I get asking for mercy for family or a close friend, even when they’ve committed crimes, heinous or otherwise. I’ll chalk that up to human emotions.
But ffs, read the room a bit.
His dedication to leading a drug-free life and the genuine care he extends to others make him an outstanding role model and friend.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Danny’s character is his unwavering commitment to discouraging the use of drugs.
His dedication to avoiding all substances has inspired not only me but also countless others in our circle. Danny’s steadfastness in promoting a drug-free lifestyle has been a guiding light in my journey through the entertainment world and has helped me prioritize my well-being and focus on make responsible choices.
Saying stuff like that when he’s convicted of drugging victims before taping them is just nuts. Even by some sense of stupidity you think you’re just trying to highlight that he’s not a habitual drug user, you’re essentially just highlighting how calculated his actions were by drugging his victims.
Also, in what manner would personal drug use have anything to do with him being a rapist? Their attempted defense is irrelevant.
I commented elsewhere that I wondered if they believe he’s innocent. If they truly believe this is a miscarriage of justice could these letters be written with his appeal in mind? There’s no physical evidence as I understand, maybe they’re going for the “this guy is so sober he wouldn’t even know how to get drugs” angle? I’m just talking out of my arse now but I’m so confused by the level of support for him I can’t help but clutch at straws to try to explain it.
If it was drug charges sure, but it’s not. Drug use is irrelevant.
He raped multiple women.
He drugged the women so it’s relevant in that sense. Implying that he wouldn’t know how to obtain the substances needed to do that is an argument for his innocence.
It’s a pathetic argument to make, but it’s not illogical.
Having worked in the entertainment industry- if a drug exists and you want it, you can get it. So everyone knows how to get drugs. That part isn’t all that hard to believe.
I’m just talking out of my arse now but I’m so confused by the level of support for him I can’t help but clutch at straws to try to explain it.
manipulators be manipulating.
Rapists and other abusers are known to very often charm everyone around them. It isn’t only a way to lure in their victims, but it’s also a great defence against suspicion (“he’s such a nice guy, he could never”) which has proven to work over and over and over again (and those are just the most famous cases off the top of my head, but the pattern repeats often at all levels of wealth and fame/anonymity).
abusers have to be charming, if they weren’t then they’d have no one to manipulate.
So … what they’re saying is that he was stone cold sober when he was drugging his victims? That’s not a great look.
a look of an opportunistic predator.
Pretty sure the drug free commitment is from his Scientologist handlers.
Masterson was born to rich socialites and insulated from consequences his whole life. Fuck that shithead.
People who preach often about not doing the minor vices, are usually engaged in some heinous shit; the preaching bit is a cover both lying to others and most importantly themselves
so let me get this straight, danny would get drugs and instead of using it himself, he used it on unsuspecting victims and then taped himself raping them. and this has been a “a guiding light in (ashtons) journey”… “of making responsible choices”…? what.the.fuck?!
At this point it’s basically telling on yourself (if it isn’t skeletons in his own closet, at bare minimum it’s saying he’s a piece of shit who openly supports a rapist. A convicted one at that).
But he didn’t do the drugs! /s
Probably a bit of, “I can’t believe my friend would do these bad things.” People close to someone are harder to convince without seeing things first hand or hearing from other people they are close to.
Everyone is losing their minds about this. And they are right to.
But also?
This is incredibly common in court cases. These kinds of letters can make a huge difference during sentencing. To put it in context, a cousin got arrested for going on a burglary spree. Nothing violent but he was a real piece of shit. He and his lawyer basically asked everyone he had ever had a positive interaction with to write letters. I tentatively agreed because of his mother but they sent my letter back because I wasn’t advocating strong enough. Because if you think someone “deserves” the minimum sentence? You ask for them to be (not the right word but) exonerated. And so forth.
Similarly, we were asked to write these months before the trial actually began. They didn’t end up using my letter, but they requested the people whose letters they were going to use to attend the trial and they pretended it was written between conviction and sentencing. When you have no defense whatsoever, you do what you can to try and get leniency.
Personally? I think enough of this was “known” for the past few decades that I think anyone who would write a letter for masterson (aside from maybe his family of deranged cultists) are right assholes (they are assholes for different reasons). But I would take the “they wrote these after hearing the testimony of the victims” with a grain of salt. Same with the strength of what they are asking for. Doesn’t make it right, but is still good to have context. Especially in the case of celebrities, there are good odds they had their publicists write these when they were asked a few years back and forgot about them.
