The Untold Truth Of Danny Masterson's Wife, Bijou Phillips
For years, actor Danny Masterson has found himself under a cloud of rape allegations that came to light as part of the #MeToo movement. However, after thoroughly investigating said claims, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey officially charged Masterson with three counts of rape by force or fear, and the That '70s Show actor was arrested on June 17, 2020 (per E! News). Yet, while Masterson faces an uphill battle as he attempts to clear his name, his wife Bijou Phillips has continued to stand by his side.
"Mr. Masterson is innocent, and we're confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify," Masterson's attorney Tom Mesereau told outlets, including ABC News, in response to the rape charges. "Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering these nearly 20-year allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out. The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false."
But as Masterson monopolizes the spotlight, Bijou has remained relatively mum about the topic in the years since her husband's accusers spoke up. So, who's this mystery woman? Well, as it turns out, she's not much of a mystery at all. In fact, she's the daughter of John Phillips, lead singer for The Mamas and The Papas, so she's no stranger to controversy.
Bijou Phillips suffered from drug addiction during her teenage years
Bijou Phillips launched her modeling career at age 13 and quickly became enveloped by the party scene that often comes with that sort of lifestyle. Much like her father John Phillips, Bijou became addicted to drugs, and per his request, she checked into rehab and sobered up by age 21. "If you were 14 years old and able to live on your own in an apartment in New York City, and you got invited to all these clubs, and you got a bank account and you had a car service you could call so that you could go wherever you wanted," she told The Guardian in 2002, "what would happen?"
Bijou added that she's "happy that I got all that out of the way, out of my system, when I was a kid." She added that, despite echoing her half-sisters' — Mackenzie and Chynna — hatred for their father during her early years, retrospect helped her see how much he truly cared for her, especially after his drug use led to heart failure and, ultimately, his death.
"My dad was a great dad," Bijou said to The Guardian. "An awesome dad. He had his own problems. He took custody of me, he took me to school every single day, made me breakfast, picked me up, made me dinner. When I used to be angry at him, it wasn't really my anger... Now it's like, 'Wow, he did such a good job.'"
Bijou Phillips conquered kidney disease after a 'fortunate' transplant
Although actress Bijou Phillips and her family kept her diagnosis secret for some time, the star revealed her battle in February 2017 when TMZ reported she'd been hospitalized for a blood infection. Danny Masterson subsequently told Entertainment Tonight that he was "optimistic" that his wife would find a compatible donor and receive the life-saving transplant she needed.
According to Masterson's official statement, his wife "was born with small kidneys and has been quietly dealing with kidney disease for the last five years." He added that, in addition to being on the transplant list, Bijou led a stress-free life and maintained a vegan diet "to heal her body," but this approach wasn't enough, and she eventually began "privately having dialysis" to sustain her bodily functions. However, as Masterson noted, Bijou discovered that one of her friends was a match and she received her transplant in time.
"My lady has been [slowly] dying for the past 7 years of an incurable kidney disease. She was given the gift of an encore by a tall angel," Masterson posted on Instagram after Bijou's surgery. "Our daughter will have a mother. We do not take lightly how incredibly fortunate we are. 100% successful transplant... Our deepest gratitude to a perfect transplant team. And a life owed to a tall drink of water." Masterson stood by his wife during her darkest days, and now, as he faces his own struggles, she'll be there to return the favor.
Bijou Phillips and Danny Masterson are both Scientologists
According to an interview with Paper magazine (via E! News), Bijou Phillips and Danny Masterson met at a celebrity poker tournament in Las Vegas in 2005. While the two were seated next to each other, Bijou noted that Masterson paid her little attention. "Every guy at the table was flirting with me but Danny," she said. "He wasn't laughing at my jokes. I was like, 'who is this Danny Masterson and what does he think he's doing?'" It wasn't until after the game that the two realized how much they had in common.
While both came to fame as children, Bijou and Masterson also discovered they were members of the Church of Scientology — and both feel incredibly strongly about their shared religion. Bijou voiced her disdain for psychiatrists, explaining that her "grandparents didn't take any pills and they were fine," and Masterson echoed that sentiment.
