- Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison
- The reason were two rape charges
- His wife Bijou Phillips has filed for divorce
The famous couple had been together for nearly 12 years and share a nine-year-old daughter together. Phillips, a 43-year-old actor, filed for divorce in Santa Barbara, California, citing "irreconcilable differences." She is seeking spousal support and full custody of Fianna while Masterson, 47, is given visitation rights. According to 'Variety', she reportedly asked for Masterson to pay her attorney’s fees and for the court to consider their property separate in the split, with the court documents pointing toward a lack of a prenuptial agreement.
"Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband during this unfortunate time. Her priority remains with her daughter," her lawyer Peter A. Lauzon stated. "This period has been unimaginably hard on the marriage and the family."
Bijou has decided to bounce!
Lauzon added that Phillips considers Masterson "a wonderful father to their daughter," mirroring statements Phillips wrote in a letter asking for leniency in Masterson’s sentencing. "We need him more than you can imagine," Phillips wrote in the letter that became public after the sentencing. "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."
Phillips further wrote that Masterson "has literally been a life-saving partner to me," in apparent reference to Masterson’s care for her and their daughter after Phillips had a kidney transplant in 2017. "Our daughter and I are heartbroken that he is not home with us," she wrote. Even so, she has now filed for divorce to legally separate from him.
A source told 'People' that Phillips was shocked that Masterson was found guilty. "She wasn’t prepared for the verdict. She never expected him to be found guilty," the source said. "She couldn’t believe that he was taken into custody right away and remanded."
Masterson maintains his innocence and his lawyers have said they plan to appeal, contending there were problems with evidence and constitutional issues with his conviction. He was convicted of raping two women he knew through the Church of Scientology in 2003. Both testified that he put drugs in their drinks and violently raped them. Jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count alleging he raped a former girlfriend in 2001.
Also interesting:
A love on the rocks
Will it cost them?
Danny Masterson Case: Ashton Kutcher And Mila Kunis Sent Support Letters!
Phillips and Masterson began dating in 2004. They announced their engagement in 2009 and married in Ireland in 2011. Phillips is the daughter of The Mamas and the Papas singer-songwriter John Phillips and actor Genevieve Waite. She worked as a model as a teenager and released an album before shifting into acting.
She has appeared in films including Almost Famous and television shows including 'Raising Hope' and 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit', ironically enough. It's unclear how the divorce will play out at this point.
This is yet another sad chapter in the life and times of Danny Masterson...
