Actor and director Timothy Busfield, known for his roles in Field of Dreams and TV series such as The West Wing and Thirtysomething, is the subject of an arrest warrant in New Mexico over allegations of sexually abusing a minor, the New York Post reported.
Court documents obtained by KOAT show that the investigation began in November 2024, after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital contacted police.
According to the documents, officers spoke with the parents of two boys who said their children, both actors on the Fox series The Cleaning Lady, had developed a closer relationship with Busfield after he joined the show as a director.
A warrant filed by Albuquerque police in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court on January 4 alleges that Busfield told the children to call him “Uncle Tim.” “(The mother) informed Officer Osborn that she had asked their children, VL and SL, who were eleven years old at the time, if anyone had ever touched them in a manner that made them feel uncomfortable,” as the affidavit states. “The children responded by asking, ‘You mean like Uncle Tim?”
While the boys did not report any sexual contact at the time, they told police that Busfield would “tickle them on their stomach and legs.” Authorities later determined that the evidence did not meet the threshold for charges at that point.
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According to the filing, Busfield, who directed episodes of The Cleaning Lady from 2022 to 2025, became “closer to the boys” during filming. He now faces two charges: sexual contact with a minor and child abuse. As of Friday afternoon, it was not clear whether the Emmy-winning actor had been formally booked.
In early October 2025, one parent reported to Child Protective Services that her children said Busfield had sexually abused them between November 2022 and spring 2024. According to the affidavit, one child told a therapist that Busfield touched both his “genitalia” and “bottom” while in a bedroom on the set of The Cleaning Lady.
Police said that when interviewed, Busfield admitted to only “playful” contact with the children on set. He suggested the allegations were motivated by the parents seeking “revenge” after their children were not brought back for the show’s final season.
Busfield has more than 700 combined credits in television and film as an actor, producer, and director. He won an Emmy in 1991 for his role as Elliot Weston on the acclaimed series Thirtysomething.