‘Law & Order: SVU’ Episode With Timothy Busfield Pulled Following Child Abuse Charges

Warning: The following post reports on allegations of child sexual abuse.

NBC has pulled an upcoming episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit featuring actor Timothy Busfield in a guest role. The move comes following news that an arrest warrant was issued on Friday, January 9, for the Emmy Award-winning actor and director on child sex abuse charges involving a young actor.

Busfield was slated to guest star in the Season 27 episode titled “Corrosive,” which had been scheduled to air on Thursday, January 15. He was set to play Judge Warren Fels in a story described by the official logline: “An attempt on a respected judge’s life is connected to an anonymous video posted to the SVU tip line. Rollins tries to help a victim come to terms with their abuse.”

The episode “Corrosive” will be replaced by an episode originally scheduled for January 22, “Fidelis Ad Mortem.”

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News broke last Friday after Busfield was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse. According to Variety, the investigation involves twin boys who were actors on the 2022 series The Cleaning Lady, on which Busfield was directing. According to the report, one of the boys told authorities that Busfield touched him inappropriately when he was seven years old and again a year later when he was eight.

According to the affidavit, the boy stated that “he was afraid to tell anyone because Tim was the Director, and he feared Tim would get mad at him.” It was also stated in the affidavit that the young actor was “very afraid of Tim and was relieved when he was off set.”

Busfield’s role in “Corrosive” would have marked his second appearance on the show. Busfield’s first appearance on Law & Order: SVU was in the Season 13 episode “Russian Brides” as a character named Daniel Carter. In addition to acting, he previously directed two episodes of the long-running NBC drama and was a familiar face in the original Law & Order franchise, having both directed and starred in episodes of the flagship show.

No word on if the episode will be rescheduled.

Law & Order: SVU, Thursdays, 9/8c, NBC

If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network‘s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is the victim of child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.