Who Is Melissa Gilbert’s Husband? Her Marriage History
A factual timeline of Melissa Gilbert’s marriages to Bo Brinkman, Bruce Boxleitner and Timothy Busfield, with dates and family context.
Who Is Melissa Gilbert’s Husband? Her Marriage History
Melissa Gilbert's husband is actor and director Timothy Busfield, whom she married in 2013. Previously, she was married to Bo Brinkman and Bruce Boxleitner. This page provides the marriage chronology and carefully separates public relationship milestones from developing legal reporting involving another person.
| Spouse | Marriage year | Publicly reported ending |
| Bo Brinkman | 1988 | Divorce reported in 1990s |
| Bruce Boxleitner | 1995 | 2011 |
| Timothy Busfield | 2013 | Married as reported Nov. 1, 2026 |
Dates and descriptions are the historical reporting snapshot.
Her first marriage: Bo Brinkman
Gilbert married actor Bo Brinkman in 1988. They welcomed a son, Dakota, in 1989. Published biographical timelines differ slightly in how they summarize the couple's separation and divorce, so the marriage is usually listed as 1988–1994 in standard reference profiles. A separation date should not be silently substituted for a finalized divorce date.
This relationship belongs in a spouse timeline, not a complete biography of their child. Searchers often see Dakota's name in old profiles and assume that every reference to her family identifies a child from the same relationship. Her two sons have different fathers, which is explained in the dedicated children guide.
Her second marriage: Bruce Boxleitner
In 1995, Gilbert married actor Bruce Boxleitner. They had a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, who was named in part in honor of Michael Landon. Gilbert was also a stepmother to Boxleitner's children from an earlier relationship. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2011 after a long public partnership.
A timeline should distinguish their careers from the marriage itself. Both worked in entertainment before and during the relationship. They were not married simply because they appeared in related industry coverage, and their credited film and television roles belong in their separate filmographies.
Timothy Busfield: marriage since 2013
Gilbert and Busfield married in 2013 and have discussed family life and grandparenthood in interviews. Both entered the marriage with children from previous relationships, making the wider household a blended family. Descriptions such as 'husband' refer to this publicly documented marriage, not a rumor about a newly announced relationship.
An important date check for readers in late 2026: Busfield was charged in New Mexico in early 2026 and denied the allegations. On October 16, 2026, a judge dismissed the indictment, citing problems in the grand-jury process, according to Associated Press reporting published October 19. A dismissal is a procedural legal outcome; this article does not speculate about future proceedings or assert guilt.
What this timeline does and does not cover
The marriages to Brinkman, Boxleitner and Busfield are separate relationships with identifiable dates. Rumors, casual dating reports and unverified social-media claims do not establish an additional marriage. It is also inappropriate to interpret photographs at events as evidence of divorce or reconciliation.
For readers focused on children, stepchildren and grandchildren, separate pages answer those narrower questions. Keeping the topics apart makes the spouse timeline useful without turning it into a sprawling collection of family stories or legal speculation.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Melissa Gilbert married to?
Timothy Busfield; they married in 2013.
How many times has she been married?
Three times: to Bo Brinkman, Bruce Boxleitner and Timothy Busfield.
Related guides: melissa gilbert children | melissa gilbert timothy busfield grandparents