Melissa Gilbert Prompts Mixed Response as She Sings to '90s Hit: 'You Gotta Be Bad, You Gotta Be Bold, You Gotta Be Wiser'
Melissa Gilbert Prompts Mixed Response as She Sings to '90s Hit: 'You Gotta Be Bad, You Gotta Be Bold, You Gotta Be Wiser'
Liza EsquibiasMon, February 23, 2026 at 6:04 PM UTC
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Melissa Gilbert Sings and Dances to '90s Song 'You Gotta Be', Timothy Busfield arrives for a hearing in the Second District Judicial Court
Modern Prairie/Instagram; Sam Wasson/Getty
On Feb. 23, Melissa Gilbert shared a new video on Instagram singing along to Des'ree's 1994 song "You Gotta Be"
Earlier this month, her husband Timothy Busfield pleaded not guilty on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor
He was indicted by a grand jury on Feb. 6 on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child
Days after it was reported that Timothy Busfield pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse, his wife, Melissa Gilbert, shared a new candid video of herself on social media.
In a clip posted on Monday, Feb. 23 to the official Instagram page for Gilbert’s lifestyle company Modern Prairie, she is seen singing and dancing along to Des’ree’s 1994 song “You Gotta Be.”
The short clip features Gilbert, 61, singing along to the lyrics, “You gotta be bad / You gotta be bold / You gotta be wiser / You gotta be hard / You gotta be tough / You gotta be stronger / You gotta be cool / You gotta be calm / You gotta stay together / All I know, all I know / Love will save the day.”
Alongside the video is a caption that reads: “It’s Monday…and we’re starting this week the Modern Prairie way, together. 🤍Melissa’s been singing the chorus of a Des’ree song 🎶 “You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser…” 🎶So here’s our invitation: Sing it with us. Out loud. In the car. In the kitchen. Wherever you are on your journey right now. Because life isn’t a straight path. It twists. It surprises. It humbles. It strengthens. And somewhere along the way, we become a little braver… a little steadier… a little wiser.”
“This week, let the song be your reminder: You’ve handled hard things before. You’re still growing. And you don’t have to walk this road alone,” it concludes. “Drop a 🎶 if you’re singing along with us today. Stronger? Wiser? Both? 💛 #monday #goodmorning #strong #womensupportingwomen #youareworthy”
The video was met with positive reactions from some Modern Prairie followers. "You just made my morning even better! ❤️," one commenter wrote on Instagram. "Great song for some of the circumstances going on in our lives right now 🩵," another read.
However others were more critical, as one user commented, "Strange." Another wrote, "I sure wouldn't be making light of any of this. Shameful."
This comes weeks after Busfield, 68, who has been married to the Little House on the Prairie alum for nearly 13 years, was indicted by a Bernalillo County grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13) on Feb. 6.
On Feb. 10, the West Wing actor pleaded not guilty to all charges, per a plea entry filed in New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court viewed by PEOPLE. On Feb. 11, he requested to waive his arraignment and appearances in court for all pretrial proceedings, which Judge Joseph Montano granted on Feb. 18.
All counts are third-degree felonies and pertain to events in October 2022 and September 2023, according to court documents previously obtained by PEOPLE.
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Busfield was first accused of child sex abuse allegations in a Jan. 9 warrant issued by the Albuquerque Police Department (APD), which alleged that Busfield engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with two 11-year-old boys, whose identities have been withheld from the public.
Per the warrant, the alleged victims' parents told arresting officer Marvin Brown that the minors met Busfield on the set of the FOX series The Cleaning Lady, where he served as a director and they were child actors. The television show ran from January 2022 until June 2025.
Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield at the Monte Carlo TV Festival in 2023
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty
Busfield surrendered to police on Jan. 13 and has denied the allegations.
"I did not do anything," he said in a video obtained by TMZ on the day of his surrender. “They're all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys and I'm gonna fight it. I'm gonna fight it with a great team, and I'm gonna be exonerated, I know I am, because this is all so wrong and all lies."
On Jan. 20, he was released from custody in New Mexico. At the time, Stein told PEOPLE that the actor “feels wonderful” following the ruling and was excited to “reunite with Melissa.”
Gilbert has been outwardly supportive of Busfield. She previously attended his pretrial detention hearing and was one of 75 people who wrote letters of support to the judge. After his release, the actress cried from the courtroom and later broke her silence in a Jan. 26 statement shared via Modern Prairie.
She said in part that it's an "extraordinarily difficult" time "not only for Tim, me and our family, but in the collective heaviness so many of us seem to be carrying right now," going on to write that adding in "an unexpected storm to the mix, it "can all feel like a bit too much."
"This season has reminded me, very clearly, how important it is to slow down, prioritize what truly matters, and allow ourselves moments of rest," she continued. "Stepping back from the noise, the news, and even our daily responsibilities from time to time gives us space to recharge, reflect, and find our center again."
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If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
