Bijou Phillips has filed for divorce from Danny Masterson, the once-famous actor from That '70s Show who was recently sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on two rape convictions.
According to official documents from Santa Barbara Superior Court, 43-year-old Phillips submitted her petition on Monday to terminate her almost 12-year-long marriage to 47-year-old Masterson, AP News reports. The couple share a nine-year-old daughter.
Masterson continues to maintain his innocence, and his legal team is planning an appeal, citing problems with evidence and constitutional issues regarding the conviction.
Throughout the legal ordeal, Phillips had remained by Masterson's side in the courtroom, attending two extensive trials. The first trial concluded in a mistrial, but the second led to Masterson's conviction on two out of three counts of rape dating back to 2003.
During the reading of the guilty verdicts on May 31, Phillips was visibly emotional, a sentiment she echoed at his September 7 sentencing.
Before Masterson's sentencing, Phillips submitted a letter to the presiding judge, praising him as a "life-saving partner" and an "amazing father."
"I can say that Danny has literally been a life-saving partner to me," she stated, likely referencing his support during her kidney transplant in 2017. The letter revealed that the couple had bought a farm in rural Santa Barbara County and turned it into a vineyard after Masterson lost all acting gigs due to the police investigation.
Phillips, daughter of John Phillips from The Mamas and the Papas and actor Genevieve Waite, was a teenage model before becoming an actor. She's known for her roles in hit films like Almost Famous, as well as TV shows like Raising Hopes and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
The couple started dating back in 2004, got engaged in 2009, and were married in Ireland in 2011.
Masterson, known for his role in the Fox retro sitcom That '70s Show alongside Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Topher Grace, had been under investigation for sexual assault since 2017 and was arrested in 2020.
The conviction specifically involves two women he met through the Church of Scientology. Both victims testified that he spiked their drinks and violently raped them.
Jury members, however, could not reach a consensus on a third charge alleging rape of a former girlfriend in 2001. Notably, Kutcher and Kunis have also come under public scrutiny for their letters to the judge, which sought leniency for Masterson and later drew widespread criticism.
As this high-profile divorce unfolds amidst a backdrop of criminal convictions and public scrutiny, many are left pondering what the future holds for Phillips, Masterson, and their family. With Masterson's looming imprisonment and an appeal in the works, the implications of this divorce are far from straightforward.