Bijou Phillips is making a bold move on behalf of her daughter, Fianna Francis Masterson, 11, by filing a petition to legally change her daughter's name in the wake of her ex-husband Danny Masterson's conviction. According to court documents obtained by E! News on October 25, the 45-year-old actress is requesting that Fianna's name be changed to Fianna Francis Phillips, replacing the "That '70s Show" alum's last name with her own. This move comes as Masterson serves a 30 years to life sentence for two counts of rape.
E! News reached out to Phillips and Masterson's representatives for comment but has not received a response yet.
Masterson, 49, was arrested in 2020 on three charges of forcible rape for sexually assaulting three women at his Los Angeles home in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003. After a mistrial in 2022, the actor pled not guilty to the charges and was convicted on two counts in May 2023. Despite the jury's inability to reach a verdict on the third count, Phillips remained by his side throughout the case, attending court hearings and submitting a character letter to the court prior to Masterson's sentencing.
"Danny is an amazing father," she wrote in the letter, as documented by E! News at the time. "Our daughter and I are heartbroken that he is not home with us. It has been very difficult without him here. Even though he is now in jail, he calls her every day. He helps her with homework every night."
However, just four months after Masterson's conviction, Phillips filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences and requested legal and physical custody of Fianna while asking that her ex be granted visitation rights. Since the breakup, Phillips has struck up a romance with businessman Jamie Mazur while keeping her focus on her family.
"I'm doing good," she told E! News in February 2024, describing herself and her daughter as a "great little team."
