In this Jan. 19, 2010 photo, Timothy Busfield attends a premiere in New York. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images, FILE)
Timothy Busfield, an actor and director best known for his role as Danny Concannon on The West Wing, is facing charges of criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse, according to an arrest warrant out of New Mexico.
Busfield is accused of inappropriately touching a child actor on the set of The Cleaning Lady, a television series that Busfield directed and acted in, according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC News.
The actor faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse, according to the arrest warrant issued Friday by the Albuquerque Police Department.
It’s unclear if the actor is currently in custody. ABC News reached out to Busfield via his agent and did not immediately hear back.
The actor denied the allegations when interviewed by investigators, the criminal complaint says.
According to court documents, the parents of the boy reported that the alleged abuse began in 2022 when the child was 7 years old.
The investigation began in November 2024, after a physician at University of New Mexico Hospital examined the child and notified police of suspected sexual abuse, according to the criminal complaint.
An officer interviewed the children’s parents, who told investigators that the minor and his twin brother were child actors, the criminal complaint says. The children did not report sexual abuse at the time, according to the complaint.
The victim’s mother later reported to child protective services that Busfield had allegedly sexually abused her son from around November 2022 to Spring 2024.
Attorneys for Warner Bros., which produced The Cleaning Lady, told police they previously conducted an independent investigation into the allegations but said they could not find evidence to support the claims at the time, according to the complaint.
In a statement provided to ABC News by a company spokesperson, Warner Bros. Television said: “We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and when needed, take appropriate action. We are aware of the current charges against Mr. Busfield and have been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement.”
Busfield is married to actress Melissa Gilbert.
Court records for Busfield detailing an initial appearance or bond conditions were not immediately available.
Authorities said the case remains under investigation.
A photo of Meryl Streep. (Brigitte Lacombe) | The book cover of ‘The Corrections.’ (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Meryl Streep’s next project is in the works.
Netflix has announced plans to make a limited series adaptation of the award-winning novel The Corrections. Streep is set to star as Enid in the small-screen version of the bestselling book by Jonathan Franzen.
American Fiction writer and director Cord Jefferson will helm the series from a script written and adapted by Franzen. Additionally, Jefferson and Streep will both executive produce the project.
The Corrections is described as a comedic and tragic portrait of a Midwestern family and three adult siblings who resist their mother’s wish for one last Christmas together, “each undone by the delusional ambitions that were supposed to save them from becoming their parents,” according to a description from Netflix.
The novel was published in 2001 and became a #1 New York Times bestseller. It follows older couple Enid and Alfred, as well as their children, Gary, Chip and Denise, during a tense holiday gathering.
There is currently no word on further casting or when audiences can expect to watch the show.
Ariana Grande attends the 97th Academy Awards in March 2025. (Disney/Eric McCandless)
We’ve got our first look at Ariana Grande in Focker In-Law, the latest installment in the Meet the Parents movie franchise.
In a teaser that dropped Tuesday ahead of the trailer, we see Robert De Niro as Jack Byrnes administering a lie detector test, but not to Ben Stiller’s Greg Focker. Greg pokes his head around the corner and we see that it’s Ariana hooked up. “The old machine,” he says.
“Yes or no — the Focker In-Law trailer comes out tomorrow?” reads the text.
“Yes,” Ariana confirms. “You clearly know your stuff,” Jack replies.
“No lies detected. The trailer for Focker-In-Law debuts tomorrow!” reads the caption.
In the new film, Ariana plays Olivia Jones, who’s set to marry Greg’s son. As Ari told Varietyin December, “I play his son’s girlfriend who he’s not sure of or connecting with. He’s very against me. And the worst part — his character’s nightmare is — I get along gorgeously with Robert De Niro’s character, Jack. He loves me, and I get immediate approval from the rest of the family.”
