Melissa Gilbert’s husbands and the boyfriends in between — three marriages, a lot of heartbreak

Fame brought Melissa Gilbert lasting success, but it also placed her love life under constant public attention. Melissa Gilbert’s husbands include Bo Brinkman, Bruce Boxleitner, and Timothy Busfield, whose relationships unfolded across decades. Between those marriages, she dated celebrities such as Rob Lowe, John Cusack, and Tom Cruise.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

• Melissa Gilbert has been married three times, with Timothy Busfield becoming her third husband in April 2013.
• Rob Lowe was Gilbert’s longest and most high-profile boyfriend, and their six-year relationship ended after a broken engagement and miscarriage.
• Bruce Boxleitner and Gilbert divorced in 2011 after 16 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
• Gilbert briefly dated several future Hollywood stars, including Tom Cruise, Billy Idol, John Cusack, and Timothy Hutton, before they reached peak fame.

A look into Melissa Gilbert’s husbands over the years

Melissa Gilbert built her name on Little House on the Prairie, and her love life attracted plenty of public attention. The American actress married three times, dated several well-known figures, and experienced heartbreak between each chapter. Here is a look at the men who shaped Melissa Gilbert‘s romantic journey.

Bruce Boxleitner (1995–2011)

Bruce Boxleitner starred in Scarecrow and Mrs King and Babylon 5, and he became Gilbert’s second husband. Gilbert met him through his first wife, Kathryn Holcomb, and they dated for about two years before marrying. They exchanged vows on 1 January 1995 during a private ceremony in Los Angeles, and they welcomed their son, Michael, later that year.

Gilbert also became stepmother to Boxleitner’s two sons, Sam and Lee, from his previous marriage. The couple remained together for 16 years before gradually growing apart as their priorities changed. Gilbert later reflected on one difficult moment in her memoir, Back to the Prairie. The actress wrote:

When my husband was called to bring me home, he asked if I could instead hire a car or ask a friend. […] Bruce’s response, or lack thereof, gave me plenty to think about during the long, slow recovery.

The couple announced their separation in March 2011. Her representative told TV Guide:

We have loved each other for a very long time, and we share four incredible sons together.

Gilbert filed for divorce in August 2011, citing irreconcilable differences after 16 years of marriage. She requested joint custody of their teenage son.

Bo Brinkman (1988–1994)

Bo Brinkman is an American actor, writer, and director, and he is a cousin of Dennis Quaid and Randy Quaid. Gilbert met him during a group dinner and immediately felt drawn to him. She later recalled the moment in her memoir, Prairie Tale, writing:

I could already smell the intoxicating scent of booze and nicotine. He was gorgeous and had danger written all over him.

The couple married on 22 February 1988, when Gilbert was 24 years old. They welcomed their son, Dakota, on 1 May 1989.

Their marriage began to fall apart after Dakota’s birth, largely because of Brinkman’s drinking and repeated infidelity. Gilbert has claimed that Brinkman had an affair with her Little House co-star, Shannen Doherty, during one of their separations. The allegation has followed both women for years, although Doherty never addressed it publicly.

Gilbert later revealed that she still had strong feelings about the alleged affair. When Andy Cohen asked what she would do if she ever saw Doherty during a 2014 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, she replied:

I wouldn’t say anything, I’d just punch her in the nose.

Gilbert and Brinkman separated in 1992 and divorced in 1994. She later said that she travelled to the set of Gettysburg, where Brinkman was filming, to end the marriage in person.

Timothy Busfield (2013–present)

Timothy Busfield is an actor and director who is best known for Thirtysomething, Field of Dreams, and The West Wing. Gilbert married Busfield during a private ceremony at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara on 24 April 2013.

Gilbert has frequently celebrated their relationship publicly. In a since-deleted Instagram tribute, she celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary, writing:

12 years married. 12 perfect years with my favourite person, who has my favourite face and my favourite soul. How lucky I am. I love you @timbusfield. Happy anniversary.

Busfield was arrested in New Mexico in January 2026. According to Entertainment Weekly, a grand jury later indicted him on four counts of criminal contact with a minor. The charges relate to alleged incidents on the set of The Cleaning Lady, which he directed between 2022 and 2024.

Busfield has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his trial is currently scheduled for May 2027 in New Mexico. Gilbert has continued to support her husband throughout the legal proceedings. During a sit-down interview on Good Morning America, she addressed the case directly, saying,

Our life as we knew it is done. We are grieving what we had. All of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects. For Tim, it’s done. He’s canceled … even if he’s exonerated, he will always be that guy. The last person in the world who would hurt a child.

She added,

And believe me, if I thought for a second that Tim Busfield hurt a child, he’d have a lot more to worry about than prison.

Melissa Gilbert’s boyfriend history

Before wedding Timothy Busfield, Melissa Gilbert dated several high-profile individuals. Here is an overview of her rumoured boyfriends in the past:

Thierry Gauchet (2011–2012)

Gilbert met Thierry Gauchet around New Year’s Eve in 2011, only months after filing for divorce from Boxleitner, during a trip to France. She openly acknowledged the relationship while competing on Dancing with the Stars.

The relationship reportedly ended in mid-to-late 2012 after the classic car restorer and dealer visited Gilbert’s smaller new home and became distant. A report by Life & Style (as reported by the National Ledger) revealed that Gilbert had shared details of the relationship in now-deleted tweets.

I want you. In a few days you have become so important. It’s you, it’s the place, it’s the moment.