And I’ll just add on. scientology has lost a LOT of its power over the past decade or so and is basically held up by the will of tom cruise running around on camera. But they still have a LOT of influence in hollywood and masterson and his family have already been known to shitlist people who cross them (including apparently their own father?). I doubt anyone in the core cast and crew would need to worry about that at this point, but I can definitely see some of the names on the list being in that space of “Well, I either write a letter or don’t work for a decade”. Doesn’t stop them from being an asshole, but does impact how much of an asshole they are (irony!).
Your experience and insight are incredibly valuable here. Thank you.
Imagine giving a fuck about celebrities or their affairs.
Hope all the victims get every last cent of their recovery processes paid for on top of the prison sentencings
I don’t personally believe in long prison sentences because I know the American judicial system isn’t at all about rehab but I’m also a cis dude who generally doesn’t have to worry about getting raped so I’m not gonna make that call for people who gotta worry about that
When did they write the letters? Was it before any of the details of the case had been made public or after? Were they personally written or did PR firms send them out as a matter of course? I don’t really give a shit about celebrities or their personal lives and I’m all for a good old fashioned internet pile on, but for some reason I’d like to know the details first.
After he was found guilty, before he was sentenced
Masterson had been facing 30 years to life, which is the maximum sentence allowed by law. His defense was asking for 15 years to life, so those who wrote letters to the judge were likely aware he would be getting at least 15 years in prison.
Idunno. If my best friend was facing between 15 and 30 years in prison for multiple rapes, I don’t think I would be begging the judge to reduce his sentence because he’s such a good guy aside from the raping
Also he’s a scientologist, so fuck him
But, y’know, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock was just beyond the pale for Kunis. Gotcha.
Definitely the wrong thing to do, but also something that could be dealt with with a financial penalty and a sincere apology. When Masterson isn’t even admitting to his crimes, celebrities advocating for him is akin to what Will Smith did, using a position of privilege against the victims.
That’s not the point. The point is Kunis said that was unconscionable in that case, and in this one, she’s defending a serial rapist.
I’m not disagreeing.
What does Scientology have on these two? Yuck.
Are they Scientologists too? I didn’t know that. It could explain why they’re publicly supporting him I guess.
Not to my knowledge. (Didn’t look it up, but thought it was him and Laura Prepon that were. And she might have left, not sure.) Just was referring to how Scientology has a history of blackmail.
i lost any kind of respect i had for mila and ashton.
RIP Trent the teetotaler. He may have touched those kids, parents, grandparents, pets, and all of their toothbrushes, but he never touched a bottle. He will be missed.
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Does anyone have a good link about what/how Mastersn did? Usually these things are really gross and most people don’t know how gross he actually is
They also added that their exclusive NFTs were on sale for all of Labor Day Weekend!
Hollywood and those involved in the movie industry are a bunch of self righteous weirdos.
They still care for him. He’s going to jail for his crimes, does his family have to reject him too?
Hey you know how you have that one friend who drugged and raped women? No? Me neither.
I can’t think of any person in my life that I wouldn’t cut off if I learned they were a rapist.
No, but I have to say I’m surprised by the non-family members writing letters of character after he had been convicted of forcible rape. It’s one thing if it’s family I guess, or if the accused had been in the throes of addiction or similar at the time and had changed. But these are people who were working with him at the time he committed these crimes and they’re all testifying about him being such a good example of sobre living and a positive influence. Do they not feel betrayed by him? Do they not believe he did it? It’s strange.
I have to imagine it’s a very difficult thing to cope with; learning something like that about a very close friend. It has to really mess with you. And I can understand the human instinct to want to defend them regardless of your moral standards.
I personally don’t think this goes to show any moral failing on their part. Or at worst, whatever moral failing may be present is mostly due in part to a natural human reaction to complex emotions better dealt with in therapy. As such, I think these two should be afforded a bit of leeway.
Yes, at least I would and did in the same situation, except they were actual family. They’re both POS rape apologists.
My family beat and outcast a member who turned out to be a predator. Fuck him, he’s dead now. Didn’t shed a tear.
simple explanation, which in no way absolves these two from the choice they made in coming to the defense and support of a convicted rapist: family is family
Fuck that. When I found out a family member had raped someone they were no longer family.
Exactly no exception you cut them out completely.
When did you “find out”? Before or after the trial?
You know that people can judge other people as guilty regardless of what a court finds them.
Or do you think OJ Simpson didn’t murder his ex-wife?
Which is an explanation and that explanation, where you’d defend “family” even when they did do something wrong, if not horrific, rather than say they should face the consequences of their choices.
And that sort of defense is one where the person making it is just as evil as the person they’re defending.
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A comment I made elsewhere is even more relevant here:
My family beat and outcast a member who turned out to be a predator. Fuck him, he’s dead now. Didn’t shed a tear.
Blood is irrelevant and the family you choose is stronger.
