Danny Masterson Grants Estranged Wife Full Custody Of Daughter After His Rape Conviction
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Danny Masterson has granted his wife, Bijou Phillips, full custody of their child.
The 47-year-old actor was best known until recently for his role as Steven Hyde in “That 70’s Show,” but was convicted in May of raping two women at his Hollywood Hills home in 2001 and 2003 — and sentenced last month to 30 years to life in prison.
According to court documents obtained Monday by People, Masterson has since signed over full legal and physical custody of his 9-year-old daughter, Fianna, to Phillips. He requested visitation rights, however, as Phillips filed for divorce in September.
The 43-year-old mother — an actor best known for “Almost Famous” (2000) and “Hostel: Part II” (2005) — reportedly requested spousal support in the filing. Phillips also asked the Santa Barbara judge to “terminate the court’s ability to grant support” to Masterson.
“Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband during this unfortunate time,” her lawyer, Peter A. Lauzon, told People in a statement at the time. “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,” he continued. “Ms. Phillips acknowledges that Mr. Masterson is a wonderful father to their daughter. She hopes that everyone will respect her family’s privacy in these difficult times.”
Phillips was born to Mamas & the Papas singer John Phillips and model Genevieve Waite. She reportedly spent her youth as a New York City socialite and model before acting — and met Masterson at a celebrity poker game in 2004. They married after seven years of dating.
The couple first met in 2004 and tied the knot in 2011. Phillips filed for divorce in September.
Phillips was in the room with other members of Masterson’s family when he was sentenced on Sept. 7, per Variety. Her now-estranged husband blew Phillips a kiss before he was led away to prison, according to a courtroom sketch obtained by People.
Masterson was charged in 2020 after a three-year investigation of raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003. The ex-Scientologists testified the church had kept them from reporting this to the police — and harassed them when they did.
While the first trial ended in a hung jury in November 2022, the prosecution launched a retrial that put Masterson behind bars. His former co-stars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were subsequently slammed for writing letters calling for leniency on Masterson’s behalf.
The convicted rapist will be eligible for parole after serving 25 and a half years.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
