Published 08:23 IST, June 18th 2020
'That 70s Show' star Danny Masterson charged with rapes of 3 women; bails out at $3.3 MN
After a 3-year investigation, actor Danny Masterson was arrested on Wednesday on charges of raping three women in the early 2000s; released after posting bail.
Actor Danny Masterson, known for his role as Steven Hyde in the popular sitcom That 70s Show, has been charged with rape of three women in different instances between 2001 and 2003. The 44-year-old actor was reportedly arrested on Wednesday morning on accusations of raping a 23-year-old woman in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April 2003, and a 23-year-old woman whom he invited to his Hollywood Hills home in late 2003. The actor was then released from prison after posting a bail amount set at $3.3 million with a court summon for September 18.
If convicted for these alleged crimes, Danny Masterson is likely to face up to 45 years in prison. The actor has been in the spotlight for the allegations of sexual assault against him because of which he had been written off his own Netflix web series The Ranch. It was in 2017 that the investigations of these charges had begun but he did not have to face repercussions until the infamous Harvey Weinstein case shook Hollywood's culture.
Masterson’s attorney Thomas Mesereau said his client is innocent, and that he is confident that The 70s Show actor will be exonerated of all charges when the evidence comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify. Mesereau, who has previously represented Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby in their trials for sexual crimes, also revealed that Masterson and his wife, actor-model Bijou Phillips, are in complete shock as these nearly 20-year-old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed. However, they believe that eventually the truth will come out and prove that Masterson is not guilty.
2nd famous Hollywood figure in MeToo allegations
Masterson’s case stands out as the second set of charges Los Angeles prosecutors have filed against a famous Hollywood figure—second to Harvey Weinstein—in the #MeToo era. On the work front, Danny Masterson worked steadily starting in the early 1990s, largely in TV sitcoms including Cybill and Men at Work along with That ’70s Show and The Ranch. His film credits include the 2008 Jim Carrey comedy Yes Man, The Bridge to Nowhere in 2009, in which he starred with his future wife Phillips, and 2011’s The Chicago 8, in which he played 1960s anti-war activist Jerry Rubin.
(With agency inputs)
Updated 08:23 IST, June 18th 2020