Danny Masterson’s Wife Bijou Phillips Files for Divorce 2 Weeks After 30-Year Rape Sentence
Bijou Phillips, Danny Masterson’s wife, has filed for divorce from her husband two weeks after the former “That ’70s Show” star was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rape of two women.
“Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband during this unfortunate time,” Phillip’s attorney Peter A. Lauzon said in a statement to TMZ, which first reported the news. “Her priority remains with her daughter.”
“This period has been unimaginably hard on the marriage and the family. Mr. Masterson was always present for Ms. Phillips during her most difficult times of her life. Ms. Phillips acknowledges that Mr. Masterson is a wonderful father to their daughter,” the statement continued.
Similar to pleas from “That ’70s Show” castmates Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis that spoke highly of Masterson’s character, Phillips submitted a defense memorandum asking for sentencing leniency to Judge Charlaine Olmedo, in which she called her husband since 2011 a “life-saving partner to [her].”
“I depended on Danny to take care of me and our daughter,” Phillips wrote in the letter, which contains redacted information throughout. “I always felt that she would be okay because Danny is an amazing father. He was devoted to our daughter, would read her books, take her on walks and to ballet lessons. I never once heard him complain. The two were inseparable.”
After allegations of rape arose in 2017 and led to Masterson being written off the Netflix show “The Ranch,” Phillips said he pivoted into a new business venture as he “devoted himself to finding other ways to earn a living.”
“We left our home in Los Angeles to move to a farm in Santa Ynez, where I could recuperate,” Phillips’ letter continued, referencing her kidney transplant. “Danny immediately began to work the land and grow a beautiful vineyard with 6,000 vines, that he tended on his own for six years. He toiled long days on the land to make it profitable for our family. He took classes to learn about growing grapes, wines and he became a sommelier. He also studied the business end of it.”
In early September, Masterson was sentenced the maximum 30-years-to-life for sexual assault after raping two women in 2001 and 2003. The former actor will be eligible for parole after 25 years and 6 months in prison but can also detained in prison for life.
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