Wife of ‘That ‘70s Show’ actor seeks divorce after rape sentence
Published on: Thursday, September 21, 2023
By: AFP
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Masterson, right, and his wife Bijou Phillips arrive for closing arguments in his second rape trial, May 16 in Los Angeles. (Pic: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
LOS ANGELES: Actress Bijou Phillips filed for divorce from Danny Masterson less than two weeks after the former “That ‘70s Show” star was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison for raping two women, US media reported.The model and singer cited “irreconcilable differences” in her petition in a California court, celebrity news website TMZ reported.
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Masterson, found guilty in May of raping the two women in 2001 and 2003 at his home in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, was sentenced on September 7 to 30 years to life in prison.
The 47-year-old US actor, who has one child with Phillips, will not be able to seek parole until he is 77 years old.
Phillips is seeking full custody of their daughter, aged nine, with visitation rights for Masterson, TMZ reported.
Her lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment by AFP.
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Phillips had stayed with Masterson through his two trials – the first was declared a mistrial last year after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision.
The jury in the retrial deadlocked on another rape charge against a third woman. That charge was dismissed.
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Masterson rose to fame with the 1998 launch of retro sitcom “That ‘70s Show,” where he played the character of Steven Hyde alongside fellow stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher.
He co-starred again with Kutcher on Netflix’s “The Ranch,” but was fired in 2017 and written off the show after Los Angeles police confirmed they were investigating multiple rape allegations against the actor.
The three women at the heart of the charges against Masterson were members of the Church of Scientology at the time. Two of them said church officials had discouraged them from contacting law enforcement.
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