Bijou Phillips Reportedly asking court to remove ‘Masterson’ from daughter Fianna’s surname as ex-husband Danny Masterson he continues to serve his prison sentence.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ On Friday, October 24, Phillips, 45, filed paperwork to change her 11-year-old daughter’s name from Fianna Francis Masterson to Fianna Francis Phillips. A judge has yet to sign off on the petition.
The outlet also reported that Masterson and Phillips declared themselves legally single after Phillips filed for divorce in September 2023.
Us Weekly Phillips and Masterson have been contacted for comment.
Bijou Phillips stepped out for a Grammy event as she navigates the fallout from her estranged ex Danny Masterson’s prison sentence. “I’m doing good,” Phillips, 43, told E! News at a 2024 Grammys viewing party on Sunday, February 4. The actress and model added that she has formed a “great little team” (…)
Phillips and Masterson started dating in 2004 and got engaged five years later. The couple married in 2011. Three years later, Phillips and Masterson welcomed Fianna in February 2014.
In 2017, Masterson was accused of sexual assault by several women. He was arrested and charged with three counts of rape in 2020 That 70’s show alum has denied all the allegations against him.
Masterson went to trial several times over the charges, and Phillips stood by him. His first case occurred in 2022 and resulted in a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. The retrial began in April 2023. During the case, Phillips wrote a letter on behalf of her then-husband.
“I am writing 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 Scientology news. “I depended on Danny to take care of me and our daughter. I always felt that it would be okay because Danny is an amazing father. He was devoted to our daughter, reading her books, taking her for walks and taking her to ballet lessons. I never heard him complain. The two of us were inseparable.”
Phillips added that Fianna was heartbroken not to have her father around.
“More than anything, he loves his dad. When he calls us every day, he ends with ‘I love you too much dad,'” he continued. “We need him more than you can imagine. I know he’s been convicted of serious crimes. But the man I married has been nothing but an extraordinary husband to me and a devoted father to our daughter.”
A month later, Masterson was found guilty of two counts of forcible rape for the incidents that occurred in the early 2000s. In August 2023, he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.
Days after his conviction, Phillips filed for divorce from Masterson after 12 years of marriage. He asked for full custody of his daughter.
Bijou Phillips focuses on raising daughter Fianna while her husband, Danny Masterson, serves his 30-year prison sentence. Phillips, 43, took to social media on Monday, Dec. 11, to offer a glimpse of her 9-year-old daughter’s iced cookies for the holiday season. The actress kept Fianna out of the frame but the sweet (…)
“Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband during this unfortunate time. Her priority remains with her daughter,” her attorney. Lauzon Paluch he told TMZ at the time. “This period has been unimaginably hard on the marriage and the family. Mr. Masterson was always there for Ms. Phillips during her most difficult times in her life. Ms. Phillips recognizes that Mr. Masterson is a wonderful father to her daughter.”
He confirmed to Us two months later that Masterson granted Phillips full custody of Fianna while he serves his prison sentence. Masterson requested visitation rights.
In March 2024, Phillips brought Fianna visit Masterson behind bars. According to photographs obtained by The Daily Mail at the time, the mother-daughter duo was photographed at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo three days after Masterson’s birthday.