What Has the ‘That ’70s Show’ Cast Said About Sexual Assault Allegations Against Danny Masterson?

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What Has the 'That '70s Show' Cast Said About Sexual Assault Allegations Against Danny Masterson?

All eyes are back on the cast of That ‘70s Show — and Danny Masterson — as Netflix releases the sequel series, That ‘90s Show, featuring appearances by Laura Prepon, Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Wilmer Valderrama. Masterson, who played Steven Hyde on the comedy series, which ran on Fox from 1998 to 2006, wasn’t asked back for the new show as he faces a second trial for sexual assault allegations. The actor made headlines in March 2017 when four women alleged Masterson had sexually assaulted them on separate occasions in the early 2000s. A fifth woman subsequently came forward. “From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit,” he said in a statement at the time. “I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. 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.” In June 2020, Masterson was charged with three counts of forcible rape, with Los Angeles County District Attorney explaining at the time that two of the women’s cases had insufficient evidence and statutes of limitations. He subsequently pleaded not guilty. A trial began in October 2022. The following month, news broke that a judge declared a mistrial as the jury was unable to come to a unanimous vote. While Masterson’s team requested to dismiss the case in January 2023, a judge rejected the proposal and a date of March 29, 2023, was set for jury selection for a second trial. [jwplayer rBCoaj7m-zhNYySv2] “It appears there are many other witnesses the People could choose to call or different arguments the People could choose to make,” Judge Charlaine Olmedo said at the time. “A different outcome at a retrial is at least a possibility.” Masterson’s career came to a halt amid the accusations, with Netflix cutting ties with the actor amid production on season 3 of The Ranch — a show he appeared in alongside Kutcher — in December 2017. Grace, meanwhile, was the first cast member to address the scandal. “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,” the actor who played Eric Forman told The Hollywood Reporter in May 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.” When That ‘90s Show premiered in January 2023, Masterson’s Hyde was not mentioned and excluded from a flashback scene pulled from the OG show. He was, however, supportive of the series when it was initially announced in 2021. “This is literally the dopest thing I’ve heard in a decade,” he wrote via Instagram before praising Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp, who returned as Red and Kitty, respectively, to be full-time cast members. “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. Same creators / writers / producers as 70s.” Scroll through to find out which members of the That ‘70s Show cast have spoken out about Masterson:

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Creator Mark Brazill

Us Weekly reported in June 2020 that Brazill, the creator of the sitcom, “liked” — and later un-“liked” — a tweet that stated Steven Hyde “would punch” his real-life self.

Brazill also “liked” a post 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.”

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Topher Grace

“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,” Grace told 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.”

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Ashton Kutcher

Kutcher was starring alongside Masterson and serving as an executive producer of The Ranch when the Men at Work alum was fired from the show in December 2017.

“As a result of ongoing discussions, Netflix and the producers have written Danny Masterson out of The Ranch. [December 4, 2017] was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him,” Netflix said in a statement at the time.

Kutcher, for his part, addressed the allegations for the first time during a January 2023 interview with Esquire. 

“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 told the outlet, adding that he hopes Masterson will “be found innocent of the charges brought against him.” 

The Just Married actor, who noted he is still in touch with his former costar, emphasized that he stands with victims of sexual abuse. “I wholesale feel for anybody who feels like they were violated in any way,” he said. 

The Two and a Half Men alum went on to express empathy for Masterson's daughter, Fianna, whom he shares with wife Bijou Phillips: “Someday, his kid is going to read about this." 

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Mila Kunis

Kunis, the real-life wife of Kutcher, has yet to publicly address the controversy.

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Laura Prepon

Prepon hasn’t made a statement about the allegations against Masterson but raised eyebrows about their potential friendship when she announced in 2021 that she was no longer practicing Scientology. (Three of Masterson’s alleged victims were Scientologists and he’s been part of the organization since childhood.)

"I've always been very open-minded, even since I was a child. I was raised Catholic and Jewish. I've prayed in churches, meditated in temples. I've studied Chinese meridian theory. I haven't practiced Scientology in close to five years and it's no longer part of my life,” she said in 2021.

Credit: Asset ID: 13713165r LA Special Screening of "That 90's Show", Los Angeles, United States - 12 Jan 2023 Wilmer Valderrama arrives at a special screening of "That '90s Show", at Tudum Screening Room in Los Angeles By: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Wilmer Valderrama

The actor has stayed mum in the public regarding the allegations against his former costar. Masterson penned a tribute to Valderrama on his 40th birthday in February 2020.

“My little brother @wilmervalderrama has turned 40! What. The. F—k,” he wrote at the time. “I went to your high school graduation. It was outside on the football field in 1998 and I was sweating because it was 100 degrees in the valley. Ur welcome. U owe me. 40 is the new 21 so congrats ur allowed to drink now. Just not on work days because we can’t look puffy. Love you hermano..... ‘I said good day!!’”

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When Was the Last Time the ‘That ‘70s Show’ Cast Was With Danny Masterson?

In October 2013, Masterson shared a pic of the six OG cast members around a piano.

“All six of us together for a dinner. We all love each other,” Kutcher told Huffington Post in November 2015 about the get-together.

In April 2016, Kunis, Valderrama and Prepon visited the set of The Ranch. “Last episode of the season. Had three friends come by and say hello. #theranch,” Masterson wrote via Instagram at the time.