prairie.” NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Dean starred in “Little House on the Prairie” as Almanzo Wilder, the love interest and then-husband of Gilbert’s character, Laura Ingalls Wilder.

“I am actually nauseated,” Gilbert wrote in an Instagram post on Nov. 15. “The girl on vacation in Hawaii with her family, is the same girl who was expected to ‘fall in love with’ and kiss a man on film who was several years older than she was.”

“Through the lens of today, this is shocking. I have no words other than to say, ‘I WAS A CHILD.’ ‘I WAS FIFTEEN.’ And I was the good news,” she continued, noting that adults were keeping her “safe” on the NBC set. “I am so fortunate (Sort of). Many other young women aren’t.”

Butler, now 69, spoke to People last year about the pair’s age difference during their time on the show.


  Melissa Gilbert and Dean Butler kissing for a “Little House on the Prairie” scene in 1979. NBCUniversal via Getty Images Melissa Gilbert and Dean Butler kissing for a “Little House on the Prairie” scene in 1979. NBCUniversal via Getty Images

“I’ve often said to Melissa, ‘I wish we could have been a little closer in age when we were doing this.’”

He also reflected on how the stars felt about their first kissing scene. 

“I think that there was anxiety on both sides of that kiss and how is this going to go?” he recalled. “But we stepped up to it.”

Gilbert’s remarks, however, resurfaced after it was revealed that her husband of almost 13 years, Timothy Busfield, was wanted in New Mexico on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. Gilbert is not accused of any wrongdoing.


  Timothy Busfield in “Field of Dreams.” ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection Timothy Busfield in “Field of Dreams.” ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

  Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield during the 62nd Monte Carlo TV Festival in 2023. Getty Images Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield during the 62nd Monte Carlo TV Festival in 2023. Getty Images

The Albuquerque Police Department, in an arrest warrant released Friday, alleged that the “West Wing” alum, 68, engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with a pair of 11-year-old twins while directing the Fox show “The Cleaning Lady” in 2024.

Follow The Post’s coverage on Timothy Busfield

One of the alleged victims claimed the shocking incidents first started when he and his brother were 7 years old, according to the affidavit.

The investigation into Busfield reportedly kicked off in November 2024 when a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital alerted police about suspected sexual abuse and grooming involving the minors, per the warrant.


  Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield in 2017. aubrey reuben Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield in 2017. aubrey reuben

  Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield during the LA Mission’s Christmas Eve charity event for the homeless in 2012. Getty Images Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield during the LA Mission’s Christmas Eve charity event for the homeless in 2012. Getty Images

Although the APD initially declined to press charges against the “Field of Dreams” star, the case was said to be reopened in September 2025 when one of the kids told his counselor and then pediatrician that Busfield “touched him on his penis and bottom,” the affidavit claims.

The “Revenge of the Nerds” star also allegedly told the kids to call him “Uncle Tim” and tickled them on their stomachs and legs, per the arrest warrant.


  Timothy Busfield in New York City in 2020. Getty Images Timothy Busfield in New York City in 2020. Getty Images

  Timothy Busfield before an NFL game in Detroit on Sept. 14, 2025. AP Timothy Busfield before an NFL game in Detroit on Sept. 14, 2025. AP

Busfield, meanwhile, reportedly spoke to investigators by phone in November 2025 and said it was “highly likely” he had “physical contact” with the twins while filming “The Cleaning Lady.”

“I don’t remember those boys,” he also said, according to the affidavit. “No, I don’t. I don’t actually, I don’t remember it, if it happened. I don’t remember overtly tickling the boys ever, but it wouldn’t be uncommon for me.”

During that interview with the police, the “Thirtysomething” alum reportedly claimed that Elodie Yung, the lead actress on “The Cleaning Lady,” told him that the twins’ mom was seeking “revenge” because the boys were not invited back for the show’s final season.

The Post has reached out to Gilbert and Busfield’s reps for comment.

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