The spouse of That ‘70s Show actor Topher Grace has spoken out in support of sexual assault survivors after her husband’s former co-star Danny Masterson was sentenced for raping two girls.
Actor Ashley Hinshaw’s message in an Instagram Story on Friday didn’t point out Masterson by identify, however got here at some point after he was sentenced to 30 years in jail.
“To every rape victim that is that is retraumatized by witnessing society debate and focus their attention on what is going to happen to the RAPIST … I see you,” Ms Hinshaw wrote.
The feedback drew reward from Chrissie Carnell Bixler, considered one of Masterson’s accusers, who has been crucial of former That ‘70s Show actors who wrote letters of support for the actor ahead of his sentencing.
“Topher is a lucky and deserving man,” Ms Bixler wrote.
Ms Hinshaw’s remarks additionally drew supportive feedback on her Instagram account.
“Thank you for believing survivors. I see YOU,” one wrote.
While a number of former That ‘70s Show cast members wrote letters in support of Masterson ahead of his sentencing, Grace has so far maintained his silence.
Fans of the popular sitcom that ran for eight seasons and 200 episodes between 1998 and 2006 have spoken in support of Mr Grace, who was the subject of rumours claiming he had been too “stuck up” to hang around with his cast mates.
“For years, Topher Grace was depicted like he was a stuck-up a**hole for not being besties with the rest of the That ‘70s Show cast, but guess who didn’t write a letter in protection of a rapist this 12 months…” one wrote on X/Twitter.
In a letter to the sentencing choose, Ashton Kutcher described Masterson as a “role model” who was “consistently there for you when you need him”.
Mr Kutcher went on to say he didn’t consider Masterson was an “ongoing harm to society”.
His spouse and fellow co-star Mila Kunis referred to as Masterson “an amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure to me”.
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“I wholeheartedly vouch for Danny Masterson’s exceptional character and the tremendous positive influence he has had on me and the people around him,” she wrote.
Danny Masterson and his spouse Bijou Phillips throughout a earlier court docket look
(Invision)
The couple, who married in 2015, revealed a video on Saturday expressing their remorse for the letters after dealing with a widespread backlash.
“We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson,” Mr Kutcher stated within the video posted to Instagram.
“We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future,” Ms Kunis added.
Masterson was discovered responsible of drugging and raping two former Church of Scientology members greater than 20 years in the past throughout a retrial in November 2022. A jury was unable to achieve a verdict at his first trial in 2020.