[4][5][6][7] He portrayed Steven Hyde in That '70s Show (1998–2006), Milo Foster in Men at Work (2012–2014), and Jameson "Rooster" Bennett in The Ranch (2016–2018).

The Church of Scientology's attempts to silence the victims, and its subsequent interference, resulted in a 20-year delay in bringing the crimes to justice.

[20] In 2012, the sitcom Men at Work premiered on TBS, co-starring Masterson, Michael Cassidy, James Lesure, and Adam Busch.

[22] Masterson starred alongside Sam Elliott, Ashton Kutcher, and Elisha Cuthbert in the Netflix comedy series The Ranch from 2016 to 2018.

[25] Masterson began DJing at Los Angeles night clubs in 1997 as a hobby, under the name DJ Donkey Punch, but it soon became a side business.

[26][27] Masterson is a self-described "rock and hip hop fanatic",[19] and is also a fan of indie, electro, and funk music, all of which he primarily DJed with.

[37][38][39] On September 18, 2023, Phillips filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences and requesting full legal and physical custody of their child, as well as spousal support.

[40] In March 2017, three women filed sexual assault allegations against Masterson, prompting an investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

In December 2017, after a fourth victim's accusations, Netflix fired Masterson from its comedy series The Ranch, saying in a statement, "Yesterday was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him."

[45][46][47] In November 2017, musician Cedric Bixler-Zavala of the groups the Mars Volta and At the Drive-In wrote that Masterson had sexually assaulted his wife Chrissie Carnell.

[48] In early 2017, the show Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath had filmed a two-hour episode that focused on the sexual-assault allegations against Masterson with interviews from multiple accusers.

After waiting another year and a half, A&E decided to air the episode as the season 3 finale in February, but as soon as they announced it, A&E and Disney were bombarded with a campaign of attack letters from Scientologists.

In the civil suit, the plaintiffs alleged the Church then mobilized an aggressive harassment campaign against them, called Fair Game in Scientology practice.

[50][51] One plaintiff claimed her dog died from unexplained traumatic injuries to its trachea and esophagus, also alleging church members chased her as she drove her car, filmed her without permission, harassed her online, and posted ads to social media sites soliciting sex in her name.

Another plaintiff stated that she and her neighbors observed a man snapping pictures from her driveway and later that night someone broke a window in her 13-year-old daughter's bedroom.

I will beat her in court—and look forward to it because the public will finally be able to learn the truth and see how I've been railroaded by this woman... and once her lawsuit is thrown out, I intend to sue her and the others who jumped on the bandwagon for the damage they caused me and my family."

[9] On May 21, 2021, Los Angeles County Superior Court judge Charlaine F. Olmedo ruled "all three witnesses to be credible and the evidence presented during a preliminary hearing sufficient to support the charges.

"[63] She ordered that Masterson be bound over for trial on three counts of rape by force or fear and that he surrender his passport at his next arraignment, which was set for June 7, 2021.

[64][65] In the ruling, Judge Olmedo determined that the Scientology organization has "an expressly written doctrine" that "not only discourages, but prohibits" its members from going to the police to report illegal behavior.

[72][73] The jury foreman said that the panel of six men and six women leaned towards acquitting Masterson on all counts because they found the testimonies of the complainants inconsistent and implausible; for instance, one Jane Doe testified in court that Masterson threatened her with a gun during the attack, but a firearm was not mentioned when she reported to the police: "The big big problem for her, credibility-wise, was the gun present in the testimony but not in the early reports", the jury foreman said.

"If defendant's conviction and sentence are upheld on appeal, he will likely remain in custody for decades and perhaps the rest of his life," wrote Judge Charlaine Olmedo.

[81] There were attempts to break in to the prosecutor's house and to run him off the road, his car windows were broken, electronics tampered with, and he was surveilled.

In the middle of the criminal trial, the Church of Scientology's head of security and their attorney Vicki Podberesky met with the LAPD chief of police to accuse detectives and prosecutors of misconduct.

[81] One of the sexual assault victims claimed various harassment including tampering with security systems, vandalizing a car, and attempting to run them off the road.