Two More 'That ‘70s Show' Co-Stars Wrote Letters Supporting Danny Masterson During His Rape Trial
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Warning: This post contains descriptions of sexual violence.
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While many know at this point that former That ’70s Show co-stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher wrote letters of support for Danny Masterson to the judge presiding over his case, they’re not the only ones.
For those that don’t know, on Sept 7, Masterson was sentenced to serve 30 years to life in prison for raping two women between the years of 2001-03. Along with Kunis and Kutcher writing letters, former co-stars from That ’70s Show Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith wrote personal letters.
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She’s Out of My League star Rupp wrote about how he made a pact with his former co-stars about staying away from drugs. “He was well liked and very respected,” she wrote in a letter obtained by MSN. “One of the first things Danny did with them was to sit [the teens] all down (he had a little meeting) and had them all make a pact that no one would do drugs because of the nature of our show. The spotlight would be on them and he wanted everyone to succeed. I remember thinking that it was such a smart thing to do and something I never would have thought of.”
Along with Rupp, Smith wrote that he considered Masterson “to be a good friend.” He wrote, “Our friendship revolved around work… Danny was the leader among his contemporaries in the cast. He was a tad older and much more experienced and he took that position seriously.”
Smith played Red Forman on the hit show, while Rupp played his on-screen wife Kitty Forman; both characters ended up unofficially adopting Masteron’s character Hyde in the show.
Masterson’s rape trial began last Oct, and quickly led to a mistrial. However, proceedings began again, to which he pled not guilty. He was later found guilty on two counts of rape
Back in 2017, five women came forward with sexual assault allegations against Masterson, and singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala alleged soon after that Masterson sexually assaulted his wife. Two years later, the women and Bixler-Zavala alleged Scientologists were harassing them after they came forward with these allegations, per People.
Fast forward to 2020, Masterson was later charged with raping a 23-year-old woman in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in 2003, and another 23-year-old woman in 2003.
While he was sentenced, reports have come in that he plans to appeal his conviction.
Click here to see celebrities who have been accused of sexual assault.
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