Earlier this month, Danny Masterson, who is best known for That ’70s Show, was sentenced.
He was charged with multiple accounts of r*pe.
Soon after, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis spoke out on the news.
So much so, that the pair have now publicly apologized.
But that hasn’t been enough for some people.
As Christina Ricci wasted no time in calling the pair out!
And now, there’s been more bad news for Masterson.
The Me Too movement disrupted the entertainment industry.
The movement initially began back in 2006, when a woman named Tarana Burke started to speak out against sexual harassment and assault, particularly in the workplace.
And it gained momentum from there.
But, in 2016, the newly viral #metoo hashtag sparked a vital conversation about sexual violence.
Many big names were involved.
More and more famous figures, such as Gweneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon and Lady Gaga began sharing their own stories of sexual assault.
Well, the hashtag has gone on to open up a huge can of worms.
Fast forward to today, and industry giants such as Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein have been outed, shamed, and reprimanded for their disgusting sexual attacks.
Which is a good thing!
As women are feeling more empowered than ever before to speak out against their attackers.
Of which there are many.
Chris Brown and R. Kelly are just a few of the names among the extensive list of men who have been accused of rape, sexual assault, and/or underage grooming.
Chris Delia also faced accusations.
Numerous screenshots of messenger conversations with the comedian have been shared on social media and his behavior towards these young women was predatory, to say the least.
Nobody can get away with their despicable actions…
And another accusation is yet another shocking one.
That ’70s Show star Danny Masterson was charged with multiple counts of rape.
According to TMZ, he was taken into custody Wednesday morning around 11:30 AM.
The charges are many.
But this isn’t the actor’s first time being accused of sexual assault.
In fact, there’s a long history.
And in 2019, 4 more women filed a lawsuit against Masterson and the Church of Scientology for stalking and harassment, stemming from their rape allegations.
But the charges that have just been placed upon him have stemmed from allegations made over the last few years.
Showing that the likelihood of Masterson being guilty was very likely.
The state has charged the actor with three counts of felony forcible rape involving three different women – all of whom are being identified as Jane Does.
These come from a time that was right in the middle of That ’70s Show run.
However, his team defended his innocence.
“Mr. Masterson is innocent, and we’re confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify.”
The lawyers went on …
“Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out. The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false.”
But unbelievably, the actor was released on bail – which left people furious.
And so many people lashed out against both the church and the actor for being able to get away with these hideous crimes.
But the results of his rape trial are in.
The star is facing 30 years to life after being found guilty on 2 of his 3 counts of rape.
His lawyer, Shawn Holley, told TMZ: “Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted and we — and the appellate lawyers — the best and the brightest in the country — are confident that these convictions will be overturned.”
Leah Remini has offered her take.
“I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women with the help of Scientology, a multi-billion-dollar criminal organization with tax-exempt status,” Remini wrote.
“Hearing the survivors read their victim impact statements aloud in court while the man who raped them and some of the very Scientologists who terrorized them over two decades were just a few feet away displayed a level of bravery that I am in awe of.”
“The women who survived Danny’s predation fought tirelessly for justice,” she added.
“Their tenacity, strength, and courage have given hope to all victims of Scientology that justice is possible. For that, we will forever be grateful. To the LAPD detectives, the LA District Attorney’s office, Judge Olmedo, and the jury, we thank you for your fair and impartial approach to this case and trial.”
But soon after, it was revealed that Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher spoke out in Masterson’s defence.
The pair wrote letters of support for their old co-star, and the internet was not happy about it.
So much so, that the pair have had to issue a public apology for their actions.
“We support victims, we have done this historically through our work and we will continue to do so in the future,” said Mila.
“A couple of months ago, Danny’s family reached out to us and they asked us to write character letters to represent the person that we knew for 25 years so that the judge could take that into full consideration relative to the sentencing,” Ashton continued.
Mila added: “The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling.”
Ashton concluded: “They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatize them in any way. We would never want to do that, and we’re sorry if that has taken place,” and Mila closed the video by sharing: “Our heart goes out to every single person who’s ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.”
You can see the couple’s full apology here.
The two have been called out by a fellow actor.
Christina Ricci posted an Instagram Story that reads: “So sometimes people we loved and admired do horrible things.”
“They might not do these things to us and we only know who they were to us but that doesn’t mean they didn’t do the horrible things and to discredit the abused is a crime.”
“People we know as ‘awesome guys’ can be predators and abusers. It’s tough to accept but we have to. If we say we support victims – women, children, men, boys – then we must be able to take this stance.”
Ricci continued: “Unfortunately I’ve known lots of ‘awesome guys’ who were lovely to me but have been proven to be abusers privately. I’ve also had personal experience with this. Believe victims. It’s not easy to come forward. It’s not easy to get a conviction.”
And now, there’s been another blow for Masterson.
His wife, Bijou Phillips, has filed for divorce.
As per 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.
Previously, Phillips had been supportive of Masterson during his trial.
However, it appears the sentencing has changed all that.
What do you think?