OAN’s Brooke Mallory
1:54 PM – Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Danny Masterson’s wife, Bijou Phillips, has filed for divorce after the That ’70s Show actor was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after being found guilty of raping two women, according to Phillips’ attorney, who confirmed the news to the press.
“Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband at this unfortunate time,” attorney Peter Lauzon said in a statement. “Her priority remains with her daughter. This period has been unimaginably hard on the marriage and the family.”
Phillips, who is also an actor and the daughter of The Mamas & the Papas leader John Phillips, is known for her work in films like Almost Famous and Bully. Together, the two actors have also starred in a number of movies together, including The Bridge to Nowhere and Wake.
She married Masterson back in 2011, and the couple has a 9-year-old daughter.
The statement from Lauzon said that Phillips “acknowledges that Mr. Masterson is a wonderful father to their daughter.”
The news of the divorce came as a surprise for many, since last week an insider source reached out to People Magazine claiming that she had no intention to leave her husband.
“She has had a very difficult time since the conviction,” a source told People. “She loves Danny and has no plans to file for divorce. She will be by his side for it all.”
Phillips herself was also recently quoted as saying, “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.”
Masterson, 47, was convicted of two charges of rape in July that were related to crimes that happened 20 years earlier. In the trial, which was a retrial after a deadlocked jury resulted in a mistrial in December 2022, the jury was deadlocked again on a third accusation of rape.
Phillips, who was attending when Masterson was found guilty in court, sobbed as he was led from the courthouse.
Masterson was given a sentence of 30 years to life in jail earlier this month. According to Reuters, he did not address the court during his sentence and did not give a testimony throughout his trial.
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