Danny Masterson’s trial support letters from Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis revealed
Victims condemn Church of Scientology and ‘coward’ former sitcom star as judge dismantles defence case
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Danny Masterson received letters of support from Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher ahead of his sentencing, it has been revealed.
Masterson, 47, was given a sentence of 30 years to life in a Los Angeles court on Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.
It has since emerged that his That 70’s Show co-stars Kunis and Kutcher were among 50 people who wrote letters of support before the sentencing.
In their letters, published by Los Angeles-based court reporter Meghann Cuniff, the couple vouched for Masterson’s “exceptional character” and pleaded for Judge Charlaine Olmedo’s leniency.
A jury found Masterson guilty of two counts in May after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Masterson’s Hollywood Hills home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom.
The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend.
Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology — where all three women were also members at the time — to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.
Leah Remini hits out at Church of Scientology after Danny Masterson rape sentencing
“For over two decades, Danny Masterson avoided accountability for his crimes,” former Scientologist Remini wrote. “I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women.
“Hearing the survivors read their victim impact statements aloud in court while the man who raped them… were just a few feet away displayed a level of bravery that I am in awe of.”
Read more of her statement below:
Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison for two counts of rape on Thursday
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis vouch for Danny Masterson’s ‘exceptional character’ in rape sentencing letters
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher were among 50 people who wrote letters of support for Danny Masterson ahead of his sentencing on Thursday (7 September).
Kunis and Kutcher, who married in 2015, both co-starred in the American sitcom with Masterson, which ran for eight seasons and 200 episodes between 1998 and 2006.
In their letters of support, published by Los Angeles-based court reporter Meghann Cuniff on Friday, the couple vouched for Masterson’s “exceptional character” and pleaded for Judge Charlaine Olmedo’s leniency.
Read more:
Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago
Danny Masterson’s daughter, 9, and wife are ‘lost’ without him
Danny Masterson’s nine-year-old daughter and wife Bijou Phillips, are said to be “lost” without the actor.
Ahead of his sentencing trial on Thursday (7 September), Masterson’s brother urged the judge, in a character letter, “for your utmost compassion with regards to Danny so that his family may get to see him again, his young daughter and wife most importantly. They are lost without him, as we all are”.
“I understand the lengthy sentence he is facing per the statute and letter of the law,” Jordan Masterson wrote. “My brother is looking at the rest of his life in prison. I pray that isn’t the outcome.”
“Danny is a loving father to his daughter and a loving husband to his wife,” Jordan added. “He cares deeply for his family and always puts their needs first and foremost above his. When his wife needed a kidney transplant and was on dialysis for more than a year, my brother was by her side every step of the way. He moved mountains to get her the treatment she needed. Taking care of a young child and a gravely sick wife while also trying to maintain a career to pay for all of the above is extremely hard as you can imagine. But he did it. Never once did he complain or lament his situation.”
The crimes committed by Danny Masterson occurred in 2003 at the height of his fame in Fox sitcom That ’70s Show.
He later reunited with former co-star Ashton Kutcher on the 2016 Netflix comedy The Ranch. Masterson, however, was swiftly written off the show when a Los Angeles Police Department investigation was revealed the following year.
While that investigation began before Hollywood was shaken with stories about Harvey Weinstein in October 2017, the conviction and sentencing of Masterson still represents a major #MeToo era success for Los Angeles prosecutors, along with the conviction of Weinstein himself last year in 2022.
Billy Baldwin attests to Danny Masterson’s ‘trustworthiness’ in character letter
Actor Billy Baldwin – brother of Alec Baldwin – was among 50 people who wrote character letters on behalf of convicted rapist Danny Masterson, ahead of his sentencing on Thursday (7 September).
Baldwin, 60, is the brother-in-law of Masterson, whose wife, Bijou Phillips, is the sister of Baldwin’s wife, Chynna Phillips.
“I know that Danny has been convicted of a very serious crime and is facing a lengthy prison sentence,” the Backdraft actor wrote. “The purpose of this letter is to inform you about the Danny Masterson that I know. Danny the man, the friend, colleague, family member, husband, and father. Things that were not discussed in court but I think are vitally important for you to know.”
He continued: “Never in my entire life have I had more people refer to someone as ‘family,’ ‘my brother’ and ‘best friend’ than Danny. Many of them have told me that he was there for them in their ‘greatest hour of need’ and ‘the darkest hour of their life.’”
