Popular 1990s actor faces child abuse allegations. Settled similar case 30 years ago

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WhatInThe

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A popular actor from the 1990s faces new child abuse allegations. An investigation found he settled a similar case 30 years ago.. Actor Timothy Busfield famous for 1990s TV shows like the West Wing and Thirty Something has been accused of child sexual abuse in New Mexico

‘West Wing’ star Timothy Busfield was ordered to pay $150K for case involving allegations of child sex assault 30 years before arrest warrant

Current allegations include grooming minors are from/while working on the tv show The Cleaning Lady in 2024.

Similar case 30 years ago? Not buying a coincidence regardless of outcome.
 

Once a sexual predator, always a sexual predator..... My late husband was involved for many years in investigating and prosecuting abuse cases and he always said you can't "rehabilitate" a sexual predator. You can make him (or her) scared enough to cease their activities, but you cannot change their mind set. It's always going to be there.
 

I read that Daniel Stern from the movie “Home Alone” was cited for soliciting a prostitute.
I guess it’s like to each his/her own. I never thought I could risk doing a prostitute for many reasons.
 
oldman said:
I read that Daniel Stern from the movie “Home Alone” was cited for soliciting a prostitute.
I guess it’s like to each his/her own. I never thought I could risk doing a prostitute for many reasons.
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People too easily conflate the actor's characters with real life. But we to remember they are actors.

And many 'act' 24/7 not just to make a living but to cover up their deeds and habits. Addicts and alkies over time become excellent actors. As do some 'successful' serial killers. They learn to read what people what and give it to them to seem normal
 
WhatInThe said:
People too easily conflate the actor's characters with real life. But we to remember they are actors.

And many 'act' 24/7 not just to make a living but to cover up their deeds and habits. Addicts and alkies over time become excellent actors. As do some 'successful' serial killers. They learn to read what people what and give it to them to seem normal
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Re: your first sentence/statement- that topic is one of the latest 'bunches of crap'.. my comment about Melissa Gilbert is a recent example.. and only counting what I've noticed, covered Mila Kunis, Molly Ringwald, and the actor/actress that long ago played in a movie of Romeo & Juliet..
 
Sunkist said:
Re: your first sentence/statement- that topic is one of the latest 'bunches of crap'.. my comment about Melissa Gilbert is a recent example.. and only counting what I've noticed, covered Mila Kunis, Molly Ringwald, and the actor/actress that long ago played in a movie of Romeo & Juliet..
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The so called 'casting couch'? Ringwald talked about it but never filed charges or a suit. Kunis and husband gave 1970s costar a reference as/after he was convicted of rape.

The good news here they got an investigation and criminal charges fairly quick so we'll see how it plays out. He'll have to turn himself in New Mexico to avoid a fugitive warrant and associated PR if he should ignore the charges.
 
WhatInThe said:
The so called 'casting couch'? Ringwald talked about it but never filed charges or a suit. Kunis and husband gave 1970s costar a reference as/after he was convicted of rape.

The good news here they got an investigation and criminal charges fairly quick so we'll see how it plays out. He'll have to turn himself in New Mexico to avoid a fugitive warrant and associated PR if he should ignore the charges.
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Oh no, I didn't mean actors/actresses involved in so-called casting couch messes.. I mean, as one example, Molly R.'s role in The Breakfast Club involved kissing a co-star whose name I can't place, and recently read a big deal is being made of it because she was around 16 at the time and he was in his mid-twenties.
Or Melissa G.'s role in 'Little House,' her co-star was in his twenties, one recent news thing showed her with hashtags going 'I was fifteen- I was a CHILD!'

I didn't mean Mila Kunis's & Ashton Kutcher's costar, I meant the pair themselves.. one local individual was recently claiming Kutcher 'groomed' Kunis during the show because they had a few years' age difference at the time.

All I really know about Gary B. is he was in a movie about a musician and he did a lot of drugs. There was something in the news today about Melissa getting rid of her Instagram, but I didn't read it in depth, so I don't know if it was about the charges against him or some other reason.
 
MarciKS said:
What I find odd is why wait 30 yrs to report something like that unless you're being shady. It makes no sense.

I always feel like they're just doing it for the $$ at that point.
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Thanks for being a rare person who has the sense/guts to say that.
Unless a person is a young child who's confused or afraid to speak up, virtually all of the many-years-later claims are malarky.
And hopefully most people are aware that the so-called 'memory' issue was exposed as a scam decades ago.

I've only seen brief references to Gary Busey's charges, so I don't know much of anything about it, I'm just talking about the subject in general- one celebrity after another.
 
MarciKS said:
What I find odd is why wait 30 yrs to report something like that unless you're being shady. It makes no sense.

I always feel like they're just doing it for the $$ at that point.
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30 years ago he made the payout for similar allegations different people. The 2024 allegations are new/separate unassociated from what happened 30 years ago.

But wouldn't/shouldn't being accused of the same thing 30 years later show a pattern?
 
Sunkist said:
Oh no, I didn't mean actors/actresses involved in so-called casting couch messes.. I mean, as one example, Molly R.'s role in The Breakfast Club involved kissing a co-star whose name I can't place, and recently read a big deal is being made of it because she was around 16 at the time and he was in his mid-twenties.
Or Melissa G.'s role in 'Little House,' her co-star was in his twenties, one recent news thing showed her with hashtags going 'I was fifteen- I was a CHILD!'

