Danny Masterson’s verdict puts marriage to Bijou Phillips in the spotlight
Danny Masterson is pictured with wife Bijou Phillips in May.
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — A court sketch of Danny Masterson shows the actor blowing a kiss to his wife, Bijou Phillips, after he was sentenced on Thursday to 30 years to life in prison for his conviction on two rape counts.
The life of “That ’70s Show” star has been under a microscope since he was initially charged in 2020. Masterson has maintained his innocence and plans to appeal his case.
He has been married to actress, model and singer Bijou Phillips since 2011.
The pair reportedly met in 2005 when they were seated next to each other at a celebrity poker match in Las Vegas.
“Every guy at the table was flirting with me but Danny,” Phillips told Paper magazine in 2009. “He wasn’t laughing at my jokes. I was like, ‘who is this Danny Masterson and what does he think he’s doing?’”
Masterson told the publication, “I had only known her as the little crazy girl.”
“After Vegas, and talking to her a few times, I was shocked by how unbelievably intelligent she was,” he said. “She knew every book I had ever read. I was like, this girl is amazing.”
Phillips, the daughter of Mamas and the Papas musician John Phillips and actress/singer/model Geneviève Waïte, has starred in several movies including, “Almost Famous” and “Bully” as well as the TV series “Raising Hope.”
Masterson frequently shared on social media about his life with their daughter Fianna, who was born on Valentine’s Day 2014.
In 2017, he posted about Phillips receiving a kidney transplant in the wake of battling kidney disease.
“My lady has been slowing dying for the past 7 years of an incurable kidney disease. She was given the gift of an encore by a tall angel,” wrote in a post on his verified Instagram account. “Our daughter will have a mother. We do not take lightly how incredibly fortunate we are.”
That same year, Masterson was written off of the Netflix comedy “The Ranch” after the rape allegations against him surfaced.
Masterson said in a statement to CNN at the time that that he was “obviously very disappointed in Netflix’s decision to write my character off of The Ranch.”
“From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit,” Masterson’s statement continued.
Phillips has stood beside her husband during his legal troubles, but has not spoken out about it publicly. CNN has reached out to her representatives for comment.
The-CNN-Wire
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