Bijou Phillips is calling it rap between her and Danny Masterson. According to TMZ, Phillips is ending her marriage with the actor less than two weeks after he was sentenced to 30 years to life for rape.
The news outlet obtained court documents on Monday that revealed she filed for divorce in a California court. Her attorney, Peter A. Lauzon also shed light on the situation and said, “Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband during this unfortunate time. Her priority remains with her daughter.”
He continues, “This period has been unimaginably hard on the marriage and the family. Mr. Masterson was always present for Ms. Phillips during her most difficult times of her life. Ms. Phillips acknowledges that Mr. Masterson is a wonderful father to their daughter.” During the trial and re-trial Bijou stood by her estranged husbands side and even showed up to court with him but after being hit with the sentence she has decided to go her separate ways.
Known for his role in the television series “That ’70s Show.” Danny Masterson faced allegations of sexual assault from multiple women. These allegations came to light in the #MeToo era, and Masterson was accused of sexually assaulting four women between 2001 and 2003. In August 2020, he was formally charged with three counts of rape by force or fear, stemming from these allegations. He pleaded not guilty to these charges.
However, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told jurors at the trial, “They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against.” After hearing more statements from the women about the trauma they experienced, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo handed down a 30-year sentence to Mr. Masterson.
Since his sentence another couple’s career almost fell to pieces after it was revealed Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis wrote a letter to the judge in defense of the disgraced actor. A few parts of the letter read, “Danny takes his job seriously. He is kind, courteous, and hard-working. He treated everyone from the grips to the teamsters to the actors to the caterers as equals. As a role model, Danny has consistently been an excellent one…” Meanwhile, In Kunis’ letter, she referred to Masterson as an “amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure. His genuine concern for those around him and his commitment to leading by example make him an outstanding role model and friend.”
Since their sign of support the couple has apologized. The couple posted a video to Kutcher’s Instagram page this Saturday and said, “We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson,” Kutcher explained. “We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future,” Kunis added.