Melissa Gilbert’s post about Timothy Busfield’s dismissal came on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, the same day a judge threw out the indictment against her husband. Gilbert shared a short quote on her Instagram grid and separately posted New York Times coverage of the ruling to her Instagram Story, according to Us Weekly.
The grid post featured the line “So shines a good deed in a weary world,” with no additional caption or commentary from Gilbert. On her Story, she shared the Times article under the headline “Judge Dismisses Child Sexual Abuse Charges Against Timothy Busfield,” per Us Weekly.
Melissa Gilbert’s Post And What It Shared
Gilbert’s two posts marked her first public reaction since the dismissal became public. The Instagram grid quote stood alone, while the Story repost pointed followers directly to the Times headline announcing the outcome of the case. Us Weekly reported both posts went up Friday, the day the news broke.
Background On The Dismissed Indictment
Judge Joseph Montaño granted a motion to quash the indictment against Busfield, 69, on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor, according to Us Weekly. Busfield was indicted by a grand jury in February on accusations that he inappropriately touched a child actor in incidents alleged to have happened on the set of “The Cleaning Lady” between late 2022 and early 2024.
Just Jared reported that Montaño found prosecutors had misrepresented the admissibility of lie detector evidence to the grand jury. The judge criticized prosecutors for failing to “act in a fair and impartial manner” and for violating grand jury statutes meant to protect the structural integrity of the grand jury system.
Busfield’s attorney said in a statement reported by Us Weekly that the actor maintained his innocence from the start and vowed to fight the charges, adding that “he did.” The court filing noted that the state remains free to pursue new criminal proceedings against Busfield.
What’s Next
No new charges have been filed against Busfield as of the dismissal, though the door remains open for the state to refile under the court’s ruling. Gilbert has not issued any additional public statement beyond the two Instagram posts she shared Friday.
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