That ‘70s Show alum, Danny Masterson, has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women.
The verdict comes after the lengthy trial concluded on Sept. 7, 2023, with Los Angeles judge Charlaine F. Olmedo sentencing Masterson after a jury conviction found him guilty on two accounts of rape in May. Masterson was accused of sexual assault by three victims who all testified that the actor raped them in his Hollywood Hills home in the early 2000s.
Since the sentencing, Masterson’s verdict has sent social media into a frenzy with controversial clips from his past resurfacing on several platforms. The verdict has also shed a critical spotlight on the involvement of his That ‘70s Show castmates Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis after it was revealed that the pair both wrote letters in support of the accused rapist.
As discourse on the trial runs wild on social media, here’s a breakdown of Masterson’s allegations that first surfaced in 2017 and everything that has come since then.
Warning: This article contains detailed descriptions of sexual assault.
The Los Angeles Police Department Opens an Investigation on Danny Masterson Over Three Sexual Assault Claims
Date: March 3, 2017
In 2017, the LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division and Sexual Assault Section confirmed that an investigation into Masterson was being conducted after three women disclosed that they had been sexually assaulted by the actor in the early 2000s. While the victims remained anonymous, it was reported that they were, like Masterson, also Scientologists. The victims claimed that The Church of Scientology attempted to pressure them out of going to authorities with their claims. In response, The Church denied ever pressuring the victims.
Following the LAPD’s confirmation, Masterson’s representatives denied the allegations in a lengthy statement that suggested the accusers were only coming forward after contacting Leah Remini. The actress famously left The Church of Scientology in 2013, and at the time of the accusations, was working on a docuseries investigating The Church.
Date: Nov. 2017–Dec. 2017
On Nov. 2, 2017, a fourth victim came forward to the LAPD and similarly accused Masterson of rape in the early 2000s. Then on Nov. 16 and Dec. 20, Chrissie Carnell Bixler and Bobette Riales respectively came forward and publicly identified themselves as two of Masterson’s victims.
Date: Dec. 5, 2017
After mounting pressure, Netflix officially cut ties with Masterson. The streaming service fired him off The Ranch, a show in which he starred alongside Kutcher.
Date: Jan. 4, 2018
After 20 years, Masterson’s entertainment representatives, United Talent Agency, cut ties with the actor.
The Four Accusers Sue Masterson and The Church of Scientology
Date: Aug. 12, 2019
In 2019, two years after Masterson’s investigation began, Bixler, Riales, and two anonymous victims filed a lawsuit against the actor and The Church of Scientology for alleged intimidation and stalking.
The four women claimed that Masterson and The Church were invading the former’s privacy and harassing their families in an effort to silence them. The lawsuit requested a trial by jury and unspecified damages. In a statement released to People magazine through his attorney at that time, Masterson barred the claims as “ridiculous” and shared, “I'm not going to fight my ex-girlfriend in the media like she's been baiting me to do for more than two years. I will beat her in court.”
A litigation counsel for The Church of Scientology also released a statement to People that iterated, "From everything we have read in the press, this baseless lawsuit will go nowhere because the claims are ludicrous and a sham. It's a dishonest and hallucinatory publicity stunt. Leah Remini is taking advantage of these people as pawns in her money-making scam."
Masterson Is Charged With Three Accounts of Rape
Date: June 17, 2020
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office officially charged Masterson with three counts of rape in 2020. Prosecutors claimed that Masterson raped three women between the ages of 23–28, in 2001 and 2003. All assaults were also alleged to have taken place in Masterson’s home.
The actor was arrested and released that same day after posting bond. Masterson was then scheduled to stand before court on Sept. 18.
Date: Nov. 2, 2020
After a Los Angeles judge ruled that Masterson’s case would be moving forward, the actor’s attorney, Tom Mesereau, pushed to postpone his arraignment to Jan. 6, 2021.
Date: Jan. 20, 2021
Mesereau appeared before court on Masterson’s behalf, and pleaded not guilty on all three charges.
The Preliminary Hearings for Masterson’s Trial Begin
Date: May 18, 2021
Preliminary hearings for Masterson’s trial in Los Angeles began in the spring of 2021, with his victims sharing their testimonies to the court.
The first accuser, Jane Doe No. 1, delivered a painful testimony where she shared that Masterson drugged her in his home 18 years ago and that she woke up to the actor raping her. The events allegedly took place on April 25, 2003, with the victim explaining that she had gone to Masterson’s house to pick up a pair of keys but decided to stay for an evening of drinks with mutual friends. Around 20 minutes after accepting a drink from Masterson, the victim claimed that her eyesight started getting blurry. She was then pushed into a jacuzzi by Masterson.