Billy Idol (1986)

Billy Idol is an English singer known for hits including Rebel Yell and White Wedding. Gilbert met him in 1986 at the Los Angeles nightclub Tramps, where she and a friend were seated near his VIP section. She recalled her first impression in her memoir, Prairie Tale, writing:

He impressed me as a sweet, gentle, and soft-spoken charmer.

Their relationship attracted tabloid attention because it contrasted Gilbert’s wholesome public image with Idol’s rock-and-roll persona. Gilbert began to reconsider the relationship after attending one of Idol’s parties in Beverly Hills, where she witnessed heavy partying.

She later wrote that Idol took her to Rick James’ house, which she described as “the scariest place [she had] ever been.” The experience convinced her to end the relationship shortly afterwards.

Frank Capra III (1984)

Frank Capra III was the grandson of legendary filmmaker Frank Capra. Gilbert met Frank on the set of Sylvester, which was being filmed in Texas in 1984 while she was still involved with Rob Lowe. She admitted in her memoir:

With Rob [Lowe] in Toronto, I began an on-set romance with the third AD, Frank Capra III (FC3). Though it wasn’t intentional, I got a taste of what Rob went through on The Hotel New Hampshire, and he got a taste of what I experienced on the other end. He would call and I wouldn’t be in my room.

The relationship overlapped with Gilbert’s on-and-off romance with Lowe. Their relationship ended later that year, after Gilbert reconciled with Lowe.

Scott Baio (1984–1986)

Gilbert developed a crush on Baio while they both appeared on Battle of the Network Stars. She later said she often sneaked onto the set of Happy Days to watch him film.

Gilbert said she once attended a homecoming dance with Baio. However, she wrote in her memoir that her feelings were largely unreturned, and the relationship never became serious. The pair briefly dated between 1984 and 1986.

Tom Cruise (1982)

Gilbert briefly dated Tom in the early 1980s, shortly after he moved to Los Angeles and before his career took off. During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, she told Andy Cohen that the Top Gun actor still used his birth name at the time.

The pair went on a few dates, and Gilbert later recalled making out with Cruise in her mother’s living room. In her Prairie Tale memoir, she wrote:

We went on a couple of dates and made out in my mom’s living room. He was nice, funny, and sweet. But it wasn’t like being hit with an arrow.

The relationship came to an end without conflict as Cruise’s career quickly gathered momentum.

Timothy Hutton (1982)

Timothy Hutton and Gilbert were romantically linked and photographed together in September 1982, when both were rising Hollywood stars. Their romance remained brief and low-profile, and it reportedly ended quietly that year.

Rob Lowe (1981–1987)

Rob Lowe starred in The Outsiders, St. Elmo’s Fire, and later The West Wing. The popular ensemble actor first met Gilbert in 1978 on a studio lot when they were both 14 years old. They reconnected in 1981 after exchanging phone numbers at a stoplight, and their relationship quickly became serious.

Their six-year relationship included several breakups and reconciliations. Lowe proposed in 1986, and Gilbert became pregnant soon afterwards. However, Lowe told her he was not ready to become a father. They ended the relationship permanently in 1987, and Gilbert later miscarried.

Gilbert later recalled their relationship during the I Choose Me podcast. She said:

I guess looking back on those six years, I mean, I was such a baby when Rob and I were together. I was 17 and we broke up for the last time when we were 23 and it was very tumultuous.

Cyril O’Reilly (1981–1982)

Gilbert met Cyril O’Reilly during auditions for the 1981 television remake of Splendour in the Grass. She recalled the moment in her memoir:

From the moment I looked into Cyril’s eyes, I was history. The wind was knocked out of the room. It was like the shot down the hallway in Poltergeist: dolly in/zoom out.

Gilbert has described O’Reilly as her first true love, and their on-screen romance soon became a real-life relationship. The romance ended after filming because they were at different stages of life. Gilbert was preparing for college, while O’Reilly was already an established adult.

Michael Landon Jr. (1979–1980)

Gilbert met Michael Landon Jr. as a teenager before their friendship became a brief romance in 1979. According to her memoir, she recalled:

He was adorable; he had blond, curly hair and a great sense of humour.

The two separated in 1980 but remained close friends for decades.

John Cusack (1983)

John Cusack was also one of Rob Lowe’s close friends during the early 1980s. Gilbert met him through Lowe while filming a movie in Chicago in 1983, during a period when Lowe’s infidelity had strained their relationship.

The fling remained private at the time and ended when Gilbert reunited with Lowe.

FAQs

1. Are Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield still together? Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield met in 2012, married in April 2013, and remain together.
2. Why did Bruce Boxleitner and Melissa Gilbert divorce? Melissa Gilbert and Bruce Boxleitner divorced after growing apart, and they cited irreconcilable differences in their divorce filing.
3. Did Tom Cruise date Melissa Gilbert? Tom Cruise and Melissa Gilbert briefly dated in the early 1980s before his rise to international fame.
4. Did Melissa Gilbert and Rob Lowe have a child? Melissa Gilbert became pregnant during her relationship with Rob Lowe, but she later suffered a miscarriage after the couple ended their engagement.
5. How many times has Melissa Gilbert been married? The Hollywood star has been married three times to: Bo Brinkman, Bruce Boxleitner, and Timothy Busfield.

Melissa Gilbert’s husbands were part of relationships that unfolded under public scrutiny for decades. Her romances with Rob Lowe, John Cusack, and Tom Cruise also shaped different periods of her life. Today, she remains married to Timothy Busfield.

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Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng