Current:Home > ContactDanny Masterson's wife Bijou Phillips files for divorce after his 30-year rape sentence -MoneyTrend
Danny Masterson's wife Bijou Phillips files for divorce after his 30-year rape sentence
View
Date:2025-04-13 09:40:34
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! (25)
Related
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- What's behind the spike in homeownership rates among Asian Americans, Hispanics
- Hawaii state and county officials seeking $1B from Legislature for Maui recovery
- Target announces collection with Diane von Furstenberg, including wrap dresses, home decor
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Beyoncé becomes first Black woman to claim top spot on Billboard’s country music chart
- Humanitarian crises abound. Why is the U.N. asking for less aid money than last year?
- Maryland bill backed by Gov. Wes Moore seeks to protect election officials from threats
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- February's full moon is coming Saturday. It might look smaller than usual.
Ranking
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Toshiba Laptop AC adapters recalled after hundreds catch fire, causing minor burns
- FuboTV files lawsuit against ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros. and Hulu over joint streaming service
- It's not just rising sea levels – the land major cities are built on is actually sinking, NASA images show
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- First federal gender-based hate crime trial begins in South Carolina
- How Sophie Turner Moved On After Her Divorce From Joe Jonas
- What to know as Julian Assange faces a ruling on his U.S. extradition case over WikiLeaks secrets
Recommendation
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
2 suspects in Kansas City parade shooting charged with murder, prosecutors announce
What to know about the death of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham in Texas
Psst! Today’s Your Last Chance to Shop Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James Sitewide Sale
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
Georgia lawmakers eye allowing criminal charges against school librarians over sexual content of books
Federal Reserve minutes: Officials worried that progress on inflation could stall in coming months
United Airlines says after a ‘detailed safety analysis’ it will restart flights to Israel in March