How That ’70s Show Cast Reacted To Danny Masterson Allegations
Danny Masterson was left out of Netflix's That '90s Show, likely due to the allegations pressed against him.
That ’70s Show remains one of the most memorable sitcoms of all time, having launched the careers of acclaimed actors like Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, and Danny Masterson. Most That 70s Show alum maintained fairly impeccable reputations after their time on the show lapsed. However, others, like Danny Masterson, have seen their personal and professional reputations take a nose dive in recent times
Masterson, who earned his breakthrough on the show, has been at the epicenter of a messy scandal guaranteed to leave his career in shambles. In 2017, the actor made headlines when five women went public with allegations that the actor had sexually assaulted them on separate occasions while he was still working on That ’70s Show. So, what have other That ’70s Show alum said about the controversial allegations? Read on to find out.
8Danny Masterson Has Been Battling Grave Allegations Since 2017
Danny Masterson, the actor behind That ’70s Show’s Steven Hyde has been embroiled in a nasty sexual assault scandal for several years.
The scandal, which has captivated audiences across the world, first broke in 2017, when five women went public with allegations that Masterson had assaulted them on separate occasions in the early 2000s. Things escalated further in 2019, when four of the women filed a lawsuit accusing Masterson, allegedly acting in concert with the Church of Scientology, of invading their privacy and attempting to obstruct justice.
7Danny Masterson Was Officially Charged In 2020
Three years after the allegations became public knowledge, Masterson was officially charged with three counts of rape by force or fear.
In October 2022, two years after his arrest, Danny Masterson’s sexual assault case finally went to trial. However, the jury was unable to arrive at a unanimous verdict, and a mistrial was declared in November. Though Masterson’s lawyers requested a dismissal shortly thereafter, the case is still scheduled for a retrial on March 29.
6Danny Masterson Has Maintained His Innocence
Danny Masterson has vehemently denied all the allegations leveled against him, maintaining his innocence in the face of both civil and criminal charges.
“This is beyond ridiculous. I’m not going to fight my ex-girlfriend in the media like she’s been baiting me to do for more than two years,” the actor told US Weekly in 2019 following reports that four of his accusers had filed a lawsuit against him. “I will beat her in court— and look forward to it because the public will finally be able to learn the truth and see how I’ve been railroaded by this woman.”
5Danny Masterson’s Career Came To A Halt After His Accusers Came Forward
Danny Masterson’s career took a nosedive almost as soon as his accusers came forward. In December 2017, just months after Masterson’s fifth accuser came forward, Netflix announced that the actor would no longer appear on The Ranch, a sitcom in which he’d starred alongside yet another That ’70s Show alum, Ashton Kutcher.
Masterson was unsurprisingly outraged by this particular development. “I am obviously very disappointed in Netflix’s decision to write my character off of The Ranch,” he said in a media statement. “In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused.”
4Danny Masterson Was Not Asked Back For That ’90s Show
Three years after getting axed from The Ranch, Danny Masterson was yet to extricate himself from the scandalous allegations leveled against him. As a result, Masterson’s character, Steven Hyde, was excluded from Netflix’s That ’70s Show reboot, That ’90s Show.
That said, Masterson did not hesitate to render his support when the show was first announced in 2021. “This is literally the dopest thing I’ve heard in a decade,” he wrote on Instagram. “So f—king excited for @therealkurtwoodsmith and @debrajorupp two of the great humans and greatest actors on this planet. Can’t wait to watch and laugh.”
3Topher Grace Was The First ’70s Show Alum To Address Danny Masterson’s Scandal
Topher Grace was the first That ’70s Show alumnus to address the scandal. Though the actor didn’t dispute the allegations, he also clarified that he was in no position to verify their veracity.
“You know, I hesitate to say that I never saw any of that behavior because I feel like it sounds like I’m defending him, but the truth is I never saw any of that stuff,” he disclosed to The Hollywood Reporter in 2018. “I was, of that cast, the most boring. So when it came to going out after the show and partying, I just was boring.”
2Mark Brazill Has Not Addressed Danny Masterson’s Scandal Directly
That ’70s Show creator Mark Brazill is yet to address Danny Masterson’s controversial allegations directly.
However, in June 2020, the actor liked a tweet that read, “Danny Masterson deserves to rot for the horrible way he treated and silenced women who were brave enough to speak out against his abuse. If you are out there, I believe you. I see you. I am here for you.”
According to US Weekly, the actor also liked, then later un-liked a tweet stating that Steven Hyde would not hesitate to punch his real-life self.
1Ashton Kutcher Is Not Quick To Pick Sides
Danny Masterson’s longstanding friend, Ashton Kutcher, finally broke his silence on the scandal in a recent interview with Esquire. Though the actor claimed that he “wholesale [felt] for anybody who feels like they were violated in any way,” he seemed unable to side with either Masterson or his accusers.
“Ultimately, I can’t know. I’m not the judge. I’m not the jury. I’m not the DA. I’m not the victim. And I’m not the accused. And so, in that case, I don’t have a space to comment. I just don’t know,” he said, before adding that he hoped that Masterson would eventually “be found innocent of the charges brought against him.”
