Quick answer: Danny Masterson is an American actor best known for playing Steven Hyde on That ’70s Show (1998–2006) and Rooster Bennett on The Ranch (2016–2018). In May 2023, he was convicted of two counts of rape and sentenced to 30 years to life in a California state prison. In November 2025, his legal team filed a habeas corpus petition to overturn his convictions, citing ineffective assistance of counsel and alleged anti-Scientology bias in the investigation.
Few careers in Hollywood have collapsed as completely—or as publicly—as Danny Masterson’s. For nearly a decade, he was the cool one. The guy every teenager wanted to be. Steven Hyde, the wisecracking, shades-wearing counterculture kid on That ’70s Show, gave Masterson a cultural permanence that most actors spend their whole careers chasing. Then, slowly at first, and then all at once, that carefully constructed image came apart.
The story of Danny Masterson is, in many ways, a story about two very different Americas colliding. One shaped by fame, loyalty to a controversial religious institution, and the strange insulation that celebrity provides. The other shaped by three women who said they were raped by a man the world thought it knew—and who spent years trying to be believed.
What follows is a complete account of the man: where he came from, how he rose, what he’s accused of doing, and where the legal battle stands today.
Biography Snapshot
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Daniel Peter Masterson |
| Known As | Danny Masterson |
| Date of Birth | March 13, 1976 |
| Age | 49 (as of 2025) |
| Birthplace | Long Island, New York, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Actor, DJ |
| Years Active | 1990–2017 (acting career) |
| Known For | That ’70s Show, The Ranch |
| Relationship Status | Married to Bijou Phillips (2011–present, though Phillips filed for divorce in 2023, which she later withdrew) |
| Children | One daughter, Fianna Francis Masterson (born 2014) |
| Brother | Christopher Masterson (actor, Malcolm in the Middle) |
| Religion | Scientologist |
| Net Worth | Estimated at $16 million (pre-conviction; current figures uncertain) |
| Current Status | Incarcerated; habeas corpus petition filed November 2025 |
Early Life and Background
Danny Masterson was born on March 13, 1976, in Long Island, New York, into a family that would become deeply embedded in both entertainment and Scientology. His mother, Carol, converted to Scientology before Danny was born, raising her children within the faith. His father, Peter Masterson, left the family when Danny was young, and Carol later married Joe Reaiche, an Australian Scientologist.
Growing up, Danny and his brother Christopher Masterson were both introduced to acting at an early age. Long Island in the late 1970s and 1980s was a world away from Hollywood, but the Masterson household had ambition running through it. Both boys would eventually become professional actors, and Danny—the elder of the two—got there first.
His childhood was marked by a strong sense of community within Scientology, a faith that would later become central to both his personal identity and, ultimately, his legal undoing. Former members have described the Church of Scientology’s policy of “disconnection”—cutting off contact with those who leave or speak against the church—as something that shaped the social world around him from childhood.
Masterson began his acting career as a child, landing minor roles in the early 1990s before breaking through as a teenager.
The Breakthrough Moment
Danny Masterson’s career changed in 1998 when he was cast as Steven Hyde on That ’70s Show, a Fox sitcom set in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, during the late 1970s. The show was an ensemble piece, and the cast—Mila Kunis, Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Wilmer Valderrama, and a young Ashton Kutcher—went on to become one of the most culturally significant groups of actors of their generation.
Steven Hyde was the role Masterson was built for. Cool, sardonic, deeply skeptical of authority—Hyde functioned as the show’s philosophical conscience, delivering deadpan observations on consumerism, government, and conformity from beneath a pair of aviator sunglasses. The character resonated. Masterson’s chemistry with Kutcher, in particular, gave the show much of its comedic energy, and the two remained close friends long after filming ended.
That ’70s Show ran for eight seasons, from 1998 to 2006, making Masterson a household name and cementing his place in late 1990s/early 2000s pop culture. The show has since experienced a full-scale revival with Netflix’s That ’90s Show (2023), though Masterson’s scenes—already filmed before his conviction—were cut from the series.
