That ’70s Show had a major presence at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, but star Danny Masterson was nowhere to be seen. The exhibit included life-size photos of all the main cast members – except for Masterson, who was recently convicted of two counts of sexual assault. Visitors at the convention found Masterson’s exclusion to be extremely conspicuous.
The Laff television network hosted a “That ’70s Show activation” at SDCC to promote its current string of re-runs of the beloved sitcom. It airs the show on weeknights at 9 p.m. ET, but the organizers seemed to decide that Masterson was best left out of the new promotional material. Masterson was found guilty of two counts of forcible rape, while the jury was deadlocked on a third rap charge. Masterson remains in custody without bail and is not due for sentencing until September.
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Photos of the activation were published by Entertainment Weekly and made a splash with fans online – even those that did not attend the convention. Many commenters expressed sympathy for the organizers tasked with putting this display together, understanding that it would be in poor taste to put Masterson front and center even if it felt a little awkward to have him completely removed. One fan claimed that Masterson could still be heard in a voice-over collage.
The cases against Masterson began in 2017 when five women publicly accused Masterson of sexual assault, with incidents dating back to 2001. Netflix fired Masterson from the sitcom The Ranch, and his talent agency dropped him soon afterward. Masterson denied all the allegations from the start. Starting in 2019, accusers claimed that the Church of Scientology was pressuring them to drop their allegations and that the church was actively trying to cover up the cases to protect Masterson’s reputation.
The allegations that got Masterson convicted first went public in June of 2020 when he was charged with three counts of forcible rape – one in 2001 and two taking place in 2003. All three accusers remained anonymous. The first trial lasted for about a month in the fall of 2022 and ended in a mistrial. A new trial began in April of 2023, and on May 31, Masterson was convicted.
Masterson was not granted bail and remains in a Los Angeles County jail, but is reportedly being kept in “administrative segregation” due to his celebrity status. He is due for another hearing on Aug. 4, according to a report by CBS News, and then for sentencing on Sept. 7, 2023. He faces up to 30 years in prison.
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
