Danny Masterson’s wife Bijou Phillips‘ sister Chynna Phillips is speaking out after the actor was sentenced to prison.
Chynna, 55, took to Instagram on Monday, September 11, with a message about prayers, simply adding “#yep” in the caption. “If you don’t feel like Praying, force it. Because something is also forcing you not to pray,” the quote read.
Her upload was met with mixed reactions in the comments section. “Yes please force yourself to pray for Danny mastersons victims instead of writing letters on his behalf,” one Instagram user wrote, while a different commenter noted they would be praying for Masterson, 47, and his loved ones.
Masterson was found guilty on two counts of forcible rape in May for incidents that occurred in the early 2000s. The actor vehemently denied the allegations against him ahead of his retrial. (In November 2022, a judge declared a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.)
When her husband was convicted, Bijou, 43, was present in the courtroom. According to the Los Angeles Times, she “began sobbing” and let out a “pained cry” as the verdict was read.
Bijou was also in attendance earlier this month when Masterson was officially sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. “Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s choice and voice,” the judge declared on Thursday, September 7. “Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that’s why you are here.”
Several of Masterson’s close pals — including former That ’70s Show costars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis — wrote character letters on his behalf ahead of the sentencing. Chynna’s husband, Billy Baldwin, was among those who showed Masterson support.
Baldwin, 60, described “the friend, colleague, family member, husband, and father” he knew Masterson to be outside of the accusations brought forward against him. “Never in my entire life have I had more people refer to someone as ‘family,’ ‘my brother’ and ‘best friend’ than Danny,” he wrote, according to The Messenger. “Many of them have told me that he was there for them in their ‘greatest hour of need’ and ‘the darkest hour of their life.”
Baldwin praised Masterson for the “enormous role” he played in his siblings’ lives growing up and for continuing to care for those he loves as an adult. “I have truly never met a person that was a more caring, dedicated, trustworthy, and loyal family member and friend. I pray to God that you will consider the entirety of who Danny is when considering his sentence,” he wrote.
While Baldwin has not appeared to address his support for Masterson, Kutcher, 45, and Kunis, 40, explained why they felt compelled to write their character letters after facing backlash from fans.
“We support victims,” Kunis asserted in a video shared via Instagram on Saturday, September 9. “We have done this historically through our work and we will continue to do so in the future.”
Kutcher, for his part, explained that Masterson’s family approached them about the letters, which he said “were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling.”
He added: “They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or re-traumatize them in any way. We would never want to do that, and we’re sorry if that has taken place.”
If you have experienced sexual assault, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for confidential support.