Jane Doe No. 1 further detailed her assault, sharing that Masterson then carried her to his upstairs bathroom, where he forcibly made her vomit and shower. Masterson then took her to his bedroom, where she blacked out and woke up to him penetrating her. After trying to push him off, Masterson allegedly pulled a gun out of his nightstand and threatened her with it.
Date: May 19, 2021
A day after, Masterson’s second accuser took to the stand and detailed a similar experience. The victim also claimed that Masterson drugged and raped her, five years into their relationship in 2001. After trying to fight Masterson off by tugging at his hair, the actor instead hit her.
The victim also claimed that Masterson raped her again while unconscious one month later.
Date: May 20, 2021
Masterson’s third accuser spoke to the court the following day. She alleged that the actor raped her in his home, where he forced her to take her clothes off. The victim also shared that she was terrified of Masterson’s authority, particularly within The Church of Scientology, and feared that the situation would escalate if she didn’t comply with Masterson's demands.
Date: May 21, 2021
After three days of harrowing testimonies, an L.A. judge ordered that Masterson stand on trial for three accounts of rape.
Masterson’s First Trial Begins and Ends With a Deadlocked Jury
Date: Oct. 2022–Nov. 2022
Masterson’s trial officially began after a jury selection was completed on Oct. 11, 2022. A week later, on Oct. 18, the trial commenced with opening statements.
Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller took to the stand with a two-hour-and-15-minute opening statement detailing the victim’s testimonies to the court. Philip Cohen, Masterson’s lawyer, then delivered his statement, which rendered the victim’s stories as baseless for lacking photographic evidence and for being inconsistent. Cohen also claimed that “cross-contamination” had occurred, suggesting that the victims had all spoken to each other before going to the LAPD in 2017.
Over the next two weeks, the victims returned to the stand to share their testimonies. Jane Doe No. 1 further shared that she feared The Church of Scientology’s involvement and was worried that The Church would go after her three children for testifying against Masterson.
By the end of November, Masterson’s trial ended with a deadlocked jury. Since no unanimous verdict could be reached, a mistrial was called.
Masterson’s Retrial Commences and a Verdict Is Reached
Date: April 2023–Sept. 2023
Following the 2022 mistrial, Masterson returned to court in the spring of 2023 for his retrial. Opening arguments began on April 24, and by May 31 Masterson was convicted of two counts of rape. The jury was hung on the third count, per The Los Angeles Times.
By Sept. 7, Masterson was sentenced to 30 years of life in prison. Following his conviction, Jane Doe No. 1 delivered a powerful concluding statement, saying, “When you raped me, you stole from me. That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit.”
“You are pathetic, disturbed, and completely violent. The world is better off with you in prison,” she continued.
Masterson Receives Letters of Support
Date: Sept. 2023
Ahead of Masterson’s sentencing, Judge Olmedo received more than 50 letters of support from the actor’s close friends and family. The most shocking came from Masterson’s That ‘70s Show co-stars including Kutcher, Kunis, Debra Jo Rupp, and Kurtwood Smith.
In his letter, Kutcher shared, “While I’m aware that the judgement has been cast as guilty on two counts of rape by force and the victims have a great desire for justice, I hope that my testament to his character is taken into consideration in sentencing. I do not believe he is an ongoing harm to society and having his daughter raised without a present father would be a tertiary injustice in and of itself.”
Kutcher and Kunis both immediately received backlash from social media for supporting the convicted rapist, prompting the two to share an apology video on Instagram. In the video, Kutcher explained, "We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson." Kunis then chimed in, adding, “We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future.”
The couple also shared that the letters were only “intended for the judge to read,” and were not made to “undermine the testimony of the victims or re-traumatize them in any way.” Since the letters were made public, alarming interviews from Kutcher’s past have been recirculating online, with many calling the actor out for his past, predatory behavior.
The Victims Speak Out on Social Media and Support Floods In
Date: Sept. 2023
Over the past weekend, Bixler called out Kutcher and Kunis through an Instagram story for their support of Masterson in the trial. In the story, Bixler alluded to Kutcher having secrets of his own (prompting an outpour of speculative TikToks digging deep into what she meant), and heavily insinuated that Kunis is also an unbeknownst victim.
Bixler also penned, “You all must forget I was there the whole time those first 5 years of That ‘70s Show. I remember everything.”
Since posting, a flood of support has poured in for Bixler and the other victims, including support from Topher Grace’s wife, Ashley Hinshaw, who shared an Instagram story penning: “To every rape victim that is retraumatized by witnessing society debate and focus their attention on what is going to happen to the RAPIST…I see you.”
Bixler reposted Hinshaw’s story, captioning, “Topher is a lucky and deserving man. Thank you, Ashley.”
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673, or visit rainn.org for help.
