Bijou Phillips and Danny Masterson arrive for closing arguments in his second trial last month. Photo / AP
Bijou Phillips and Danny Masterson arrive for closing arguments in his second trial last month. Photo / AP
Warning: Contains details of sexual assault
That ‘70s Show star Danny Masterson’s wife is standing by him after his conviction last week on two counts of rape.
Masterson, who has been married to actress and model Bijou Phillips since 2011, was found guilty of two rape charges fromincidents between 2001 and 2003 in his retrial at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
The actor faces 30 years to life behind bars and was refused bail and sent straight to prison after the conviction. A hearing is scheduled for August 4.
Phillips is said to be “shocked and devastated” at the verdict.
A source told People magazine: “She never expected him to be found guilty. She couldn’t believe that he was taken into custody right away and remanded.”
Actor Danny Masterson was found guilty of rape in a retrial last week. Photo / Getty Images
Phillips, who began seeing Masterson in 2004 and has a daughter with him, born in 2014, is “terrified about the sentencing” but will stick by her husband.
“No matter what happens though, Bijou supports him,” the source said.
Danny Masterson and Bijou Phillips in 2007. Photo / Marcel Thomas
“She has no plans to leave him.”
Masterson pleaded not guilty at his first trial last October. It ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a decision.
The actor’s legal team unsuccessfully tried to have the case dismissed and the retrial began last month. Phillips reportedly wept in court as her husband was handcuffed and taken away.
Prosecutors told the jury that the star had drugged three women’s drinks so he could sexually assault them, using his links with the Church of Scientology, where the women were also members, to avoid consequences.
Masterson’s then-girlfriend of five years also testified, saying she woke up to him raping her and had to pull his hair to stop him.
The actor did not testify and his lawyers did not call any witnesses, but argued that his encounters with the women were consensual.
Masterson was charged in 2020 with victims alleging the assaults took place between 2001 and 2003, meaning they would have occurred when Masterson was starring as Steven Hyde on That ‘70s Show.
The sitcom boosted the careers of Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace. Kutcher and Masterson later reunited on Netflix’s The Ranch in 2016, playing brothers.
Masterson has repeatedly denied the allegations and claimed the encounters were consensual.
If it’s an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111. If you’ve ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:
For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz. Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it’s not your fault.
