The Nerve with Maureen Callahan
Timothy Busfield Shock Arrest, Sarah Jessica Parker's Shameless Self-Promo, & Troublemakers Weigh In
16 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello and welcome to your Friday edition of The Nerve. I am your host, Maureen Callahan, and we have an incredible show for you today. First, we are going all in, deep dive on the Timothy Busfield story.
the arrest what looked like to me a flight from law enforcement a resurfacing in new mexico he was um he went before a judge on wednesday evening in new mexico and she ordered him held without bail while his wife Melissa Gilbert, who is most well known from her role as half pint on Little House on the Prairie, is, quote, standing by her husband. I do not think this is going to go well for her.
OK, joining us to discuss this story as it's unfolding. Criminal defense attorney extraordinaire. First time on the nerve. An MK true crime crossover. The legendary Arthur Idalla. Then we're going to get into all of your amazing feedback.
Chapter 2: What are the latest updates on the Timothy Busfield case?
We've got some art. We've got a very special troublemaker writing in. Very exciting. We're all going to be so excited. And then later in the show, our favorite 900... year old sprightly heroine is back doing a media tour she was just at the golden globes it's gonna be good it's gonna be good okay troublemakers are you ready are you ready let's go Today's show is sponsored by Cowboy Colostrum.
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Chapter 3: Why was Timothy Busfield held without bail?
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joining me for the first time on the nerve is criminal defense attorney arthur idalla he is no stranger to high profile cases he is also a regular contributor here at mk media he is one of the legendary hosts but i mean arthur's just another level he really is on uh megan kelly's mk true crime now before we bring arthur in we just want to get everybody up to speed
In case you haven't had the time to follow it as closely as we here at The Nerve are paid to do.
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Chapter 4: What role does Melissa Gilbert play in Timothy Busfield's situation?
OK, so Timothy Busfield, who is most well known for his roles on The West Wing and 30 Something and who has a bit of a history with accusations of child sexual abuse. Finally emerged in New Mexico on Wednesday. The arrest warrant was issued on Friday. Where he was for days was unknown.
And I would love to know if his wife, Melissa Gilbert, knew where he was, because in that case, I believe she was aiding and abetting a fugitive. OK, so first we're going to take a look at before he surrendered himself to Timothy did a little video and he gave it to TMZ. And let's all take a look at that. And we're going to discuss it with Arthur. Here we go.
Hi, everybody. It's Tim. I'm sure most of you know that are watching this that I was ordered to come to Albuquerque. I'm here now. I got the call Friday night. I had to get a lawyer. Saturday, I got in a car. We drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque. I'm going to confront these lies. They're horrible. They're all lies. And I did not do anything to those little boys. And I'm I'm gonna fight it.
I'm gonna fight it with a great team and I'm gonna be exonerated. I know I am because this is all so wrong and all lies. So hang in there and hopefully I'm out real soon and back to work and I love everybody for supporting me. Thank you.
i've got stuff to say about that video we will we will talk to arthur about it in the meantime melissa gilbert sparked backlash daily mail reporting by sharing an instagram tour of her refrigerator as her husband faces child sex charges twin boys accusing him i have the affidavit here it is it is this thing is so detailed and it is so just my opinion so highly credible and these two
First of all, she's got to be kidding. She's got to be kidding. This says to me that she does not take this seriously. Okay, I'm just going to read a little bit from the affidavit. We will revisit it as we continue to cover this case, but I just want to give you a sense of how serious and detailed it is. So one of the boys who is only identified as SL, excuse me, in this affidavit,
disclosed both to his therapist and his pediatrician, both of whom are named here, that Timothy Busfield touched both his genitalia and his bottom. His therapist diagnosed SL with post-traumatic stress disorder. SL told the interviewer on...
10 31 25 so a little over two months ago the first time i'm reading directly from the affidavit the first time that tim touched him was when he was seven years old He described it as his parents no longer having an iPad to watch the set. They will give the parents iPads so the parents can have eyes on their children throughout filming.
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Chapter 5: What criticisms does Maureen Callahan have about Sarah Jessica Parker's media appearances?
