Conan O’Brien once joked that Danny Masterson would be ‘caught soon’ in a resurfaced clip that has an uncomfortable new element after the actor was sentenced to 30 years in jail for rape.
Masterson, who is best known for playing the character Steven Hyde on That ’70s Show from 1998 to 2006, was given 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago.
The 47-year-old actor - who has been in custody since May of this year - was told by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F Olmedo: “Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that’s why you are here.”
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In a resurfaced clip from a 2004 appearance on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, the host jokingly warned the actor ‘you will be caught soon’.
In the clip, the pair are discussing the fact that Masterson doesn’t have a strong Long Island accent, to which he explains it's because he has lived in LA for around 10 years and that the accent ‘just goes away naturally, and then there’s also certain words that there’s nothing you can do about’.
Masterson said that his friend Bodhi Elfman ‘always teases’ him about his accent and did an impression of Elfman imitating his accent.
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“He says ‘Hi, my name is Danny Masterson, would you like to touch my balls?'” Masterson said, putting a strong Long Island accent on the word ‘balls’.
O’Brien asked: “So why are you asking people to do that? That’s the more important question.”
"I mean, you got them, you know what I mean? Everybody should grab,” Masterson replied.
O’Brien then told the actor: “I’ve heard about you. And you’ll be caught soon, I know you will.”
Masterson then agreed: “I will.”
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The clip has been viewed millions of times in the wake of Masterson’s sentencing this week.
After an initial jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of rape in December and a mistrial was declared, prosecutors retried Masterson on all three counts earlier this year.
This time, a jury of seven women and five men found Masterson guilty of two counts on May 31 after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Masterson’s Hollywood-area home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame.