NBC replaced actor Timothy Busfield with "Dexter" alum David Zayas for an upcoming guest appearance on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" after Busfield's recent arrest on child sexual abuse charges.
A spokesperson for the network confirmed the casting change to Entertainment Weekly on Tuesday.
Zayas, who previously guest-starred on the show in 2002, has completed filming his scenes for the episode titled "Corrosive."
Originally scheduled for a mid-January broadcast, the episode was delayed after legal allegations against Busfield surfaced in New Mexico.
The "Corrosive" episode was pulled from its Jan. 15 time slot and replaced by an installment titled "Fidelis ad mortem."
While the status of the episode remained uncertain for several weeks, NBC has now scheduled the revised version featuring Zayas to air on Feb. 6.
The production pivot follows a Jan. 10 warrant issued for Busfield's arrest. According to court documents reviewed by Entertainment Weekly, the 68-year-old actor faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse.
The charges stem from accusations made by 11-year-old twin boys who worked on the Fox crime drama "The Cleaning Lady," where Busfield served as an executive producer.
The warrant indicates that the alleged misconduct was reported as early as November 2024.
At that time, a physician at the University of New Mexico Hospital initiated an investigation following claims from the minors' mother that Busfield "groomed" her sons on set between 2022 and 2024.
Busfield surrendered to law enforcement on Jan. 13.
In a video obtained by TMZ, he denied all charges, stating: "I did not do anything to those little boys, and I'm going to fight it. I'm going to fight it with a great team, and I'm going to be exonerated." He further characterized the allegations as "all lies."
Busfield's wife, actor Melissa Gilbert, has signaled her support for her husband.
Her publicist, Ame Van Iden, stated that Gilbert "stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time." Gilbert was present for Busfield's initial court appearance in Bernalillo County on Jan. 20.
The "Law & Order: SVU" recasting is one of several professional repercussions for the actor.
Amazon MGM Studios announced plans to digitally remove Busfield from the upcoming romantic comedy "You Deserve Each Other."
His character, Bernie, the father of the lead character played by Meghann Fahy, will be removed from the film, which also stars Penn Badgley and Justin Long.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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