Allegations Against West Wing Actor Prompt Criminal Charges in New Mexico

Criminal charges against Timothy Busfield have been filed in New Mexico following allegations that the veteran television actor and director engaged in unlawful sexual contact with two children he met while working on a US television production.

Busfield, 68, best known to British audiences for his role as Danny Concannon in The West Wing, faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse, according to an arrest warrant issued by Albuquerque police.

The allegations centre on two twin boys, now aged 11, who were child actors on the Fox series The Cleaning Lady, where Busfield served as a director. One of the boys told investigators that inappropriate conduct began when he was seven.

The investigation began in November 2024 after a doctor raised concerns about possible sexual abuse. The children’s parents later told police that Busfield had grown close to their sons on set, encouraging them to call him “Uncle Tim” and spending time with the family outside working hours.

According to the warrant, the mother later questioned her children after hearing rumours that Busfield had previously behaved inappropriately with women. The boys responded by asking, “You mean like Uncle Tim?”, prompting the family to seek medical and legal advice.

A therapist later diagnosed one of the children with moderate post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. The boy described nightmares, bed-wetting, and fear around filming, telling professionals that Busfield had touched him in ways that made him uncomfortable. He said he had been scared to speak up because Busfield was a director and he feared the consequences.

Investigators were told that safeguards on set may have weakened after Busfield joined the production. The children’s mother claimed that parents had previously been given iPads to monitor filming remotely, a practice she said stopped following his arrival.

Busfield denied wrongdoing when questioned by police, saying that any physical contact would have been playful and visible to others. “There would never be a weird moment about it,” he told investigators, according to the warrant. He acknowledged that he may have picked up or tickled the children but said it was done in an open environment.

He also suggested that the allegations were motivated by resentment after the twins were replaced by another child actor, a claim investigators noted but did not substantiate.

An internal investigation carried out by the production company later documented an allegation that a minor had been kissed on the face by Busfield in a hair and make-up trailer. A production assistant also raised concerns about a lack of supervision on set, including an incident in which one of the children was seen skateboarding through a live filming area.

In a statement, a representative for Warner Bros Television said the company took all allegations involving minors seriously and had cooperated fully with law enforcement. The broadcaster Fox did not issue a public response.

Busfield has also faced historical allegations dating back to the 1990s, which are referenced in the warrant but were not the subject of the current charges.

He has not entered a plea. Representatives for Busfield and his wife, the actor Melissa Gilbert, did not respond to requests for comment.

For background on safeguarding standards for children working in film and television, the rules governing child performers and on-set supervision are set out by the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which requires continuous supervision and strict boundaries between adults and minors.

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