Parents no longer had them. When the director, who was Tim, said cut, Tim would come into the bedroom on the movie set and touch S.L. 's face. quote, private areas. SL provided a drawing to the interviewer showing how he was alone with Tim in this room. SL said that Tim would grab his waist with both hands while SL was lying on his back in the bed of the movie set.
Tim would then touch all over SL's body, including his, quote, private area, where SL described his private area as where he poops and pees. Timothy Busfield is interviewed over speakerphone by authorities. His wife is there. Tim said, my wife is there. Tim, Timothy said his wife is there. Don't fall for this. Hey, everybody, it's Tim bullshit.
I did ask Timothy, reading from the affidavit, if he ever had any physical contact with these boys and if he ever picked them up and tickled them. Timothy said it was highly likely that he would have. Why you are touching children, I have no idea. Children who are not your own. Timothy said it was a playful environment like he wanted. However, Timothy said that the dad...
Ronald would make SL and VL, that's the other brother, hug him, and he really didn't want them to. I did ask Timothy what the protocol was for touching children and picking them up and touching them. I also asked if that was allowed. Timothy initially said it's not allowed at all. There is no protocol. So it's either allowed or not allowed, but there's no protocol.
But you would only need a protocol if it were allowed, correct? Moving on. I mean, I'm always around people, right? What that has to do with anything, I have no fucking idea. It would be, you know, in front of the parents. There would never be a weird moment about it. I don't really remember picking those boys up. I remember picking up the boy who followed them.
I'd pick him up and he'd be giggling and that would sort of get him ready to act. Now, Timothy changes his story in the affidavit. Timothy then stated, I don't remember those boys. No, I don't. I don't actually. I don't remember it. If it happened, I don't remember overtly tickling the boys ever, but it wouldn't be uncommon for me. Arthur, Arthur. Excuse me, I'm so worked up.
Welcome to the nerve and tell me what you make of that deposition.
Well, the part that seems a little hard to believe from my understanding of the facts is that he doesn't remember those boys, where apparently there's gonna be some evidence that he and his bride, Melissa, took the boys out to dinner, at least on one occasion.
I don't know how many times you're taking out little kids who are strangers to dinner, but I think it would stand out in your memory that, you know, who they are and what this is all about. I really want to go back and focus on his video. That's a kind of a unique thing.
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Chapter 6: How does Arthur Aidala analyze Timothy Busfield's video statement?
I don't see him with the cops looking for him, with all the media looking for him, of him going and molesting another child. I just don't think that part of it is really...
part of the equation well he does have a history with this we have since learned that in 1996 busfield was ordered to pay 150 000 to the law firm that he defamed this law firm was representing another accuser of his and he said they defamed him by accusing him of of of a sexual violation of a minor and a judge ordered him to pay what it costs the law firm to fight those claims in court.
And then on Wednesday, we got, the news broke, the Daily Mail reported there's a new third accuser, a 16-year-old girl. The victim's father filed on Wednesday saying that when Timothy Busfield was auditioning this girl for a theater company he co-founded in California, he kissed this girl, he shoved his hands down her pants. I'll stop there. But it went on from there.
And that when the father confronted him, Busfield begged, begged the family not to file charges and said he would go into therapy. And the father, a therapist himself, said he thought that would perhaps be the best way. But Arthur, as we know, there is no therapizing or rehabilitating a child predator. I'm not saying he is one. I'm just saying it sounds like, in my opinion, he is one.
So you just touched on something that I was about to lead into. Let's see what the next couple of weeks, you know, who else pops up. So this happened in Puff Daddy's case, P. Diddy's case, where the initial thing came out and then other people... It happens all the time. It's not so uncommon that when one of these celebrities comes out and it's one person, usually it's a woman...
And then there's another one and another one and another one. What I was about to say was let's see what the next couple of weeks hold and are there different parents or adults going to a lawyer's office right now and saying, look, five years ago he did this to me, 10 years ago he did this to me. So that's really where we're gonna find out
the veracity of all of this going forward is is how you know how many other people are going to say this happened and if it's no one else and it's just these two boys well then you know what i mean look if it's the truth i have an eight nine year old boy of a 19 year old boy i mean it's i agree with you it's horrific to think about, but you have to let the justice system then play out, right?
