Tabloids and blogs picked up on the earlier claims dating back decades, releasing a series of blind items insinuating Busfield was the culprit of various incidents. Radar obtained the select posts police have deemed evidence in the case, including one involving Jennifer Love Hewitt, with celebrity gossipers indicating his alleged behavior has been an open secret in the industry.
A blind item from 2018 claimed to come from a “former A+ list tweener,” who was not directly identified. The post, however, was tagged The Fosters and Timothy Busfield.
The blind item post provided quotes purportedly directly from the source, who said, “The network brass at this huge family of networks is complicit in allowing predators to continue to work for their company, many times after they are exposed. On my last series, I personally witnessed the producers and show runners fondle, kiss, hug, and even force male actors to sit on their lap. One of the kids on the show was just 12 years old. What I saw shocked me to my core and honestly wouldn’t be surprised if my decision not to play the game had something to do with me being fired.”
The former tween star described the environment as “the most uncomfortable, unprofessional, sadistic, agenda-driven set.” He further claimed the showrunners and studio heads “seemingly conditioned everyone on the set to become accustomed to this inappropriate behavior.”
The star compared his prior experiences in the industry when he was a teen actor. He admitted that during The Fosters, he was not a teen star, merely witnessing alleged behavior toward his younger co-stars. However, his prior experience on a TV set, when he was underage, primed him to recognize “grooming of young talent and physical contact between older men and young actors” at his next job.
In addition to misconduct with children, he claimed the show’s director was “using drugs” with two adult castmates while on set. “They made me promise to stay quiet. And it was definitely one of the worst experiences of my life,” he added.
Fears of blacklisting were rampant among the crew, he claimed. The star alleged, “No working professional wants to risk losing their source of income.” He added, “Tutors who speak out on set are fired. The people who are responsible for looking out for the welfare of minors on set are very complicit in allowing the behavior to continue.”
