Timothy Busfield’s Guest Appearance on ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Removed After Child Abuse Allegations
NBC has decided to pull an upcoming episode of Law & Order: SVU, featuring guest star Timothy Busfield, which was originally scheduled to air on Thursday, January 15. It will be replaced by a different episode that was intended for the following week, January 22.
This decision follows the issuance of an arrest warrant for Busfield on Friday, stemming from charges of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse. These charges relate to allegations of inappropriate behavior towards two child actors on the set of the Fox/Warner Bros TV series The Cleaning Lady, where Busfield served as director and executive producer.
If convicted, Busfield faces a minimum sentence of three years in prison.
Authorities became involved in this case in late 2024 when a medical professional from the University of New Mexico Hospital reported concerns to the Albuquerque Police Department regarding a "sexual abuse investigation" involving the child actors, who are both brothers born in 2014.
The episode set for replacement, titled "Corrosive," fits within the show’s focus on sex crimes, as it centers on a respected judge whose life is threatened, igniting a complex investigation by the SVU team. The plot delves into heavy themes of trauma and recovery, particularly highlighting Detective Amanda Rollins’ (Kelli Giddish) efforts to support a victim grappling with past abuse.
Dominic Patten contributed to this report.