Career Evolution
After That ’70s Show ended, Masterson’s acting work became more sporadic. He appeared in a number of films and television projects throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s, none of which replicated the cultural footprint of Hyde. He leaned into his parallel career as a DJ, spinning under the name “DJ Mom Jeans” at clubs and events in Los Angeles, where he’d built a reputation in the city’s nightlife scene.
The career resurgence came in 2016, when Masterson was cast as Rooster Bennett on Netflix’s The Ranch, a rural comedy-drama co-starring Ashton Kutcher and Sam Elliott. The show gave him renewed visibility and a platform that reached Netflix’s global audience. His chemistry with Kutcher, built over nearly a decade on That ’70s Show, translated effortlessly.
Then, in December 2017, Netflix removed Masterson from The Ranch following sexual assault allegations that had first been reported by The Daily Beast. The accusations, which several women had brought to the Los Angeles Police Department years earlier, had been publicly dormant for years. The #MeToo movement had changed the calculus entirely.
Most Iconic Works and Achievements
That ’70s Show (1998–2006) remains Masterson’s defining work. Across 200 episodes, Steven Hyde became one of American television’s most recognizable teen characters. The show won multiple awards, was nominated for Emmy Awards, and launched the careers of nearly everyone in its ensemble cast.
The Ranch (2016–2018) demonstrated that Masterson still had genuine comedic range as an adult actor. Working opposite Sam Elliott—one of the most respected character actors in American cinema—he held his own in scenes that required more emotional weight than That ’70s Show had typically demanded.
Beyond acting, Masterson’s work as a DJ gave him a second creative identity, one that kept him embedded in Los Angeles culture throughout the years between his major television roles.
Personal Life and Public Persona
Danny Masterson married actress Bijou Phillips in October 2011 at Longueville House in Ireland. Phillips, the daughter of The Mamas & the Papas singer John Phillips, had her own complicated history in Hollywood—child model, actress, musician—and the two had been together for several years before marrying. Their daughter, Fianna Francis Masterson, was born in December 2014.
By most accounts, the couple maintained a relatively low public profile after their marriage. Masterson avoided the tabloid excess that consumed some of his That ’70s Show co-stars. He and Bijou were regulars at Scientology events and were seen as committed members of the church’s Los Angeles community.
When Masterson was arrested in June 2020, Phillips initially stood by him publicly. She attended court proceedings and maintained her support throughout the first mistrial in 2022. Following his May 2023 conviction, however, Phillips filed for divorce in September 2023—a filing that drew significant media attention. She later withdrew the petition, and as of 2025, the couple remains technically married, though the circumstances of their relationship are not publicly known given Masterson’s incarceration.
His brother, Christopher Masterson—best known for playing Francis on Malcolm in the Middle—has largely stayed out of the public conversation surrounding Danny’s case.
The Rape Trial and Conviction
This is the part of Danny Masterson’s story that history will remember first.
Three women, all of whom had been in relationships with Masterson and were members of the Church of Scientology, accused him of raping them in the early 2000s. They alleged that when they attempted to report the assaults, church officials intervened and discouraged them from going to law enforcement—a claim the Church of Scientology has denied.
The women brought their allegations to the Los Angeles Police Department in 2004 and again in the years that followed, but no charges were filed for over a decade. After the #MeToo movement brought renewed attention to the case, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Masterson in 2020 with three counts of forcible rape.
The first trial ended in a mistrial in November 2022, after jurors were unable to reach a verdict.
The second trial reached a very different conclusion. In May 2023, Danny Masterson was convicted of two counts of rape—one charge was not included in the retrial. He was sentenced in September 2023 to 30 years to life in California state prison, the maximum sentence available to the judge. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo imposed the sentence after an emotional hearing in which the victims delivered victim impact statements directly to their attacker.
