Danny Masterson's Wife Bijou Phillips Files For Divorce
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00:00 Bijou Phillips is ending her marriage to Danny Masterson weeks after he was sentenced
00:05 to prison following his rape conviction.
00:08 The model filed for divorce on September 18 in Santa Barbara, according to court documents
00:13 obtained by NBC News.
00:15 She cites "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split and did not list
00:19 an official date of separation.
00:22 The pair got married in 2011 and share 9-year-old daughter Fianna Francis.
00:26 NBC News has reached out to Raps for Phillips and Masterson.
00:30 An attorney for the That '70s Show actor declined to comment.
00:35 Earlier this month, Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after being
00:40 convicted on two of three counts of rape in May, according to NBC News.
00:45 As Access Hollywood previously reported, the jurors were deadlocked on a third count and
00:49 spent seven days deliberating over two weeks.
00:53 Masterson has consistently denied the allegations against him since his 2020 arrest.
01:00 Phillips stood by Masterson's side throughout the case, accompanying him to court on many
01:04 occasions.
01:05 According to Variety, the actress was among his supporters present for the sentencing
01:09 and was seen crying at the courthouse.
01:13 Her filing comes weeks after she and several notable A-listers, including Ashton Kutcher
01:17 and Mila Kunis, wrote letters in support of Masterson during the sentencing part of his
01:22 trial.
01:24 Kutcher and Kunis have since apologized for the, quote, "pain that has been caused by
01:28 the character letters" in a video shared on Instagram.
01:31 We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on
01:37 behalf of Danny Masterson.
01:39 We support victims.
01:41 We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future.
01:46 A couple of months ago, Danny's family reached out to us and they asked us to write character
01:51 letters to represent the person that we knew for 25 years so that the judge could take
01:57 that into full consideration relative to the sentencing.
02:01 The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity
02:07 of the jury's ruling.
02:08 They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims
02:13 or re-traumatize them in any way.
02:16 We would never want to do that.
02:18 And we're sorry if that has taken place.
02:21 Our heart goes out to every single person who's ever been a victim of sexual assault,
02:26 sexual abuse or rape.
02:30 Access Hollywood has been covering the case for years, from Masterson's arrest in 2020
02:35 to his sentencing.
02:36 Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher showed their support for Danny Masterson in letters written
02:41 to the judge in his sexual assault trial, according to court documents obtained by Access
02:46 Hollywood.
02:48 The A-list couple starred in That '70s Show with Masterson from 1998 to 2006.
02:53 Kutcher then went on to star with Masterson in Netflix's show The Ranch.
02:58 In their letters to the judge, both Kunis and Kutcher vouched for Masterson's character,
03:03 with Kutcher calling him a "role model" and Kunis writing he has "exceptional character."
03:10 In her letter, Kunis writes in part, "One of the most remarkable aspects of Danny's
03:14 character is his unwavering commitment to discouraging the use of drugs.
03:18 His influence on me in this regard has been invaluable.
03:22 In an industry where the pressures and temptations of substance abuse can be overwhelming, Danny
03:27 played a pivotal role in guiding me away from such destructive paths," adding later on
03:32 in her letter, "In conclusion, I wholeheartedly vouch for Danny Masterson's exceptional character
03:38 and the tremendous positive influence he has had on me and the people around him.
03:43 His dedication to leading a drug-free life and the genuine care he extends to others
03:47 make him an outstanding role model and friend."
03:51 Kutcher echoed similar sentiments in his letter to the judge, writing in part, "As a role
03:55 model, Danny has consistently been an excellent one.
03:58 I attribute not falling into the typical Hollywood life of drugs directly to Danny.
04:03 Any time that we were to meet someone or interact with someone who was on drugs or did drugs,
04:08 he made it clear that that wouldn't be a good person to be friends with.
04:12 And for me, that was an implication that if I were to do drugs, he wouldn't want to
04:16 be friends with me, which is something I would never want to risk or jeopardize.
04:21 I am grateful to him for that positive peer pressure," adding later in his letter, "While
04:26 I'm aware that the judgment has been cast as guilty on two counts of rape by force and
04:30 the victims have a great desire for justice, I hope that my testament to his character
04:34 is taken into consideration in sentencing.
04:37 I do not believe he is an ongoing harm to society and having his daughter raised without
04:42 a present father would be a territory injustice in and of itself.
04:46 Thank you for taking the time to read this."
04:49 Masterson's wife Bijou Phillips, as well as fellow actors Billy Baldwin, Ethan Supley,
04:54 Giovanni Ripsi, and Deborah Jo Rupp also wrote letters to the judge in support of Masterson.
05:00 On Thursday, the former That '70s Show star was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison
05:05 after being convicted on two of three counts of rape in May, according to NBC News.
05:11 As Access Hollywood previously reported, the jurors were deadlocked on a third count and
05:15 spent seven days deliberating over two weeks.
05:19 The charges against Masterson stem from alleged sexual assaults committed against three different
05:23 accusers at the actor's Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003.
05:29 Masterson's accuser spoke out during the hearing with one reportedly calling him, quote, "a
05:33 true coward and heartless monster," and another saying that she is still grappling with her
05:38 trauma.
05:40 Masterson did not take the stand in the trial and did not speak at Thursday's hearing.
05:44 He has consistently denied the allegations against him since his 2020 arrest.
05:50 In December, the jury in his first trial failed to reach a verdict and the judge declared
05:54 a mistrial.
05:55 All three accusers met Masterson through the Church of Scientology, of which he is still
06:00 a member.
06:01 The church has denied the women's claims that they were discouraged to report the allegations
06:04 to police.
06:06 In addition to the women, Masterson was charged and convicted of raping two more accusers
06:10 testified in the retrial per NBC News.
06:14 Following the sentencing, District Attorney Randall Mueller spoke to the press about the
06:17 case.
06:18 "I've gotten to know the victims in this case quite well over the years.
06:25 And I can tell you they're strong.
06:33 They were committed to making sure that justice gets served, and today they got it.
06:39 The judge imposed a sentence, an aggregate sentence of 30 years to life, which we believe
06:48 is the appropriate sentence in this case.
06:50 And based on certain case law that the judge cited, as well as the manner in which these
06:59 offenses were committed, she found justification for the fact that these sentences needed to
07:04 be run consecutively for a total of 30 to life.
07:08 And that was the right decision.
07:12 I have to say that I'm extremely proud of the named victims in this case for coming
07:18 forward, for enduring the long time that it took to get to justice today.
07:30 But I was so happy to see them in court when they were able to get up there, give their
07:36 impact statements, and have their voices be heard, and to be able to express themselves
07:41 on the significance of the impact that the crimes had upon them.
07:47 It was wonderful to see, and this is a day for them.
07:51 This is a moment for them.
07:54 And I'm just very pleased.
07:56 Sean Hawley, co-counsel for Masterson, also weighed in on the sentencing, releasing a
08:00 statement that reads in part, quote, "The errors which occurred in this case are substantial
08:04 and unfortunately led to verdicts which are not supported by the evidence.
08:09 And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice
08:13 overall, sometimes they get it wrong, and that's what happened here.
08:17 Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted, and we, and the
08:21 appellate lawyers, the best and brightest in the country, are confident that these convictions
08:25 will be overturned."
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