The rape and sexual assault accusations against former That 70’s Show and The Ranch actor Danny Masterson have been adding up. Now, a fifth woman has made an accusation. Masterson’s ex-girlfriend Bobette Riales accused Danny Masterson of repeatedly raping her over the course of their relationship in the early 2000’s. She made the revealing statement in a tweet sent out on December 20th.
“I stayed quiet long enough,” Riales said in her statement, “Danny Masterson repeatedly raped me. All I seek is justice and to prevent this from ever happening to anyone else as it has for some time.” She also tagged actress Chrissie Carnell Bixler, who had also accused Danny Masterson of raping her, saying “My truth will be heard. I applaud her strength as well.”
After Bobette Riales accused Masterson, Bixler sent her own response to the tweet, saying “You are amazing. I’m so proud of you. He will never do this to another human being ever again. He’s a thief in the night, but he overlooked some incredibly valuable things we still possess. Our voice.” Bixler had previously stated that Danny Masterson raped her as well.
Five women including Bobette Riales accused Danny Masterson in total, but Bixler is one of the three women to originally report his actions to the LAPD. She was the first member of that group to go public with her accusation. Bixler wrote in her statement, “I was sick when I read Netflix’s statement on continuing with The Ranch and continuing their working relationship with a man who has violently raped and abused so many women.”
Netflix had initially refused to comment on the accusations from these women that Danny Masterson raped them. Their original statement read “We are aware of the allegations and the subsequent investigation, and will respond if developments occur.” However, as the allegations continued, Netflix made the decision to write Masterson off of The Ranch.
It took the streaming service a month to respond to the allegations and take action. A former Netflix executive, Andy Yeatman, was confronted by one of the accusers and told her that Netflix had not taken action because they did not believe the accusations were real. Yeatman was fired from Netflix shortly after.
The accusations against Masterson are among the myriad allegations against men working in Hollywood. A growing number of Hollywood executives, writers, directors, and actors have been accused of sexual misconduct, sexual assault, and rape. In Masterson’s case, the victims alleged that the Church of Scientology tried to dissuade them from accusing Masterson, as he is one of the Church’s most prominent members.
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