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Danny Masterson Denies Allegations of Sexual Assault Being Investigated by LAPD

“The Ranch” star claims the false allegations of three women stemmed from an attempt to boost viewership of Leah Remini’s anti-Scientology show.
Danny Masterson
Danny Masterson
REX/Shutterstock

Danny Masterson, star of Netflix’s “The Ranch” and formerly of “That ‘70s Show,” is being investigated for sexual assault by the LAPD, according to Variety. The allegations came to light when The Underground Bunker journalist Tony Ortega, known for reporting on the Church of Scientology, obtained a police report about the investigation.

In a statement, the LAPD said on Friday, “The Los Angeles Police Department Robbery Homicide Division, Sexual Assault Section, is conducting an investigation involving the actor Danny Masterson. Three women have come forward and disclosed that they were sexually assaulted by Masterson during the early 2000s.”

READ MORE: Casey Affleck Addresses Sexual Assault Allegations After Oscar Win

The actor denies the allegations, and a statement from Masterson’s publicist Jenni Weinman says:

“We are aware of [the alleged victim’s] 16-year-old allegations. It was only after [the alleged victim] was in contact with Leah Remini that she made allegations of sexual assault by Mr. Masterson. The alleged incident occurred in the middle of their six-year relationship, after which she continued to be his longtime girlfriend. Significantly, during their long relationship she made numerous inconsistent claims that she was previously raped by at least three other famous actors and musicians.

When Danny ended the relationship she continued to pursue him, even making threats to beat up his current wife Bijou Phillips unless she left him. In fact, we are informed by the Church that the only demand [the alleged victim] made of the Church after Danny broke up with her was asking for their help to intervene so the breakup would not be permanent.

We are aware also that approximately 14 years ago a woman referred to in the blog made allegations of sexual assault and that the LADP interviewed numerous witnesses and determined the claim had no merit. Based on reading the anti-Scientology blog that posted this story, these false allegations appear to be motivated to boost Leah Remini’s anti-Scientology television series since [the alleged victim] only came forward after connecting with Leah Remini.”

Weinman is listed as a witness to one of the sexual assaults in the police report obtained by Ortega.

READ MORE: Beyond Casey Affleck: Women in Production Say Filing a Sexual Harassment Claim Can Be Career Threatening

No charges have been filed against the actor. Ortega reports that the Church of Scientology pressured three women, who were members along with Masterson, to not report their accusations to the police. Instead, the three women — who are referred to as Victims A, B and C — allegedly made their claims known after reaching out to Remini for her A&E Scientology documentary series “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.”

Remini told Ortega, “I met with the LAPD. I met with Detective [Esther] Reyes, and I told her these victims deserve to be heard… and I told her that the world is watching.”

Masterson, 40, is best known for playing Steven Hyde, a stoner and conspiracy theorist, on “That ‘70s Show.” He currently can be seen as Jameson “Rooster” Bennett in “The Ranch” on Netflix.

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