Actor Timothy Busfield Was Scheduled To Appear In The January 15th Episode Of Law & Order: SVU
Timothy Busfield, an actor best known for his recurring role on The West Wing, was supposed to guest star in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on Thursday, January 15.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is a show about detectives in NYPD’s Special Victims Unit who investigate crimes that are of sexual nature. The show, which has been on the air since 1999, opens each episode with a narrator saying, “In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.”
Due to the recent events involving Busfield, People reports that the show pulled his upcoming episode completely and is replacing it with the follow week’s (Jan. 22) episode, titled “Fidelis ad mortem.” Since TV seasons are thoughtfully planned out by executives and writers, it’s likely this season will just have one episode less than expected.
The episode was titled “Corrosive” and according to a YouTube promo, the episode was supposed to be about “an attempt on a respected judge’s life is connected to an anonymous video posted to the SVU tip line; Rollins tries to help a victim come to terms with their abuse.”
IMDb lists Busfied as Judge Warren Fels in the episode, but he is not featured in the promo video released last week.
According to the New York Post, Busfield previously guest starred on an episode in 2011 and directed two episodes in 2019.
Officials Issued A Warrant For Timothy Busfield’s Arrest
Busfield is facing two counts of criminal sexual contact and one count of child abuse.
According to People, the Albuquerque Police Department is alleging that Busfield “engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with twin 11-year-old boys. One of the minors alleged the incidents began when he was 7 years old.”
The warrant states that the minors were actors on The Cleaning Lady, a show Busfield directed, which ran from 2022-2025.
Busfield was investigated beginning in November 2024 after a hospital alerted police of sexual abuse after examining the two actors. The family was close to Busfield and his wife, Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert, even calling the actor-director “Uncle Tim” during questioning. Gilbert also allegedly gave the boys Christmas gifts following the investigation.
The arrest warrant states, “Timothy said Warner Brothers had an outside investigation through another firm do an investigation. Timothy was told there were complaints about him from the boys. Timothy acknowledged that the boys involved were [Victim 1] and [Victim 2].”
Busfield’s whereabouts are unknown and Gilbert has reacted to the warrant by deleting all her social media.
Read more in-depth about the arrest warrant and the investigation here.
