By Marisa Laudadio
2:42pm PDT, Sep 20, 2023
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In the days following Danny Masterson's sentencing for two rape convictions — on Sept. 7, 2023, a judge ordered him to serve 30 years in prison — his wife, Bijou Phillips, tried to stay positive and was speaking to him "daily," DailyMail.com claimed.
But on Sept. 18, Bijou filed for divorce — less than two weeks after Danny was sentenced, despite sources' claims that she had no plans to end their 11-year marriage. TMZ reported that she listed their date of separation as "TBD" and is asking for spousal support, attorneys fees and for her legal surname to be restored to Phillips. She's also asking for legal and physical custody of their child, with visitation for Danny.
Just five days before Bijou's divorce filing, DailyMail.com reported that Bijou and Fianna — the 9-year-old daughter she shares with Danny — were talking to the convicted rapist on the phone every day, and that Bijou — who was still "very much in love with him," a source said in the Sept. 13 report — believed in his innocence and was determined to "be there for her husband," the source added.
Additionally, Bijou was visiting Danny "whenever there is a chance," the source added.
Keep reading for more on what Bijou's divorce attorney had to say, the former couple's finances, what they're telling their daughter, appeal hopes and more about their relationship…
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One day after Bijou Phillips filed for divorce in California, her attorney shared this statement with TMZ, which broke the split news.
"Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband during this unfortunate time. Her priority remains with her daughter," attorney Peter A. Lauzon said.
"This period has been unimaginably hard on the marriage and the family," Bijou's lawyer continued, adding, "Mr. Masterson was always present for Ms. Phillips during her most difficult times of her life. Ms. Phillips acknowledges that Mr. Masterson is a wonderful father to their daughter."
MORE: "That '70s Show" stars: Where are they now?
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Danny Masterson and Bijou Phillips have been trying to be honest and transparent with their 9-year-old daughter, Fianna — seen here with her mom and aunt, actress Mackenzie Phillips — in the wake of his convictions and sentencing, without focusing on his incarceration.
The stars "answer all their daughter's questions, but they aren't getting into the nitty gritty," a source told DailyMail.com on Sept. 13.
"It is extremely emotional and tough, and to harp on it is emotionally draining. The times that Danny talks to his daughter and Bijou, it is always about anything else than the obvious," the source said.
"He continues to try to reassure them that it will be OK. Many tears have been shed but they use the time to talk to each other about school and anything else. There will be a time and place to fill in her daughter fully, but that is still a work in progress."
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With Danny Masterson now serving a 30-year prison sentence, his wife has to provide for their daughter on her own. But according to DailyMail.com's source, Bijou Phillips is able to cope financially. "[She] should be fine for the foreseeable future," the source said on Sept. 13.
"When it comes to money, Danny wasn't making as much money as he was making in his heyday, but he is still left with a good amount of money from what was saved from his time with 'That 70's Show,'" the source explained.
"Bijou also is a good saver from the work she has done. They never showed financial distress as Danny did what he had to do for himself and his family to survive while acting jobs weren't as frequent over the years and also having to pay lawyers," the source added.
Right now, the source continued, financial matters are the "least" of Bijou's worries.
"Danny is still fighting but Bijou and her daughter should be fine for the foreseeable future regarding living arrangements and will not be destitute," the source said, adding that "Bijou has a lot of family and friends besides Danny's friends and family that would gladly help in the chance that Bijou falls on hard times."
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Just five days before Bijou Phillips filed for divorce, a source told DailyMail.com that the actress was "eager" to start the appeal process following husband Danny Masterson's sentencing on two rape convictions.
The actress was hopeful the "results of his sentence will be drastically changed or overturned," the source said on Sept. 13, adding that "she is still holding out lots of hope that it will change, and he will be free."
In a separate Sept. 13 report from People magazine, an insider shared that Bijou was "surrounded by family and friends" and "in touch with [Danny's] lawyer."
"They are planning appeals. She tries to stay hopeful," the source said.
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After Bijou Phillips' husband, Danny Masterson, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, some have wondered if their nearly 12-year marriage might be over.
A source told People magazine in a Sept. 14 report that while Bijou was "distraught" post-sentencing and "has had a very difficult time since the conviction," she remained committed to their marriage. "She loves Danny and has no plans to file for divorce. She will be by his side for it all," the source said.
But on Sept. 17, Bijou quietly filed for divorce in California, TMZ reported.
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Following Danny Masterson's sentencing on Sept. 7, 2023, wife Bijou Phillips began to come to grips with a new reality for herself and their 9-year-old daughter, Fianna. According to a source who spoke to DailyMail.com the same day a judge ordered the actor to spend the next 30 years behind bars for two rape convictions, Bijou was approaching this new phase of her life as if there was a death in the family.
"Currently Bijou is circling the drain and is filled with all the emotion and no emotion at all," the source said. "She is a shell of who she has been. She is really trying to be strong for her daughter as she is trying to figure out life and what it will be like for her. It can only be compared to a divorce or a death for her not being able to be with Danny the way they were."
"They had their life, and it has been completely uprooted and changed and change is as scary and miserable as one would imagine. Friends are trying to be there for her, but things are really tough. She's really trying to figure it all out and what her life will be after all things are said and done," the source continued, adding that "whatever happens with Danny will change her life forever and, in a not so dignified word, it just sucks."
