Current:Home > MarketsDanny Masterson's wife Bijou Phillips files for divorce after his 30-year rape sentence -Ascend Wealth Education
Danny Masterson's wife Bijou Phillips files for divorce after his 30-year rape sentence
View
Date:2025-04-15 04:08:51
Bijou Phillips Masterson has filed for divorce from husband Danny Masterson over a week after he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women.
Phillips filed a petition to end their 11-year marriage on Monday in Santa Barbara court, according to court documents reviewed by USA TODAY. TMZ was first to report the news.
Phillips cited irreconcilable differences as the reason and listed the date of their separation as "TBD." Her petition, signed Sept. 15, requested spousal support as well as restoration of her name to Bijou Phillips and full legal and physical custody of their daughter, with Masterson receiving child visitation.
The two married October 2011 and share a 9-year-old daughter, Fianna Francis Masterson, together.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Phillips and Masterson for further information.
Phillips stood by Masterson throughout his two trials. She wept when the guilty verdicts were read on May 31 and showed similar emotion at times during his Sept. 7 sentencing hearing, when a judge handed down the maximum sentence allowed by law to the 47-year-old actor. Masterson will be eligible for parole after serving 25½ years but can be held in prison for life.
A jury of seven women and five men had found Masterson guilty of two counts of rape after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Masterson's Hollywood-area home in 2003 when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox sitcom "That '70s Show." The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend.
Masterson maintains his innocence, and his attorneys have said they plan to appeal, contending there were problems with evidence and constitutional issues with his conviction.
Bijou Phillips called Danny Masterson an 'extraordinary husband' a month before divorce
In the character reference letter she wrote in support of her husband last month before his sentencing, Phillips said Masterson has been "a life-saving partner to me" over the course of 19 years together.
"Danny is an amazing father. Our daughter and I are heartbroken that he is not home with us. It has been very difficult without him here," she wrote. "We need him more than you can imagine. I know he has been convicted of serious crimes. But the man I married has only been an extraordinary husband to me and a devoted father to our daughter."
The letter, addressed to Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo and dated Aug. 14, was among dozens that Masterson's family and friends wrote — made public by The Hollywood Reporter — urging leniency in his sentencing.
Who is Bijou Phillips?
Phillips, daughter of "The Mamas and the Papas" singer-songwriter John Phillips and actor Genevieve Waite, was a model as a teenager and released an album before shifting to acting.
She has appeared in films including "Almost Famous" and television shows including "Raising Hopes" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
Ashton Kutcherresigns from anti-child sex abuse nonprofit after supporting Danny Masterson
Contributing: Associated Press
veryGood! (561)
Related
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Little League World Series championship game: Time, TV channel, live stream, score, teams
- 3 killed in racially-motivated shooting at Dollar General store in Jacksonville, sheriff says
- 12-year-old girl killed on couch after gunshots fired into Florida home
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Aaron Rodgers connects with WR Garrett Wilson for touchdown in Jets debut
- At least 7 shot in Boston, police say
- Son stolen at birth hugs Chilean mother for first time in 42 years
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Kim Cattrall and Other TV Stars Who Returned to the Hit Shows They Left
Ranking
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Here's Your Invite to Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey's Wedding Date Details
- Son stolen at birth hugs Chilean mother for first time in 42 years
- Noah Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson big winners from track and field world championships
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Texans vs. Saints: How to watch Sunday's NFL preseason clash
- How Jessie James Decker Built Her Winning Marriage With Eric Decker
- Former Olympian Alexandra Paul killed in car crash at 31, Skate Canada says
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
New Mexico Game Commission to consider increasing hunting limits for black bears in some areas
Nightengale's Notebook: Cody Bellinger's revival with Cubs has ex-MVP primed for big payday
Zimbabwe’s opposition alleges ‘gigantic fraud’ in vote that extends the ZANU-PF party’s 43-year rule
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones explains Trey Lance trade with 49ers
Check Out the Most Surprising Celeb Transformations of the Week
How Simone Biles captured her record eighth national title at US gymnastics championships