The “West Wing” star’s legal team will appear in court on March 10 for a scheduling hearing.

Timothy Busfield pleads not guilty to child sex abuse charges

The "West Wing" star's legal team will appear in court on March 10 for a scheduling hearing.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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February 21, 2026 11:30 a.m. ET

Timothy Busfield at the Second District Judicial Court at the Bernalillo County Courthouse in Albuquerque, N.M., on Jan. 20, 2026. Credit:

Sam Wasson/Getty

- Timothy Busfield pleaded not guilty to four felony counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (a child under the age of 13) on Feb. 11.

- The *West Wing* star was previously indicted on those four counts on Feb. 6.

- Busfield's attorneys will appear in court on March 10 for a scheduling hearing.

Timothy Busfield has entered his plea in his child sex abuse case.

The *Thirtysomething* star pleaded not guilty to four felony counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (a child under the age of 13) on Feb. 11, according to court records reviewed by **.

Representatives for Busfield did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

A grand jury in Bernalillo County, N.M., indicted Busfield on those four counts on Feb. 6. Two of the charge dates are listed as Oct. 19, 2022, while the other two are listed as Sept. 11, 2023.

Court records indicate that an initial witness list was submitted on Feb. 13, and that Busfield waived his arraignment on Feb. 11. His legal team will appear in court on March 10 for a scheduling hearing.

Timothy Busfield in New York City on Feb. 19, 2020.

Noam Galai/Getty

Authorities issued a warrant for Busfield's arrest on Jan. 9, alleging that twin 11-year-old boys accused the actor of inappropriately touching them when they worked together on Fox's *The Cleaning Lady*. One of the children claimed that Busfield, who served as a director and executive producer on the show, touched his "private areas" on more than one occasion, and the same child was subsequently diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety.

Busfield surrendered to authorities on Jan. 13 and denied all allegations against him.

"I'm going to confront these lies," the *West Wing* star said at the time. "They're horrible. They're all lies. And I did not do anything to those little boys, and I'm going to fight it. I'm going to fight it with a great team, and I'm going to be exonerated."

The day after his surrender, Busfield faced another allegation of sexual abuse. The allegation came from a man who alleged that the *Field of Dreams* actor sexually abused his 16-year-old daughter during an audition in Sacramento, Calif., that occurred "several years ago." Busfield has not been charged in connection with this allegation.

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Busfield has since received dozens of letters of support, which were presented as evidence during his pre-trial hearing in January. The letters included a statement from his wife, *Little House on the Prairie* actress Melissa Gilbert (who has supported her husband throughout the legal saga), as well as statements from his *Thirtysomething* castmates Peter Horton and Ken Olin.

Busfield's attorney, Larry Stein, responded to the actor's recent indictment in a statement to EW.

"The indictment was not unexpected. As the saying goes, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich," Stein said. "What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial."

The attorney continued, "Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State's case in open court — where evidence matters — not behind closed doors."

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A judge previously ruled that Busfield would not remain in custody prior to the beginning of his trial. The judge also ordered that the actor refrain from unsupervised contact with minors, abstain from consuming any alcohol or illegal drugs, and avoid contacting the alleged victims or their families.

Busfield could be sentenced to at least three years in state prison if he is found guilty of the alleged child sex abuse.**

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