University revokes Timothy Busfield's honourary degree amid child abuse charges

Mentions of Timothy Busfield have been taken down from East Tennessee State University (ETSU)'s website.

As of Wednesday, the day after the 68-year-old actor faced charges for two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and one count of child abuse, Busfield’s information is absent from the ETSU online platform.

Busfield was previously featured in multiple university articles and web pages, including “5 Questions with Timothy Busfield,” “Alumni Hall of Fame,” and “Timothy Busfield to speak at ETSU's spring Commencement."

The West Wing star attended ETSU for a short time in the 1970s but didn't graduate, as noted by the local source WJHL. In May 2024, the university awarded him an honorary doctorate, and he delivered a speech at the spring commencement ceremony that same year.

On Tuesday, Busfield, who is married to actress Melissa Gilbert, turned himself in to the authorities following an arrest warrant issued by the Albuquerque Police Department earlier in the week.

He appeared for his first court session on January 14 from a facility in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, where he remains without bail awaiting a pretrial detention hearing.

According to details from the warrant shared by PEOPLE, Busfield is accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual actions with 11-year-old twin boys.

One of the alleged victims revealed that the incidents supposedly started when he was 7 years old.

Their parents disclosed that the twins were child actors and encountered Busfield on the set of the FOX show, The Cleaning Lady, where he was involved as a director starting in season 2 (airing in 2022).

The pretrial detention document filed by prosecutors on Wednesday, and obtained by PEOPLE, noted another sexual abuse claim against Busfield.

On Tuesday, a father, Colin Swift, reported to authorities that Busfield allegedly abused Swift's daughter "several years ago" in Sacramento, California.

"While auditioning for [Busfield] at B Street Theatre, the 16-year-old reported that [Busfield] kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched her privates," the motion described.

Busfield reportedly "begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy," and Swift, being a "therapist himself, thought at the time that was the best thing to do."

Investigations first started on November 1, 2024, after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) notified police about possible sexual abuse.

Following advice from an attorney, the parents had brought their twin boys to UNMH, where the warrant mentioned that professionals suspected the children might have been "groomed.”

It was later found that the situation didn’t meet the necessary standards for official action at that point.

In October 2025, the mother of the alleged victims lodged a police complaint and stated to Child Protective Services (CPS) that “her children both disclosed that there was sexual abuse by Timothy from around November 2022 to Spring 2024."

She was informed that further action couldn't be pursued at that time, as there was no physical abuse, as per the warrant.

The mother informed authorities on September 2, 2025, and September 22, 2025, that her son reported to his counsellor about inappropriate touching by Busfield, as per the warrant.

According to the warrant, Busfield allegedly claimed to police that the parents were displeased that their sons were replaced by a younger actor who auditioned.

When asked if he had ever lifted or tickled the children, Busfield purportedly responded that it was “highly likely that he would have” as he aimed to maintain “a playful environment.”

Shortly afterwards, Warner Bros. Television commenced an external investigation. The findings indicated that an individual “claimed to have witnessed" an incident in the hair and make-up trailer, where "executive producer/director Tim Busfield allegedly entered and kissed a minor male on the face as the minor was getting a haircut” in December 2024, as noted in the warrant.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a Warner Bros. Television spokesperson said, "The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority, especially the safety of minors on our productions.

"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] have been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement."

"Hi everybody, it's Tim," the video started. "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 the car, drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque. I'm gonna confront these lies. They're horrible."

He added, "They're all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys and 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,” he concluded. “I love everybody for supporting me, thank you."

The same day Busfield handed himself over, a spokesperson for Gilbert, who has been married to Busfield since 2013, issued a statement on her behalf stating that she is "honoring the request of Tim’s lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds."

"During this period, her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment," the statement noted.

"Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time. We ask that their privacy be respected.”