Danny Masterson Giving Up Custody Of 9-Year-Old Daughter In Divorce

Danny Masterson has responded to the divorce filed by his wife, Bijou Phillips, and agrees she should have full custody of their 9-year-old daughter.

According to legal documents, obtained by The Blast, Masterson admits there is a chance he will be in prison for the next 30 years, so Phillips should all rights to their daughter. Danny lists their date of separation as September 15, just one week after he was sentenced to close to life in prison.

He is asking for visitation with his daughter, but that will be in the confines of a California state prison.

As we reported, Bijou filed for divorce just days after Masterson was sentenced to 30 years behind bars for allegedly raping three women. In the filing, Phillips asked for full legal and physical custody of the former couple's 9-year-old daughter. Obviously, with him in prison, she is asking for spousal support not to be paid to him.

As for the reason for the split, you can imagine. Officially, she cited "irreconcilable differences" between them after 12 years of marriage.

Representatives for the actress issued a statement, following the divorce, saying, "Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband during this unfortunate time. Her priority remains with her daughter."

Adding, "This period has been unimaginably hard on the marriage and the family. Mr. Masterson was always present for Ms. Phillips during the most difficult times of her life. Ms. Phillips acknowledges that Mr. Masterson is a wonderful father to their daughter. She hopes that everyone will respect her family's privacy in these difficult times."

Although the actor had several different women all coming forward with different allegations, the prosecutor in the case felt that Masterson always “thought he was going to get away with it.” He described Masterson’s actions as “predatory in nature as well as opportunistic." Adding, "It's been a long time coming for them to get their justice,” Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller said in an interview with People magazine, noting that the judge’s prison sentence was “absolutely the right decision.”

In 2020, “That ‘70s Show” actor was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women between 2001 and 2003. Masterson, 47, was convicted of two of the charges. On September 7, he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.

Mueller claimed that Masterson was “consistent in the manner in which he forcibly raped each of his victims” and went on to describe how “He surreptitiously drugged the victims using an alcoholic beverage as the vehicle for administration, and then forcibly raped them as they became incapacitated.”

"This afforded him the opportunity to obtain control and dominance over his victims as he carried out his forcible assaults,” he went on. However, it’s worth noting that no toxicology analysis was done to verify what the victims were allegedly drugged with. However, Mueller has his own theories about that. “Our suspicion is that the drug used was GHB, based largely on the nature of the consistent symptoms experienced and rapid onset,” he said, emphasizing that there is no evidence that can prove that the victims were drugged with GHB.

"We did have an experienced toxicologist testify to the typical nature and side effects of various date rape drugs that commonly existed within the social scene during the time period when these rapes occurred, " he explained.

"She was asked hypothetical questions that presented similar facts, circumstances, and adverse reactions that were experienced by these victims after consuming an alcoholic beverage furnished by the defendant,” he continued. “She then testified to her expert opinion that the physical and mental symptoms experienced by these victims are not consistent with the consumption of the amount of alcohol, alone."

Although Mueller believed that Masterson “always thought he was going to get away with it,” he could potentially spend the rest of his life behind bars.