The That ’70s Show actor was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women two decades ago.
Masterson was not charged with any counts of drugging
Danny Masterson had been accused of drugging and forcibly raping three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003.
He was convicted of raping two of the women in 2003, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the third allegation from November 2001, brought forward by a former girlfriend.
Masterson, who maintains his innocence, did not testify, and his lawyers called no witnesses. The defence argued that the acts were consensual, and attempted to discredit the women by arguing that their stories had been “tweaked” in their favour.
Defence attorney Philip Cohen fought back against prosecutor Ariel Anson’s drugging claims in his closing arguments, claiming there was “no tangible evidence” to support drugging allegations.
“Miss Anson presented a case as if she was arguing a drugging case,” Cohen said. “Maybe it’s because there is no evidence of force or violence.”
Ultimately, Masterson was not charged with any counts of drugging, and there was no toxicology evidence to back up the assertion.
Did Conan O’Brien know?
A resurfaced chat show clip of Danny Masterson takes on a chilling new light in the wake of his sentencing of 30 years to life in prison for multiple rapes.
The video is taken from 2004 when the 47-year-old actor, who starred in That ’70s Show, appeared on the NBC series Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The rapes he has been convicted of happened one year earlier.
Read more:
’I’ve heard about you,’ Conan O’Brien tells now-convicted rapist after lewd comment
Who were Danny Masterson’s accusers?
Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on two charges of forcible rape. Though he was initially accused by three women, the jury could not come to a unanimous verdict on the third account.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press, which does not typically name people who say they were victims of sexual abuse.
The first accuser
One of the women Masterson is convicted of raping was born into a Scientology family and was part of Masterson’s circle of friends. Nearly all of those closest to her were members, including the late Lisa Marie Presley, who also left the church long before her death in January.
The woman said that when she stopped by Masterson’s house to pick up a set of keys in 2003, he gave her a drink that left her sick and badly disoriented, and raped her in his bedroom upstairs. She first filed a police report, which did not lead to an arrest, in 2004. She returned to authorities in 2016.
Jurors found her account credible and convicted Masterson based on her allegations.
The second accuser
A model and actor who was Masterson’s girlfriend from 1996 to 2002 took the stand to open the trial. She previously testified that Masterson grew increasingly physically and sexually abusive in their years together. She said that it eventually led to him raping her twice late in 2001, though he is only charged with one instance, a morning when she woke to find Masterson raping her. She would go to the police 15 years later.
Jurors could not agree on a verdict on her allegations, deadlocking 8-4 in favour of conviction.
The third accuser
The third woman at the centre of the trial had only recently met Masterson through mutual friends in the church, which she had joined as a teenager. She testified that in 2003 Masterson invited her to his house, where they were alone. She said she was clear that she wanted no sex, but he convinced her to get into his jacuzzi and then took her to his bed, where he raped her. She went to the police in 2017.
Jurors convicted Masterson based on her testimony.
How did the Church of Scientology play a part in Danny Masterson trial?
Throughout both the first trial and retrial, the Church of Scientology – of which Danny Masterson is a member, and the three victims were former members – played a large part. But how?
Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the church to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.
The women had blamed the church for dissuading them from reporting Masterson to police. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped and were sent through ethics programs and warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.
“They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against,” Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told jurors at the trial. “Scientology told them there’s no justice for them.”
After the verdict, the church said that the “testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs” during the trial were “uniformly false”.
“The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone – Scientologists or not – to law enforcement,” the statement said.
Read more:
Sitcom actor has since been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women
How did ‘That ’70s Show’ reboot address Danny Masterson's absence?
That ’90s Show was dropped on Netflix in January, but while stars of That ’70s Show, such as Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher, made an appearance, viewers did not hear anything from Danny Masterson.
The sitcom star was charged with the rapes of three women months before the release of the reboot. In December, however, his first trial ended in a mistrial after the jury of seven women and five men were deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict on the third charge, brought against him by a former longtime girlfriend.
At the time of the assaults, Masterson was starring in That ’70s Show as Steven Hyde, a rebellious high school student and the best friend of series lead Eric (Grace).
The sequel (following on from That ’80s Show), focuses on the children of Eric and his classmates, with Grace and his former co-stars Laura Prepon, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis all making guest appearances. Although, as expected, Masterson does not return to the show.
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Sitcom actor has now been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women