Melissa Gilbert says becoming grandparents with Timothy Busfield was ‘heaven’

Melissa Gilbert told PEOPLE in an exclusive 2023 interview that it was “heaven” to become grandparents with her husband, Timothy Busfield.

Speaking from the couple’s home on a 14-acre farm in the Catskill Mountains, she said of being a grandparent, “It’s been like heaven, because as a grandparent, I speak for both of them. As grandparents, Tim and I can relax in the knowledge that we’ve done so much, so there’s no stress. I’m not stressed at all. I look at the hawks. I raised a 2-year-old on my own.” It’s exhausting. After that, I took a nap for an hour. But we were both very relaxed and were able to just play and have fun and give back. ”

She added, “At the end of the day, we’re still sleeping and taking our time. There’s a reason we have kids at such a young age. Spending more than four or five hours with a two-year-old is physically destructive. It’s like holding seven Bikram yoga glasses back to back in a sweaty room.”

In a surprising turn of events, an arrest warrant issued by the Albuquerque Police Department and obtained by PEOPLE on Friday, January 9, alleges that Busfield engaged in illicit sexual acts with his 11-year-old twin brother on the set of FOX’s Cleaning Women, with one of the minors claiming the incident began when he was 7 years old.

Representatives for Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Busfield did not respond to requests for comment. During the investigation, Busfield told police that his parents were upset that their son had been replaced by a younger actor who had auditioned, according to the warrant. Shortly after, Ms. Busfield received a call from Warner Bros. informing her that they were investigating the complaint.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a representative for Warner Bros. Television said, “The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority, especially the safety of minors who appear in our productions. We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate and take appropriate action when necessary.”

“(We) have and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement,” the spokesperson added.

Over the years, Gilbert often described Busfield as a loving father and husband. Since tying the knot in a small ceremony in Santa Barbara in 2013, the Little House on the Prairie actress, 61, and The West Wing actor, 68, have given numerous glimpses of their happy family life, including eight grandchildren from their blended family.

Read more of what Gilbert and Busfield have previously said about their life together.

Gilbert shared the secret to maintaining a successful marriage for over 10 years.

Shortly after celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary, Gilbert revealed his secret to making a marriage last while speaking to host Jennie Garth on the I Choose Me podcast.

“I think it’s part of the fact that this is a partnership and that we do everything with each other in mind, and that we’re very considerate of each other and we have very much respect for each other,” she said on the July 29 episode. “Therefore, no decision is made in isolation.”

“Everything is discussed and shared. And it’s very comfortable, very calm and easy,” she added. “I mean, we have our moments, but they’re very few and far between for both of us. Even our arguments are constructive.”

Gilbert celebrates 12th wedding anniversary with ‘the love of his life’

On the couple’s 12th wedding anniversary on April 24, Gilbert shared a sweet tribute to Busfield on social media.

“12 years of true partnership, love, laughter, caring, dedication, passion, laughs, cooking, kids, grandkids, chickens, dogs, homemaking, movies, theater, and TV,” she wrote alongside a throwback photo of the couple from their wedding day. “For 12 years we wrote together, traveled together, hugged each other, had delicious meals, romantic vacations, spooned, pondered, meditated, and prayed.”

“For 12 years, I took baseball, yoga and dance classes,” she continued. “12 years of adventure, comfort, care and synergy. 12 years married. 12 perfect years with the person I love, with the face I love and the soul I love. How lucky I am. I love you @timbusfield. Happy Anniversary.”

Gilbert compared his encounter with Bassfield to being “struck by lightning”.

In a September 2025 interview with PEOPLE, Gilbert revealed that she met Busfield in 2012 on her way to a bar in Los Angeles. And while it wasn’t necessarily love at first sight, it didn’t take long for her to realize that they were meant to be together.

“It’s a cliché, but it really felt like being struck by lightning,” she explains, adding, “It seemed natural and inevitable. … The next morning I woke up and the first thing I thought was, ‘I’m going to marry him,’ and the second thing I thought was, ‘You’re crazy.'”

“So I thought, ‘Well, why don’t we start with brunch?'” I picked up my phone and texted him, asking if he wanted to meet up. “He texted me (at the same time) and asked if I wanted to meet up for brunch,” she continued. “That’s when I thought, ‘Maybe I’m not that crazy. Maybe this is right.'” We met for brunch, and I knew… it just made sense. ”

Mr. Gilbert was delighted with the 14-acre farm and eight grandchildren he shared with Mr. Busfield.

When discussing aging and menopause with PEOPLE in November 2023, Gilbert said she finds joy in the simple things in life, like maintaining the couple’s farm in the Catskill Mountains.

“We love doing silly little chores together, like cleaning the chicken coop, making sure the treats are eaten, and playing with the dogs,” she said at the time. “We play backgammon a lot. We cook together. And we really like sitting next to each other in the room, no matter where we are. We really enjoy being together.”

She also clarified that she would rather spend time with her grandchildren than maintain a “size 2” body shape any time.

“That’s not my life right now,” she said. “It’s achievable, but it’s fleeting. You have to keep doing it. I did it in my 20s, and I don’t have the wherewithal to do it anymore. If that’s what you want to do with your time, that’s great. I’d rather get down in the sandbox and play with my grandkids.”

Busfield said she wasn’t looking for love when she met Gilbert, but she quickly realized “she was the one.”

In May 2022, the actor told PEOPLE that during his second divorce in 2012, he found Gilbert sitting at an empty bar he frequented.

“There was a bar right across from Universal Studios that opened at 8 o’clock, and no one was there,” he recalled. “Then at 10 o’clock, it turned into a club. For the first 45 minutes, we had the bar to ourselves, watching sports and slicing.”

“I distinctly remember picking up my pizza and peeking in the door to make sure nothing was going on. There was one person sitting at the bar, and she was wearing a fedora, and I didn’t know who it was, but I knew there was trouble,” he continued. “And it was the first time in about eight months that I hadn’t been on a date, and I was just so happy and really enjoying spooning on my pillow and sleeping without being romantically involved.”

But soon Busfield found himself striking up a conversation with the twice-divorced actress, and they ended up talking all night.

“I knew she was the one,” he emphasized. “It felt very real.”