I didn't mean Mila Kunis's & Ashton Kutcher's costar, I meant the pair themselves.. one local individual was recently claiming Kutcher 'groomed' Kunis during the show because they had a few years' age difference at the time.

All I really know about Gary B. is he was in a movie about a musician and he did a lot of drugs. There was something in the news today about Melissa getting rid of her Instagram, but I didn't read it in depth, so I don't know if it was about the charges against him or some other reason.
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I think I know what your talking about with Melissa Gilbert. I think it was the DM that did a piece on having much older costar as her boyfriend or husband in the show. I think she said with Michael Landon on set she felt safe. But if she was 15 that falls on her parents or guardian for allowing it. But they want to ride the fame/money train too.

But that's a good example on how a lot of 'stuff' is tolerated enabling the real creeps.-
 
WhatInThe said:
30 years ago he made the payout for similar allegations different people. The 2024 allegations are new/separate unassociated from what happened 30 years ago.

But wouldn't/shouldn't being accused of the same thing 30 years later show a pattern?
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Maybe. But why would he wait 30 yrs to commit it again? As i said, makes no sense.
 
MarciKS said:
What I find odd is why wait 30 yrs to report something like that unless you're being shady. It makes no sense.

I always feel like they're just doing it for the $$ at that point.
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Don't forget what was done to women who reported rapes 30 years ago. They were "raped" again in court and made to feel like they were the perpetrators. Young girls are afraid, their parents may want them to keep silent to avoid the shame. Actresses who want to keep their careers are told to keep quiet about sexual improprieties, especially if the perpetrator is a powerful person or more well known and liked. Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly aware that sometimes people lie to get money.
 
WhatInThe said:
I think I know what your talking about with Melissa Gilbert.
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Yes, I saw this a while ago, too. At the time I wondered why she'd bring it up out of the blue. Then I did some research and the conclusion was always that Melissa was uncomfortable with the kissing scenes and Dean was always respectful and they worked through it. But even more, I kept finding that they remain friends to this day, so I don't know why she thought it would be wise to mention it.

When she needed to do those kissing scenes, she was 15 and he was 23. I don't think she ever accused anything inappropriate so... weird to bring it up. Anyhow, I wanted to research a little more yesterday and it appears that it's not just Instagram... her X account is "missing" as well.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Don't forget what was done to women who reported rapes 30 years ago. They were "raped" again in court and made to feel like they were the perpetrators. Young girls are afraid, their parents may want them to keep silent to avoid the shame. Actresses who want to keep their careers are told to keep quiet about sexual improprieties, especially if the perpetrator is a powerful person or more well known and liked. Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly aware that sometimes people lie to get money.
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I will never understand that. If that had happened to me, there's no way I would've kept my mouth shut or waited 30 years to say something.

My school principal was inappropriate with me one day and first thing I did when I got home was tell my mother.

I just have a really hard time buying it. I respect your opinion, but I don't always agree.
 
This is a different NEW accusation from the 30 yr old ones. the accusers are young boys.
I wonder how many happened in that time frame.

I read the article about her experience while filming "little house on the prairie" and thought it was odd she was bringing it up now.
Her parent or guardian should have spoken up, and Michael Landon could have come up with scene that implied kissing instead.

I think we see these things in a much different lens now and looking back at Many films etc .....we may feel they were over a line based on today's views.
 
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Jeni said:
This is a different NEW accusation from the 30 yr old ones. the accusers are young boys.
I wonder how many happened in that time frame.

I read the article about her experience while filming "little house on the prairie" and thought it was odd she was bringing it up now.
Her parent or guardian should have spoken up, and Michael Landon could have come up with scene that implied kissing instead.

I think we see these things in a much different lens now and looking back at Many films etc .....we may feel they were over a line based on today's views.
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Frankly, I think 'today's views' have gone way out of line.
In the Melissa G. situation, for example, whichever person/people were in charge of choosing actors/actresses for roles probably did so to make the characters seem as real-life as possible.. I don't know the specifics, but wasn't the real-life "Laura" considerably younger than her husband? If so, I wouldn't be surprised if their descendants called their marriage 'sexual abuse' too.
 
Sunkist said:
Frankly, I think 'today's views' have gone way out of line.
In the Melissa G. situation, for example, whichever person/people were in charge of choosing actors/actresses for roles probably did so to make the characters seem as real-life as possible.. I don't know the specifics, but wasn't the real-life "Laura" considerably younger than her husband? If so, I wouldn't be surprised if their descendants called their marriage 'sexual abuse' too.
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exactly in the books the husband was older as were many couples back in the timeframe the show was supposed to represent.
 
MarciKS said:
I will never understand that. If that had happened to me, there's no way I would've kept my mouth shut or waited 30 years to say something.

My school principal was inappropriate with me one day and first thing I did when I got home was tell my mother.

I just have a really hard time buying it. I respect your opinion, but I don't always agree.
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It's more than an "opinion" Marci. it's something I personally had to deal with in my early twenties. I won't go into the details here.
 
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