NBC has pulled an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit featuring actor Timothy Busfield following child sex allegations against him.
The network made the decision after Busfield, an Emmy-winning actor who appeared in Field of Dreams and The West Wing, has been accused of child abuse and criminal sexual contact with a minor under the age of 13.
Busfield, 68, was set to appear in an episode of Law & Order: SVU titled “Corrosive,” which was scheduled to air on Jan. 15. The network has now replaced this week’s installment with the scheduled Jan. 22 episode, “Fidelis Ad Mortem.” It is unclear whether “Corrosive” will air at all, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Busfield previously appeared in the show in 2011 and directed two episodes in 2019.
The Daily Beast has reached out to NBC for comment.
Prosecutors in New Mexico filed criminal charges against Busfield on Friday stemming from alleged incidents on the set of the Fox drama The Cleaning Lady. Busfield was an executive producer for the show, also directing several episodes and appearing in the episode “My Way” in 2025.
The actor is accused of inappropriately touching two boys, 11-year-old twins, according to an arrest warrant issued by the Albuquerque Police Department and viewed by People. The magazine reported that one of the minors alleged that the incidents began when he was 7 years old.
The investigation began on Nov. 1, 2024, after police were alerted to sexual abuse allegations by a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital. The children’s parents went to the hospital at the recommendation of an attorney. In October 2025, the mother reported to New Mexico’s child protective services that the abuse took place between November 2022 and spring 2024, according to the complaint.
Warner Bros. TV, which produced The Cleaning Lady, investigated the allegations in 2025 after a separate, anonymous SAG-AFTRA complaint emerged from the show’s set. “The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority, especially the safety of minors on our productions,” the studio said in a statement. “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 currently not in custody. On Monday, the Albuquerque Police Department said it is working with the U.S. Marshal Service to arrest the actor. Busfield faced prior sexual assault allegations from a 17-year-old movie extra in 1994, which he denied and then unsuccessfully sued for defamation. He was also accused of groping a woman in a movie theater in 2012. He claimed was consensual.
The West Wing actor has been married to actor and producer Melissa Gilbert since 2013. Gilbert, 61, deleted her Instagram account this past weekend in the wake of the allegations against Busfield.
