Restaurateur and shop owner Bobette Riales accused actor Danny Masterson of rape on Twitter Thursday, as The Cut reports. Riales wrote a succinct message alleging that Masterson engaged in non-consensual sex "repeatedly." She added the hashtag #metoo and also tagged the actress Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, who has also accused Masterson of sexual misconduct.
"I stayed quiet long enough. Danny Masterson repeatedly raped me. All I seek is justice and to prevent this from ever happening to anyone else as it has for some time. My truth will be heard. I applaud her strength as well. @ChrissieBixler," Riales wrote. (Refinery29 has reached out to Riales for comment and has yet to receive a response.)
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I stayed quiet long enough. Danny Masterson repeatedly raped me. All I seek is justice and to prevent this from ever happening to anyone else as it has for some time. My truth will be heard. I applaud her strength as well. @ChrissieBixler #metoo #sisters
— Bobette Riales (@RialesMBobette) December 21, 2017
The New York and Huffington Post reporter Yashar Ali, who has been reporting on Masterson for the past month, shared that he had been in touch with Riales, implying that he would help her tell her story in full eventually.
"I've had the honor of speaking to Bobette for the past two months. She is very brave to come forward and after the new year, you will learn a lot more about her story and the stories of the other women who have accused Danny Masterson of rape," Ali wrote.
I've had the honor of speaking to Bobette for the past two months. She is very brave to come forward and after the new year, you will learn a lot more about her story and the stories of the other women who have accused Danny Masterson of rape. Thank you, Bobette. https://t.co/f9hL5db2kB
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) December 21, 2017
In early November, HuffPost reported that a case against Masterson, which involved allegations of rape from 4 women, had stalled despite a preponderance of evidence. The LAPD began investigating the case in 2016. It moved to the LA district attorney in April of 2017, where, according to HuffPost, it paused. A source who worked at the DA's office told HuffPost that the case was being "slow-rolled."
This report brought scrutiny to Netflix, which employed Masterson at the time as a cast member of the sitcom The Ranch. After a Netflix executive told one of Masterson's accusers that the streaming site "didn't believe" the rumors, as per Huffpost, Netflix terminated its relationship with Masterson. Netflix also announced that The Ranch, which also stars Ashton Kutcher, had been re-written to exclude Masterson's character, and production of the show would continue in 2018 without the actor.
Masterson denies the allegations. After his firing, he released a statement declaring Netflix's decision to fire him disappointing.
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"I am obviously very disappointed in Netflix’s decision to write my character off of The Ranch. From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one," Masterson said.
Refinery29 has reached out to representation for Masterson for further comment.
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