A publicist for actor Danny Masterson suggested that the “That 70’s Show” alum isn’t guilty of rape because he was dating one of his accusers, Huffington Post reported Wednesday.
Huffington Post reported earlier this month that Masterson is the subject of a criminal investigation into allegations of rape by four women. One of the accusers is Chrissie Bixler, who dated Masterson for six years and claimed that he raped her while she was unconscious during their relationship.
“Well, Chrissie was Danny’s girlfriend at the time, so there’s really nothing, there’s no story there,” publicist Jenni Weinman said in an October 2016 call acquired by the Huffington Post.
Bixler said the Church of Scientology, to which she belonged at the time, convinced her that the assault wasn’t rape. Last year, Bixler posted a tweet saying “Because your boyfriend tells you it’s not rape if you’re in a relationship and then his church covers it up.” {mosads}
Weinman has been Masterson’s publicist for about 20 years.
Weinman’s comments come in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against a litany of politicians and media figures, including Charlie Rose, Louis C.K., Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Senate candidate Roy Moore.