Masterson, who maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, was remanded into custody and transferred to a California state prison.
The Habeas Corpus Petition: Danny Masterson’s Latest Legal Fight
On November 17, 2025, Danny Masterson’s legal team filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus with California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn his two rape convictions and 30-years-to-life prison sentence.
According to reporting by AP News and ABC News, the petition makes two central arguments. First, it alleges ineffective assistance of counsel—claiming that Masterson’s trial lawyer failed to call key witnesses and did not adequately challenge the prosecution’s case. The petition, filed with California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal, argues these failures were severe enough to deprive Masterson of a fair trial.
Second, the petition alleges anti-Scientology bias in the law enforcement investigation, suggesting that investigators’ attitudes toward Scientology tainted the process that ultimately led to charges being filed.
The filing does not represent a traditional appeal—habeas corpus petitions are distinct legal mechanisms, typically used to challenge the lawfulness of a conviction on constitutional grounds rather than on the merits of the evidence itself. Whether California’s appellate courts will agree to hear the petition, and on what timeline, remains to be seen. No ruling had been issued as of the time of this article’s publication.
The case continues to attract significant media coverage, with outlets including AP News and ABC7 closely tracking developments.
Hidden Facts and Lesser-Known Insights
- Masterson’s stepfather, Joe Reaiche, later left Scientology and has spoken publicly about the church. His mother’s side of the family became deeply divided over the faith.
- Before That ’70s Show, Masterson appeared in the 1994 film Beethoven’s 2nd and had a recurring role on Life with Mikey alongside Michael J. Fox.
- As a DJ, Masterson performed under the name “DJ Mom Jeans,” a deliberately ironic moniker that reflected his irreverent sense of humor.
- The Masterson brothers—Danny and Christopher—were both raised as Scientologists alongside their step-siblings from their mother’s second marriage, one of whom is actress Alanna Masterson (The Walking Dead).
- Ashton Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis, who met on the set of That ’70s Show, wrote letters of support for Masterson during his sentencing. They later issued public apologies after the letters became public and drew widespread criticism.
Net Worth and Business Influence
At the peak of his career, Danny Masterson’s net worth was estimated at approximately $16 million, built primarily through his television salaries from That ’70s Show and The Ranch, his work as a DJ, and various commercial ventures. That ’70s Show was a particularly lucrative property—the ensemble cast negotiated strong deals as the show’s ratings climbed, and syndication revenue added significantly to their long-term earnings.
Since his conviction, Masterson’s financial situation has become less clear. Legal costs associated with two trials—one of which resulted in a mistrial, the other a conviction—are substantial. His entertainment income has ceased entirely. The financial implications of his ongoing legal battles, including the habeas corpus petition, add further uncertainty to any estimate of his current assets.
Fashion, Influence and Cultural Impact
Steven Hyde’s aesthetic—army jackets, flannel shirts, aviator sunglasses, and a permanent expression of amused skepticism—became a quietly influential look in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The character tapped into a specific strain of American youth counterculture that resonated with teenagers across the country, and Masterson wore it with a naturalness that few actors manage to achieve.
More broadly, That ’70s Show itself occupied a unique cultural space: a nostalgia vehicle that felt fresh, a period piece that managed to speak directly to its contemporary audience. Masterson was central to that balance. Hyde’s disdain for phoniness and corporate culture felt genuine partly because Masterson played it that way.
The show’s cultural legacy has grown since its original run. A new generation discovered it on Netflix, and That ’90s Show demonstrated that its characters still carry real emotional weight for audiences. That legacy is now permanently complicated by Masterson’s crimes—a tension that the entertainment industry, and popular culture more broadly, continues to navigate.
Social Media Presence
Danny Masterson maintained a modest social media presence prior to his arrest. His accounts on Instagram and Twitter/X have been inactive since his legal troubles escalated, and no verified activity has been reported since his incarceration in 2023. His wife, Bijou Phillips, has similarly maintained a low digital profile in the years since his conviction.
