Bijou Phillips is “distraught” after her husband Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison in his rape case last week, a source tells PEOPLE.
“She has had a very difficult time since the conviction,” the insider says. “She loves Danny and has no plans to file for divorce. She will be by his side for it all.”
The source shares that Phillips, 43, is “surrounded by family and friends” amid her husband’s legal troubles, adding, “She is in touch with his lawyer. They are planning appeals. She tries to stay hopeful.”
Masterson’s defense attorney Shawn Holley did not immediately return to PEOPLE’s request for comment. Phillips was in the courtroom — alongside members of Masterson’s family — for the sentencing on Thursday, according to Variety. The actor was seen blowing a kiss to his wife before being led away to prison in a court sketch.
During the sentencing, two women he was convicted of raping gave victim impact statements and the Judge Charlaine Olmedo told Masterson, “Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice and choice. Your actions 20 years ago were criminal, and that is why you are here,” according to the outlet.
A jury at Los Angeles Superior Court found Masterson guilty of two counts of rape in May, per the Los Angeles Times. After jurors deliberated for more than seven days, a third count of rape resulted in a hung jury, the outlet reported.
Masterson did not register much of a reaction to the verdict, according to L.A. reporter Meghann Cuniff, who noted that his family members were “fighting back tears” and Phillips also began to cry when he was convicted. Cuniff reported Judge Olmedo as telling her, “Can you maintain your composure? I know it’s hard. But if not I need you to step outside.”
Holley confirmed to PEOPLE after the verdict that Masterson planned to appeal. A source previously told PEOPLE that Phillips was “shocked and devastated” by the conviction. The insider said, “She wasn’t prepared for the verdict. She never expected him to be found guilty. She couldn’t believe that he was taken into custody right away and remanded.”
The source added that Phillips was “terrified about the sentencing.”
Masterson was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003. Since his arrest, Masterson has been out of jail on a $3.3 million bail. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges in January 2021.
At the time, Masterson’s attorney Tom Mesereau issued a statement to PEOPLE that said, “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.”
Mesereau continued, “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.”
All of the alleged crimes occurred at Masterson’s home, prosecutors say, and all three accusers took the stand to detail their allegations in May 2021 in a preliminary hearing.
Masterson was initially tried for the allegations in late 2022, but a mistrial was called after jurors were unable to come to a unanimous verdict. Ten of 12 of jurors wanted to find Masterson not guilty based on the evidence presented.
Many of the allegations against Masterson first surfaced in March 2017 when the LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division confirmed an investigation was taking place into sexual assault allegations against the actor. In November 2017, HuffPost reported that a fourth woman had accused Masterson of raping her in the early 2000s.
After the allegations came to light, Masterson was removed from the Netflix series The Ranch — which he appeared in alongside former ’70s Show costar Ashton Kutcher. United Talent Agency also cut ties with the actor.
“This is beyond ridiculous,” Masterson said in a statement to PEOPLE through his attorney at the time. “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 — and look forward to it because the public will finally be able learn the truth and see how I’ve been railroaded by this woman. And once her lawsuit is thrown out, I intend to sue her and the others who jumped on the bandwagon for the damage they caused me and my family.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
In other news – PnB Rock’s girlfriend recalls terrifying shooting one year after his death
The rapper was killed during a restaurant robbery in Los Angeles while having a meal with his longtime love. PnB Rock lives on in the heart of his longtime girlfriend, Stephanie Sibounheuang. On the one-year anniversary of the rapper’s tragic death, Sibounheuang took to social media to offer remembrance and open up about how she’s been adjusting to life since the loss.
“I’ve been in the deepest depression for a lil min contemplating todays date, which makes a year since your transition. I argued with God about openly reliving this day and i absolutely did not want to, so this is an act of obedience,” she began an Instagram caption, which was accompanied by a carousel of images that included the couple, along with their young child, Xuri Li, and Rock’s daughter from a previous relationship, Milan. Read More
