New Details On Accusations And Charges Against Bijou Phillips And Husband Danny Masterson Of Rape, Assault And Harassment
'Mean Girls' actor Daniel Franzese claims Phillips harassed & assaulted him on a movie set.
s_bukley / CarlaVanWagoner / Shutterstock Three years after his accusers started coming forward, actor Danny Masterson has officially been arrested and charged with three counts of rape.
In 2017, actor Daniel Franzese came out with his own accusations against Masterson's wife, actress Bijou Phillips. According to the Mean Girls star, Phillips harassed and physically assaulted him while filming the movie Bully in 2001.
The 42-year-old actor wrote a lengthy post on Facebook detailing the "homophobia, body shaming and physical abuse" he suffered at the hands of the actress that gave him post-traumatic stress disorder, leading him to "stay closeted for a long time."
"On my first film Bully, I was harassed by Bijou Phillips the entire shoot," he wrote. "She body shamed and ridiculed me about my sexuality and physically assaulted me. It started with a lot of eye rolling whenever we spoke but escalated when we did a cast shoot for the poster. As we were shooting, she kept loudly saying, 'Are you gay?!' and laughing while the producers did nothing to stop her."
Franzese said he reluctantly told Phillips he was bi — he hadn't yet identified as gay — and said the actress cackled and said, "HA! He's bi!" She also constantly referred to him as the "Bi guy."
In an "extremely vulnerable moment," Franzese had to take his shirt off for a scene. According to him, Phillips pointed to his body and yelled, "Ewwww gross!!" Though they cut the scene so Franzese could collect himself, when they continued shooting, Phillips continued to make faces.
According to Franzese, Phillips' boyfriend at the time convinced him to let her apologize. The actress called him to her makeup trailer, but when he arrived, he found her in what appeared to be in a sex act with her boyfriend.
The abuse became violent when, on one occasion, she pulled Franzese aside in what appeared to be an apology attempt, but instead, "grabbed his nipple and twisted it hard through his shirt." She then laughed and walked away.
"When we shot one of our last scenes in a courtroom, she was walking around barefoot and the bottom of her feet were black with dirt," he wrote. "She was sitting behind me and kept rubbing her dirty feet on my neck. I kept swiveling the chair to move away from her and she kicked me as hard as she could in the back of the head."
Franzese also said Phillips burned the movie's costume designer with a cigarette and threw eggs at their trailer.
In a statement, Phillips addressed Franzese's claims and apologized for her behavior.
"I want to write to address what Daniel has said," she said. "I don't remember that time well, those years are a blur. I was a teenager and reckless in my behavior. I know Daniel to be a trustworthy and honest person, and to find out through social media that I was not the friend I thought I was to him made me so sad.
I am so mortified by this behavior and have contacted Daniel and apologized to him privately. I am not and never have been homophobic. I have nothing but love for the LGBTQ community and Daniel."
These claims had come just days after Phillips' husband, That 70s Show star Danny Masterson, had rape allegations resurface against him. The actor was accused of raping four women in the early 2000s.
He denies all the allegations and is a part of the Church of Scientology, who has a history of covering up allegations of misconduct of its members. The Los Angeles Police Department had said that they had "overwhelming" evidence against Masterson.
That evidence includes audiotapes, emails sent to and from the Scientology officers when the alleged rapes happened, forensic computer evidence, and a threatening handwritten letter Masterson allegedly sent to one of the victims.
Now, almost three years later, Masterson has been arrested and charged on three separate counts of rape. The actor was already released on an over $3 million bail, and his arraignment will take place on September 18th.
In a press release from the Los Angeles District Attorney's office, it was revealed that the charges are from three separate incidents occuring between the years 2001 and 2003, and all took place at Masterson's Hollywood Hills home.
The actor's attorney gave a statement, saying, "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.
Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year old 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."
If the actor is found guilty, he could be facing up to 45 to life in prison.
Emily Blackwood is a freelance writer, editor and journalist who covers small business, pop culture, travel, health and wellness.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in November 2017 and was updated with the latest information.