Timothy Busfield’s role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has been recast in the wake of his arrest on child sex abuse charges.
NBC previously pulled an episode of the long-running series that featured Busfield, 68, as a guest star, after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
The shelved episode, titled Corrosive, will now air later this month on February 26, with Dexter actor David Zayas, 63, replacing Busfield.
The decision to recast Busfield — who has been married to Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert, 61, since 2013 — underscores the core values of the long-running procedural, which focuses on seeking justice for survivors of sexually based offenses.
In the episode, ‘An attempt on a respected judge’s life is connected to an anonymous video posted to the SVU tip line. Rollins (Kelli Giddish) tries to help a victim come to terms with their abuse.’
Daily Mail has reached out to Busfield’s representative for comment.
Timothy Busfield’s, 68, role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has been recast in the wake of his arrest on child sex abuse charges; He is pictured in 2020
Two young boys — who were allegedly 7 and 8 at the time — accused Busfield of sexually abusing them on the set of Fox’s New Mexico-filmed series The Cleaning Lady in 2022.
He was arrested by Albuquerque police on January 9 and held in jail until January 20, insisting that the allegations were ‘lies.’ He will next appear in court on February 4.
At a hearing last week Busfield’s defense attorney, Amber Fayerberg, called the parents of his current accusers ‘scammers’ who were out for revenge and only made their claims after the boys had lost their roles on the show.
She told the court: ‘The LaSalle/Rodis family has already gotten their revenge.
‘Mr. Busfield has been cancelled. His career is over. In the span of six days, it’s done. Talent agency dropped him, allegations plastered all over global media of pedophilia, his wife is under attack. His life is ruined, but his liberty under the rules can be restored. And I ask your honor to restore that liberty.’
After a four-hour hearing on January 20, Judge David A. Murphy denied a prosecution motion and ruled there was no probable cause to show that The West Wing actor should remain behind bars due to a public safety risk.
A tearful Gilbert mouthed, ‘He’s going home’ after hearing the judge’s decision. The actress has remained steadfast in her support for Busfield.
On delivering the news that Busfield was to be granted bail the judge said, ‘I’ll characterize the weight of the evidence against the defendant as neutral at this point in time.’
The shelved episode, titled Corrosive, will air later this month on February 26, with Dexter actor David Zayas, 63, replacing Busfield; Zayas pictured in 2021
NBC previously pulled an episode of the long-running series that featured Busfield as a guest star, after a warrant was issued for his arrest
The long-running procedural focuses on seeking justice for survivors of sexually based offenses; Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni seen in a still from the show
Two young boys accused Busfield of sexually abusing them on the set of Fox’s series The Cleaning Lady. He was arrested by Albuquerque police on January 9 and held in jail until January 20, insisting that the allegations were ‘lies’; Seen in court on January 20
Busfield has been married to Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert, 61, since 2013. Gilbert has remained steadfast in her support for Busfield; The two seen in 2023
He added that since Busfield has no criminal history and that ‘there are no similar allegations involving children of this past, ‘any prior sexual assault allegations against him haven’t been vetted by the judiciary system.’
His current legal troubles have shone a spotlight on a slew of earlier allegations.
Julia Roberts’ sister-in-law testified in a deposition submitted in court that Busfield was a ‘creep’ who sexually ‘harassed and humiliated’ her, likening him to a rapist who ‘compulsively’ and ‘indiscriminately’ targets women, the Daily Mail revealed earlier this week.
The court document exclusively obtained by the Daily Mail shows that Eliza Roberts volunteered her statement in 1994, when Busfield was in the headlines after a 17-year-old girl accused him of sexual harassment on the set of Little Big League.
Busfield denied the allegations.
In total, six other women came forward to offer sworn statements in support of the Minnesota teen’s account – among them Roberts.
