Topher Grace praised for not supporting That ’70s show star Danny Masterson

Lucy-Jo Finnighan
that 70s show cast

As Danny Masterson was sentenced 30 years on the charges of rape, many of his ’70s Show co-stars wrote in support of him, except Topher Grace. And now, Twitter is vindicating him for that.

Fans of That ’70s Show may remember the series as a fun-filled, heart-warming sitcom which followed a group of friends growing up in, you guessed it, the 1970s.

The show, starring Topher Grace as lead character Eric Foreman, helped launch the career of many Hollywood stars like Wilmer Valderrama, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, and Ashton Kutcher. However, one cast member, Danny Masterson has recently been sentenced on the counts of rape.

The internet has recently been criticising many of Masterson’s fellow cast members, who wrote letters defended him. However, Grace has seemingly come out unscathed, with much of the internet actually praising him.

Topher Grace stands out from the That 70s show cast

Danny Masterson, who plays troublemaker Steven Hyde on the sitcom, was recently sentenced to “30 years to life in prison in a retrial for raping two of the three victims he was originally charged with assaulting.” The assaults reportedly occurred between 2001 and 2003, while he was still starring on That ’70s Show.

According to Decider, Debra Jo Rupp, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who starred alongside Masterson, were amongst 50 people who wrote letters to the judge defending him. Kunis vouched for his “exceptional character,” while Kutcher called Masterson a “role model,” expressing that Masterton was a “dedicated co worker, and role model to me” and attributed “not falling into the typical Hollywood life of drugs directly to Danny.”

However, one ’70s show co-star was not amongst this support: Topher Grace, the lead of the show. It has been known for a while that Grace was somewhat of an outcast; while most of the cast seemed relatively close, Grace seemingly kept more distance, even leaving the show before it ended. While this had him reportedly labelled as difficult at the time, now fans are wondering if Grace knew what was going on with Masterson.

Twitter praises Topher Grace

Whether or not he did know, his lack of support for Masterson during his trail has earned the respect of the internet, with many Twitter users praising him.

They also noted Graces’ vindication after being so isolated for all those years, with one user calling the set “toxic” and another stating: “I remember when the True Hollywood Story: that 70 show episode came out and they made it a point to say how isolated Topher Grace was from the rest of the cast and they framed it in a way where Topher looked stuck up, but now as an adult it makes complete sense.”

Many “appreciation posts” began popping up, and Topher Grace’s name began trending on Twitter.

While Grace has kept quiet on the issue as a whole, his wife Ashley Hinshaw has since spoken out in support of rape victims, which suggests that Grace feels the same way.

However, some saw the whole trending situation in a more pessimistic light, arguing that merely not advocating for a rapist was not as heroic as people were playing it out to be, and the fact that people were treating it as such was a depressing thought.

“No hate to Topher grace but I’ve seen approximately 45 too many tweets fawning over him for heroically not writing a snivelling letter to the judge about how wonderful violent rapist Danny Masterson is today,” stated one user. Though these sentiments were also dissected and discussed.

https://twitter.com/erinmartina/status/1700608919859552626

Despite the one (arguably) bright spot of Topher Grace, this legal case has been a difficult one for many, especially for those who have faced similar issues. Masterson will be sentenced to 30 years for the crime of rape, though his lawyers say they will appeal the decision.

You can check out our other TV hubs below:

The Sandman Season 2 | Stranger Things Season 5 | Squid Game Season 2 | Wednesday Season 2 | Murder Mystery 3 | Gears of War movie | Cobra Kai Season 6