Current:Home > NewsDanny Masterson's wife Bijou Phillips files for divorce after his 30-year rape sentence -FundGuru
Danny Masterson's wife Bijou Phillips files for divorce after his 30-year rape sentence
View
Date:2025-04-14 07:18:42
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! (94482)
Related
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- WNBA heads to Toronto with first international team as league expands
- Walmart digital coupons: Get promo codes from USA TODAY's coupons page to save money
- UFL schedule for Week 9 games: Times, how to stream and watch on TV
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Memorial Day 2024? Here's what to know
- How many points did Caitlin Clark score last night? Top pick hits dagger 3 to seal Fever's first win
- Lenny Kravitz on a lesson he learned from daughter Zoë Kravitz
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- MLB sluggers Juan Soto, Aaron Judge were almost teammates ... in San Diego
Ranking
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- New York's A Book Place: Meet the charming bookstore that also hosts candle magic workshops
- Utah man declined $100K offer to travel to Congo on ‘security job’ that was covert coup attempt
- 'Absolute chaos': Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Lisbon delayed as fans waited to enter
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Thai town overrun by wild monkeys trying trickery to catch and send many away
- NASCAR at Charlotte spring 2024: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Coca-Cola 600
- 2 climbers die on Mount Everest, 3 still missing on world's highest mountain: It is a sad day
Recommendation
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Nearly a decade into Timberwolves career, Karl-Anthony Towns has been waiting for this moment.
Thai town overrun by wild monkeys trying trickery to catch and send many away
Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi's First Pics After Wedding Prove Their Romance Is an 11 Out of 10
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Winnipeg Jets promote Scott Arniel to replace retired coach Rick Bowness
Indianapolis 500: A double bid, a whiff of scandal and the fear of rain as race day arrives
Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Memorial Day 2024? Here's what to know