Melissa Gilbert is making a major change in her living situation amid ongoing legal challenges involving her husband, actor Timothy Busfield.
The 62-year-old Little House on the Prairie star recently revealed that she is moving out of her New York City apartment. In an Instagram post shared on June 23, Gilbert gave fans a glimpse into the packing process, posting photos of boxes and belongings as she prepared to leave the home she has occupied for years.
The move comes during a difficult period for Gilbert and Busfield. The couple, who married in 2013, have remained largely private as Busfield faces child sex abuse allegations. Busfield has denied wrongdoing, and the legal proceedings are ongoing.
Click on photo to link to Instagram post
Gilbert rose to fame as Laura Ingalls on the hit TV series Little House on the Prairie, which aired from 1974 to 1983. Over the years, she has continued acting, writing and advocating for various causes, while also sharing updates about her personal life with fans on social media.
While Gilbert did not directly address the allegations against her husband in her moving announcement, she described the relocation as the end of a chapter and offered followers a candid look at the emotional and physical process of packing up her longtime New York home.
Gilbert posted, “So long perfect little one bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side. The last eight years here have been so special. A lot of amazing work was done in and around this city . So many theaters and soundstages . So many wonderful dinners with friends and nights out on the town. I’ll miss the walking and our neighborhood, the subway rides, the amazing people I’ve met there and on the streets. This city truly has a pulse. You can feel it in your heart. Goodbye favorite newsstand, bodega, dance studio, and laundry. Goodbye shoe repair, dry cleaners, nail salon . Goodbye sweet neighbors whom we love so much. And a very fond “farewell and see you soon” to our favorite city in the world. I promise we will be back it’s just that right now…..well….you know. Excited to live in our wonderful home upstate full time for a good long while.”
In her Instagram post, Melissa Gilbert shared several photos documenting her move out of her New York City apartment. One image showed stacks of labeled moving boxes lined up against a wall, while another featured Gilbert lying on the floor beside them. She also included a photo of the apartment before packing began and ended the post with a video tour showing nearly empty rooms, a mattress propped against a bedroom wall, and furniture and flattened boxes waiting to be moved.
The move comes as Gilbert’s husband, Timothy Busfield, continues to face legal challenges. In February, a New Mexico grand jury indicted the actor on four counts of criminal sexual contact involving a child under 13. Busfield, who has denied the allegations, pleaded not guilty to all charges. His attorneys have since asked the court to dismiss the indictment, alleging misconduct during the grand jury proceedings.
Busfield was initially arrested in January on separate charges related to alleged incidents involving two 11-year-old boys. He was later released following a pretrial detention hearing.
Gilbert has publicly supported her husband throughout the case. In an April interview with Good Morning America, she said she is “100% confident” that Busfield will be cleared of the allegations and said she believes his account of what happened.
