On the heels of Ashton Kutcher, 45, and Mila Kunis, 40, apologizing for defending their longtime friend and former ‘That ’70s Show‘ co-worker Danny Masterson, 47, another “friend,” Taryn Manning — 44 and of ‘Orange Is The New Black (OITNB)‘ and ‘Karen‘ — is defending the convicted actor who was just sentenced to 30 years for rape. Manning claims, “He made a mistake” and is “already suffering” enough.
RELATED: ‘That ’70s Show’ Actor Danny Masterson Found Guilty Of Raping Two Women, Faces 30 Years To Life
As we’ve previously reported, in June 2020, Masterson was first arrested and charged with raping three women in separate incidents from 2001 and 2003. His first rape trial began in October 2022; however, it was declared a mistrial in November 2022, after a jury was unable to reach a final verdict on the three counts.
During his retrial, Masterson was convicted of two out of three counts of rape in May 2023. An unanimous decision could not be made on a third count. During his sentencing, he was ordered to serve 30 years to life in prison, 15 years per charge. His actress wife Bijou Phillips Masterson, 43, will now raise their 9-year-old daughter, Fianna Francis Masteron, while he serves his time.
RELATED: ‘That ’70s Show’ Actor Danny Masterson Sentenced To 30 Years To Life For Rape Convictions
Following the sentencing of Masterson, it was revealed to the public that his co-stars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis wrote character letters to the judge, asking for leniency in support of their longtime friend and former co-worker. But after much backlash, the couple later apologized to their fans, and made it clear that they are in support of sexual assault victims.
Now defending Masteron is Taryn Manning, star of ‘OITNB‘ and ‘Karen.’ Taking to her Instagram to react to Masterson’s sentencing of 30 years to life, she said, “You humiliated somebody that I actually really loved and cared for. I’m all the way in with everything that I’ve always stood for that I was hiding secretly.”
Continuing to defend her dear friend, the ‘OITNB‘ star claimed he just made a mistake. She said, “There’s no human on this planet that doesn’t deserve to have the best life and to be happy and free because you are made in the image of the good Lord, made perfectly just the way you are. And the fact that people wanna just tear us all down, like even with my friend Danny going to prison for 30 years. Yeah, he made a mistake, but everyone just keep going, keep crucifying him, as if he’s not already suffering.”
In her caption to the post, Manning also called Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis “the biggest disgrace of the year” for “back peddling.”
#Socialites, be sure to check out the post below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!
View this post on Instagram