Danny Masterson: from Hollywood stardom to 30 years in prison for sexual assault

Actor Danny Masterson, known especially from 'That 70s Show,' has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the assault of two young women. To say his Hollywood career is over, is an understatement. Where did Danny Masterson come from and what caused his dizzying fall from grace?

Danny Masterson began modeling at the age of four and transitioned to singing and acting. By the time he was 16, he was landing jobs in television commercials. He had a small role in the film ‘Beethoven’s 2nd’ and was cast in two seasons of ‘Cybill,’ a sitcom starring Cybill Shepherd and Christine Baranski.

Masterson played the role of ‘Steven Hyde,’ the tough yet funny character with a challenging home life.

The lighthearted comedy depicted the lives of teens growing into adulthood in the 1970s and the show aired its final episode in May of 2006.

Masterson had a lead role in the show ‘Men at Work’ that ran for three seasons from 2012 to 2014.

Masterson co-starred with Ashton Kutcher, Sam Elliott, and Elisha Cuthbert from 2016-2018 on the popular series.

The accusers claimed that the assaults occurred in the early 2000s. An investigation into the incidents was initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department in response to the reports. The three women, as well as Masterson, were members of The Church of Scientology.

Additional women came forward with similar accusations in the months that followed and Masterson was fired by Netflix in December 2017, halfway through the filming of season 3 of ‘The Ranch.’ He was dropped by his talent agency shortly thereafter.

Danny Masterson is a second-generation Scientologist and is known to have had close ties to the church. The women alleged that, after they accused Masterson of r a p e, they experienced retaliation in the form of intimidation and stalking by the church.

The charges against Masterson included the s e x u a l assault of three women in 2001, early 2003, and late 2003. Masterson has always denied the allegations and in January of 2021, he pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Following deliberation, the jury remained deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial. However, a new trial would follow in 2023.

In 2023, ‘That ‘90s Show’ premiered as a sequel to the previous series. It is set in 1995 and follows some of the same characters and features familiar locations from ‘That ‘70s Show.’ The exclusion of Masterson from the project was a glaring example of how Hollywood would continue to distance itself from the actor.

Image: Topher Grace / Instagram

On September 7th, 2023, Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for assaulting two women. The victims had the opportunity to make victim impact statements at the sentencing.

Following his sentencing, Masterson was remanded into custody to begin serving his sentence. His lawyer, Shawn Holley, spoke to the media following the court proceedings and shared that Masterson plans to appeal his conviction.

He will be transferred to a California State prison for the duration of his life sentence. Due to concern for potential mental distress following his incarceration, Masterson is on 24hr surveillance in jail.

The friends and previous television co-stars of Danny Masterson came under fire after the character reference letters they wrote to the sentencing judge went public. The couple filmed an apology acknowledging that their actions may have caused pain to the victims of s e x u a l assault.

As Masterson’s wife Bijou Phillips and the couple’s daughter have to learn to live with him being in prison, the multiple victims of his crimes will have to continue to live with the scars from the trauma Masterson inflicted on them two decades ago.