Melissa Gilbert Returns to Instagram 4 Months After Deleting Account amid Husband Timothy Busfield's Child Sex Abuse Allegations

Ingrid VasquezThu, May 14, 2026 at 12:57 AM UTC

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(L-R) Melissa Gilbert; Timothy Busfield
Credit: Sam Wasson/Getty (2) -

Melissa Gilbert returned to Instagram four months after deleting her account in January amid her husband Timothy Busfield's child sex abuse charges

The actress shared a post from Modern Prairie's account, announcing an upcoming Instagram live on the company's page

Gilbert has been vocal about her support for Busfield's, telling Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos in April that she is "100% confident he will be exonerated"

Melissa Gilbert has returned to Instagram four months after deleting her account amid child sex abuse allegations against her husband, Timothy Busfield.

Though the actress, 62, has appeared on her company Modern Prairie's socials frequently in recent months, she posted for the first time since January on her own Instagram account on Tuesday, May 13.

In the post, Gilbert announced that she'll be hosting an Instagram live on Modern Prairie's page on Friday, May 15, to kick off its Get in the Picture campaign.

The post was accompanied by a photo of two crochet dolls of Gilbert and co-founder Nicole Haase.

"That [sic] right. I'm back. See you Friday! xo, MGB Repost from @officialmodernprairie," Gilbert added in the caption.

Busfield, 68, was indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13) on Feb. 6. All counts are third-degree felonies and pertain to alleged events in October 2022 and September 2023.

Timothy Busfield visits People Now on February 19, 2020
Credit: Noam Galai/Getty

The actor pleaded not guilty to all charges and surrendered to police on Jan. 13, four days after the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) issued a warrant for his arrest, alleging that he engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with 11-year-old twin boys.

On Jan. 14, he faced an additional allegation of sexual abuse, which he has not been charged with.

Busfield was released from custody in New Mexico with conditions on Jan. 20, while he awaits trial. He waived his arraignment and appearances in court for all pretrial proceedings on Feb. 11. The request was granted on Feb. 18 by Judge Joseph Montano.

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His trial is scheduled to begin in May 2027.

Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield attend the "Nymphes D'Or - Golden Nymphs" Nominees Party during the 62nd Monte Carlo TV Festival on June 19, 2023
Credit: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

Gilbert, for her part, told Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos in her first interview since Busfield's arrest that she is "100% confident he will be exonerated" and that "justice" would include "exoneration. An apology. Freedom from this cloud."

In the interview, which aired on April 6, Gilbert also addressed two previous allegations of sexual assault against Busfield from 1994 and 2012, and said, "these allegations have been out in the ether for a very long time."

Gilbert said she "didn't go into my relationship blind" and spoke with Busfield about the prior allegations.

"I heard his side of the story — which nobody has ever heard — which is the truth," she said. "And when the time is right, and that is not now, Tim will tell the truth of all of these past allegations when he needs to."

Melissa Gilbert at the Bernalillo County Courthouse on January 20, 2026
Credit: Sam Wasson/Getty

TheLittle House on the Prairiealum said she believes, however, that regardless of the outcome, "our life as we knew it is done."

“We are grieving what we had — all of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects," said Gilbert. "For Tim, it's done. He's canceled. Even if he's exonerated, he will always be that guy. [He's] the last person in the world who would hurt a child. And believe me, if I thought for a second that Tim Busfield hurt a child, he'd have a lot more to worry about than prison."

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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