The broader That ’70s Show community—Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, and others—continues to be active on social media, though none have commented publicly on Masterson’s case since the controversy surrounding the sentencing letters.
What Danny Masterson’s Case Tells Us About Fame and Accountability
Danny Masterson’s story does not have a comfortable moral to offer. It is not a story about a monster who wore a convincing mask, nor is it simply a story about a justice system finally catching up with the powerful. It is more complicated, and more unsettling, than either reading allows.
What it does reveal is something about the specific ecosystem in which Masterson operated—one where fame, institutional loyalty, and the particular insularity of Scientology created conditions that, the prosecution argued, allowed serious allegations to go unaddressed for nearly two decades. The women who came forward did so at significant personal cost, navigating both the criminal justice system and, they alleged, pressure from a religious institution with considerable resources.
Whether the habeas corpus petition filed in November 2025 succeeds in overturning Masterson’s convictions is a matter for California’s courts to determine. What is not in question is that three women testified under oath, in two separate trials, about what they say happened to them. A jury, in the second trial, believed them.
For readers who want to stay informed on developments in the Danny Masterson case, following reporting from AP News and ABC News provides the most consistently verified coverage.
Conclusion
Danny Masterson’s story does not have a comfortable moral to offer. It is not a story about a monster who wore a convincing mask, nor is it simply a story about a justice system finally catching up with the powerful. It is more complicated, and more unsettling, than either reading allows.
What it does reveal is something about the specific ecosystem in which Masterson operated—one where fame, institutional loyalty, and the particular insularity of Scientology created conditions that, the prosecution argued, allowed serious allegations to go unaddressed for nearly two decades. The women who came forward did so at significant personal cost, navigating both the criminal justice system and, they alleged, pressure from a religious institution with considerable resources.
Whether the habeas corpus petition filed in November 2025 succeeds in overturning Masterson’s convictions is a matter for California’s courts to determine. What is not in question is that three women testified under oath, in two separate trials, about what they say happened to them. A jury, in the second trial, believed them.
For readers who want to stay informed on developments in the Danny Masterson case, following reporting from AP News and ABC News provides the most consistently verified coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Danny Masterson?
Danny Masterson is an American actor born on March 13, 1976, in Long Island, New York. He is best known for playing Steven Hyde on That ’70s Show (1998–2006) and Rooster Bennett on Netflix’s The Ranch (2016–2018). In May 2023, he was convicted of two counts of rape and sentenced to 30 years to life in a California state prison.
What was Danny Masterson convicted of?
Danny Masterson was convicted in May 2023 of two counts of forcible rape. The convictions related to incidents involving two women in the early 2000s. He was sentenced in September 2023 to 30 years to life by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo.
What is Danny Masterson’s habeas corpus petition?
On November 17, 2025, Masterson’s legal team filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus with California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal. The petition argues that Masterson’s trial lawyer provided ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to call key witnesses and not adequately challenging the prosecution. It also alleges anti-Scientology bias in the original law enforcement investigation.
Is Danny Masterson still married to Bijou Phillips?
As of 2025, Danny Masterson and Bijou Phillips remain technically married. Phillips filed for divorce in September 2023 following his conviction, but later withdrew the petition. The couple’s current relationship status is not publicly known given Masterson’s imprisonment.
What happened to Danny Masterson’s acting career?
Masterson was removed from Netflix’s The Ranch in December 2017 following the publication of sexual assault allegations. His scenes in That ’90s Show were cut after his 2023 conviction. He has had no professional acting work since 2017, and his entertainment career is widely considered to be over.
Emma Clarke is a content writer at Gaukurinn.is, specializing in celebrity news, pop culture, movies, and music. With a strong focus on accuracy and trending topics, she creates engaging and well-researched articles that keep readers informed and entertained.
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