Danny Masterson celebrated his birthday in prison with daughter Fianna and estranged wife Bijou Phillips by his side.
Phillips, 43, and the couple’s 10-year-old daughter visited California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo on Saturday, March 16, according to the Daily Mail. The duo were at the facility three days after Masterson celebrated his 48th birthday.
Masterson’s reunion with his daughter comes after Phillips was awarded full custody of her child. Us Weekly confirmed in October 2023 that Masterson agreed to give Phillips full legal and physical custody of Fianna. She initially issued the request when she filed for divorce from Masterson one month prior. Masterson, for his part, requested visitation rights after being sentenced to 30 years in prison in his sexual assault retrial in September 2023.
Phillips filed for divorce after 12 years of marriage days after Masterson’s sentencing. He was found guilty on two counts of forcible rape for incidents that occurred in the early 2000s. The actor has vehemently denied the allegations since he was arrested and charged in 2020.
Before Masterson was found guilty, Phillips was by his side for the legal proceedings. She notably “began sobbing” and let out a “pained cry” when the guilty verdict was read in the courtroom in May 2023.
Phillips also penned an emotional letter to Judge Charlaine Olmedo, where she advocated for Masterson’s character before his sentencing.
“I am writing to you to ask that you consider this information when sentencing my husband, Danny Masterson,” she wrote in a letter obtained by The Underground Bunker, which specializes in news about Scientology. “I depended on Danny to take care of me and our daughter. I always felt that she would be okay because Danny is an amazing father. He was devoted to our daughter, would read her books, take her on walks and to ballet lessons. I never once heard him complain. The two were inseparable.”
Phillips, who married Masterson in 2011, said she and Fianna were “heartbroken” by his absence.
“More than anything, she loves her father. When he calls us each day, she ends with ‘I love you too much Daddy,’” she continued. “We need him more than you can imagine. I know he has been convicted of serious crimes. But the man I married has only been an extraordinary husband to me and a devoted father to our daughter.”
Phillips has since shifted her focus to motherhood — and her future.
A source told Us earlier this year that Phillips is not concerned about the past, sharing, “Bijou is trying to put the whole sordid mess behind her and concentrate on building a new chapter.”
