LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Danny Masterson, known for his role in the popular television series 'That '70s Show,' has been found guilty on two out of three counts of rape in a Los Angeles courtroom on May 31. The jury deliberated for seven days over a span of two weeks before reaching their verdict, voting 8-4 in favor of conviction.
The verdict had a profound impact on Masterson's family, particularly his wife Bijou Phillips, who audibly gasped and wept as her husband was taken into custody. Bijou has unfortunately faced the distressing reality of rape allegations within her own family in the past. Her father, John Phillips, was accused of rape and incest in 2009, eight years after his death.
Who is Bijou Phillips' father?
Bijou's father, John Phillips (1935-2001) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known as the leader of 'The Mamas & the Papas'. He played a pivotal role in the group's success, crafting well-arranged harmonies and penning hits like 'California Dreamin' and 'Monday, Monday'. Phillips also co-produced the documentary film 'Monterey Pop' (1968) and helped promote the influential Monterey International Pop Music Festival.
In 1973, Phillips relocated to London, where he received encouragement from Mick Jagger to record a new solo album. The project involved notable musicians like Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, and Ronnie Wood. However, Phillips's escalating drug use, including cocaine and heroin, severely impacted his ability to complete the album. His addiction consumed him for years, with Phillips admitting to injecting drugs every fifteen minutes.
In 1981, Phillips faced a drug trafficking conviction, which had a significant impact on his life. As part of his efforts to reduce his prison sentence, he and his daughter Mackenzie became involved in an anti-drug campaign, garnering media attention. Their efforts resulted in his prison time being reduced to just a month, with Phillips spending three weeks at Allenwood Prison Camp in Pennsylvania, receiving a week off for good behavior. After his release, he reunited with his daughter, Mackenzie, to re-form the 'Mamas and the Papas'.
But Phillips battle with drugs did take a toll on his health and eventually led to him needing a liver transplant in 1992. He died on March 18, 2001, at the age of 65 due to heart failure in Los Angeles.
What was John Phillips accused of?
In 2009, John Phillips was accused of raping his daughter Mackenzie in a hotel room when she was 18. She shared that this incident occurred while she was unconscious after a drug binge. Shockingly, she revealed that she continued to engage in drug use and consensual sexual relationships with her father for an extended period of time. Despite marrying Jeff Sessler at the age of 19, Mackenzie revealed that her illicit relationship with her father continued. It was only when she became pregnant and suspected that her father might be the father of the baby that the relationship finally came to an end. According to Mackenzie, her father arranged and financed an abortion for her.
Reading an excerpt from her new book, 'High on Arrival,' on Oprah Winfrey's show, Mackenzie said of her first sexual experience with her father, "I woke up that night from a blackout to find myself having sex with my father. I don't know how it started. For a moment, I was in my body for a horrible truth," she said of waking up and realizing she had had sex with her father. "I boxed it away. I started very early on in my life compartmentalizing. This was the mother of all difficult experiences. ... I [have spent] the last 30 years trying not to look at it," she said, per NBC News.
'It became a consensual relationship over time'
When Mackenzie confronted her father about the rape, but he characterized their relationship as romantic. "After the first experience, I went to my father and said we need to talk about how you raped me. My dad said, 'Raped you? Don't you mean made love?' In that moment, I thought I'm really on my own here." In 1980, Mackenzie started touring with her father's band, the 'New Mamas and the Papas'. It was during this period that she actively began engaging in drug use and sexual activity with her father. "It didn't happen every day, it didn't happen every week, but it certainly happened and happened many times," she said. "It became a consensual relationship over time. I can't believe I'm the only one this happened to," she said. "No matter what kind of incest, it is an abuse of power ... a betrayal of trust."