There's evidence, there's witnesses, there's judges, there's juries, and I'm sure he's in for the fight of his life. And I feel bad for these little kids because if he does take it all the way to trial and they have to go into a courtroom and testify, and they will, everyone should understand what the law is from the Supreme Court of the United States. They can't testify on video.
They can't be in another room with a monitor. The confrontation clause in the United States of America, the Supreme Court has ruled, means confrontation face-to-face. So they have to be in a courtroom with the jurors, with the judge, with the court officers, with the prosecutors, with the defense attorneys, and with the person who they're accusing of doing this to.
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Chapter 7: What are the implications of the allegations against Timothy Busfield?
I agree with you, Arthur. But I think that sort of the onus is on the media and society to begin reframing this stuff, that like the only person who should really feel shame in a courtroom is the credibly accused and not those victims who will be forced to, as you said, confront their accuser face to face in a courtroom.
um let's let's talk to the uh let's speak to the uh the video the tmz video that piqued your interest as it did mine i found it very i do not think this is helping this guy's case and i'll tell you why hey everybody it's tim your friendly neighborhood, credibly accused child molester. And I know you're all rooting for me. Just hang in there. Hang in there. What is this?
The presumptuousness of this?
Well, we just listen. We just live in this virtual screen society. In the past, you're either the client or the lawyer on behalf of the client would have a written three sentence statement, you know, of the essence of what he said. You know, I understand these charges are very serious. I vehemently deny them and I will fight with every bone in my body to prove my innocence. Thank you.
But those are written words.
He needs a lawyer of your caliber, Arthur. Seriously, because I don't recall Harvey Weinstein who made movies for a living putting his face in front of a camera and giving a statement like that. Did he did it and it didn't work out well for him either.
Yeah, it's a lose-lose situation. You're never going to get Garner's sympathy. Look, here's the bottom line. When you get accused of something this serious, Hollywood is gone. The screen is gone. Your life is basically gone. And I alluded to Lawrence Taylor, who's the New York giant.
It's a big deal because- Would you remind us what he was tried for?
Yeah, rape. Lawrence Taylor is, the NFL just, the NFL just did the hundred greatest players of all time. He was voted the number one greatest defensive football player of all time. And a woman accused him of rape and he got a misdemeanor and community service on one case. And then when Gloria Allred sued him, it took the jury 10 minutes to come back and say he didn't do anything wrong.
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Chapter 8: How does Sarah Jessica Parker promote her new documentary?
They become more introverted, they become more quiet, they become more insecure. That's a piece of evidence that can be very, very damaging.
I would add to that, not only do those people, those witnesses have no reason to lie, they have every reason to try to cover for their boss. Because in Hollywood, you know, you want to secure the next job. You don't want to be known as the person who's causing problems on a set for a director, for a crew. So I think that that lends them more credence.
You know, I want to talk to you, too, about... the the us marshals going into the house upstate where timothy uh it's it's their retreat and um timothy and melissa's and the new york times profiled this house and this and this lovely couple um a few years back and what was striking to me about the house was not only is it really a dump i'm just going to be crude it's a dump but
But they have this wall in the living room where photos of people, Polaroids, hard copies of photos are just taped to the wall. And, you know, if this guy is guilty and I'm just going to say my opinion, I think he's guilty. OK, if he is, you know, it's very common for offenders to keep what they call trophies.
And I wonder if on that wall there are photos of any of the children that may have had the unfortunate happenstance to be in Timothy Busfield's purview. What do you think?
Am I crazy? I don't know. I'm not going to go. I'm not going to say you're crazy. What I'm going to say is a good law enforcement officer, a good or a journalist like yourself is going to look at every one of those pictures, try to identify every one of those people, and then go and speak to every one of those people. I mean, that's their job, right, to your point.
And let's see, what were your experiences like? Where was he with you? And a lot of people bury these things, right? A lot of people don't. You know, they repress something happening. So you need real professionals who know how to talk to people, especially if they're younger people, to pull out these horrible memories. But I kind of like that idea. You know, I have a little house somewhere.
I kind of like the idea of everyone walking in and me taking a Polaroid and sticking it on the wall. I think it would kind of look cool. Of course.
You should take a look at this house. Even the Times was like, you know, their house, it's more world of interiors than architectural digest.
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