"You will not find a Scientologist who does not f**king hate psychiatrists," he explained. "Because their solution for mental and spiritual problems is drugs. So let's talk about putting a Band-Aid on something that's just going to get worse and worse and worse... Scientology handles those things, those mental problems that people have. It gets rid of them. It gets rid of them by that person doing it for themselves."
Although their views are controversial, they're clearly compatible and it's that solid foundation that'll hold their marriage together as it faces its toughest test yet.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit RAINN.org for additional resources.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Bijou Phillips has been accused of homophobia and physical abuse
Given her background, it may be unsurprising to know that Bijou Phillips has a troubling history of violence and emotionally abusive outbursts herself. In 2017, actor Daniel Franzese, who came out as gay in 2014, revealed that Phillips harassed him while filming the 2001 film "Bully," per TMZ. "She body shamed me and ridiculed me about my sexuality and physically assaulted me," he said on Facebook.
According to Franzese, Phillips, who was 20 at the time, would repeatedly and loudly ask him in front of others whether he was gay, twist his nipple through his shirt, and at one point kicked him in the head so hard he thought he had a concussion. Per the LA Times, she would also mock Franzese when he would remove his shirt, mock his weight by comparing him to singer Carnie Wilson, and even "[rub] her dirty feet on my neck" while sitting behind him. "The way I was treated in that hostile work environment gave me a PTSD that had me stay closeted for a long time," he added.
When Franzese made the accusations, Phillips told TMZ that she was "a teenager and reckless in my behavior," and that those years were "a blur." "I am so mortified by this behavior," she added. "I am not and never have been homophobic. I have nothing but love for the LGBTQ community and Daniel." Franzese responded by publicly accepting her apology, via Twitter.
Bijou Phillips allegedly strangled a co-star
Daniel Franzese is not the only one to have accused Bijou Phillips of physical abuse. In 2017, shortly after Franzese made his allegations public, actor Heather Matarazzo, with whom Phillips worked alongside for the 2007 movie, "Hostel: Part II," revealed that she had been pushed up against a wall, choked, and threatened by Phillips at a pre-production party shortly before filming for the movie began.
"She had thrown me up against a wall and put her hands around my neck ... and choked me for a good 15, 20 seconds," Matarazzo told Franzese in an episode of her podcast, Shut Up and Listen. "I mean, I've experienced some horrifying moments in my life, and I count that to be one of them." Matarazzo said that since she had been sober for a around year, she did not drink at the party, nor did she take any pills for jet lag. This led Phillips to attack her, during which she allegedly said, "I'm going to make sure that you relapse on this film." Matarazzo did not end up relapsing, nor, like Franzese, did she tell the producers of the incident, for fear of any potential repercussions.
Both Franzese and Matarazzo said in the podcast that part of the reason why they are speaking out is so that Phillips may make amends to the other people she has hurt in her life. Unlike Franzese, however, there is no word on whether Matarazzo received an apology.
Bijou Phillips has defended her husband and father amid rape accusations
It is no secret that both Bijou Phillips' husband, Danny Masterson, and father, John Phillips, have been accused of shocking sexual assaults. Bijou's paternal half-sister Mackenzie, who is 21 years her senior, revealed in 2009, eight years after their father's death, that she and John had a years-long sexual relationship. This began when Phillips raped her when she was blackout drunk at 19 and turned into what she described as a "consensual" relationship (via ABC News).
Although Mackenzie and Bijou's half-sister Chynna (daughter of Michelle Phillips) and Jessica Woods, daughter of John's Mamas and the Papas bandmate Denny Doherty, both said they not only believed her allegations but had been told of them years before they were made public, Bijou has made statements defending her father. "I'm 29 now, I've talked to everyone who was around during that time, I've asked the hard questions. I do not believe my sister," she said at the time, per NBC. "Our father is many things, This is not one of them."
When it came to her husband's many damning allegations, Phillips has only seemed to be in support of him. "Bijou has been a total rock," a source close to Phillips told Us Weekly in January. "She fully supports him and says they'll get through this nightmare together and come out stronger." In addition, she has more or less purged her Instagram account since the 2020 allegations were made public.