In January 9th of this year (2026), Emmy-Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield (Field of Dreams, thirtysomething, The West Wing), husband of actor Melissa Gilbert (Little House on the Prairie) had an arrest warrant issued on allegations of child sex abuse involving 11-year-old twin boys on a TV production set in 2024 by New Mexico police.
I am not going to discuss the merits of this case; instead, I want to talk about how the Hollywood Community has responded – in negative and positive ways – and what we can learn from it.
If you want to see the VIDEO 🎥 version of this podcast, you can watch from either Spotify or Youtube.
Links Mentioned:
Timothy Busfield links/articles
“Missing actor Timothy Busfield admitted it is ‘highly likely’ he touched kids on set amid child sex abuse probe, warrant reveals” (New York Post)”
“Timothy Busfield and Melissa Gilbert: A complete relationship timeline” (New York Post)
“Timothy Busfield Enters No Plea In First Court Appearance On Child Sex Abuse Charges” (Deadline)
“Timothy Busfield's wife Melissa Gilbert, Thirtysomething costars offer 75 letters of support amid sex abuse claims” (Entertainment Weekly)
“Melissa Gilbert’s Lifestyle Brand Issues Statement Amid Husband Timothy Busfield’s Child Sex Abuse Claims” (Us Weekly via Yahoo News)
Brian Peck/Drake Bell articles
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (links to Max in the US)
“Drake Bell details 'extensive' sexual abuse as child star by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck”
“Rehab Helped Drake Bell Overcome Abuse & Find His Voice” (Mayim Bialik's Breakdown podcast)
“Breaking Free: Drake Bell Talks Trauma and His Truth” (The Man Enough Podcast)
“Full interview: Drake Bell reflects on the aftermath of ‘Quiet on Set’ in TODAY exclusive” (The Today Show)
Mike Chapman’s links:
Husband Material Ministries (“HM”/”HMM”; faith-based ministry helping men find freedom from pornography and other sexual brokenness issues) FREE
Info on Joining Husband Materials Academy (“HMA”; Paid)
Learn more about Husband Material's CSA Survivor Fellowship (led by Mike) and the PLC Chat on WhatsApp
If you would like to join us for future LIVE podcast events, learn more at:
**Trigger Warning/Explicit Content Warning** - we will talk openly and frankly about sexual abuse from the victim's perspective. Sometimes cursing may be used, but kept at a minimum. Please practice self-c
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