Why did Topher Grace leave That ‘70s Show? Fans heap praise on the actor as his wife issues statement on Danny Masterson's sentencing

American actor Topher Grace of Interstellar fame was also part of the teen sitcom That ‘70s Show alongside the likes of Danny Masterson, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Laura Prepon, and Wilmer Valderrama among others. In fact, he played one of the leading roles of Eric Forman in the TV series, which revolved around a group of teenagers living in Wisconsin in 1976.

Topher Grace was part of the cast of That ‘70s Show (which debuted in 1998) till its seventh season. However, despite earning a lot of success, he exited the show long before the others did. Earlier, people assumed that Topher Grace’s sudden departure from the show was because he wanted to pursue a movie career.

However, now, in the wake of Danny Masterson’s 30 years prison sentence for two counts of r*pe, fans of the show have begun to speculate that Topher Grace left the show as most of his co-stars were “problematic” as stated by an X (formerly Twitter) user by the handle @shahartley. The netizen may be referring to the fact that Danny Masterson is now a convicted r*pist, while others from the show also did not allegedly live up to the standards.

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“He was so real for that”: Fans applaud Topher Grace for being different than his That ‘70s Show co-stars

For years, Topher Grace was publicly ridiculed by fans of That ‘70s Show as well as his co-stars for leaving the show a season before it ended. In fact, there were rumors that he exited the TV series because he was unable to get along with his co-stars. Not only that but as per the Insider, Topher Grace was also called “too proud” and regarded himself as “too good” for the show.

Now, amidst Danny Masterson’s guilty verdict in the r*pe trial and his three decades of prison sentence, Topher Grace has finally been absolved of all the allegations.

In fact, netizens have united to praise him and his early departure stating that getting along with the likes of Danny Masterson wouldn’t have been easy on Grace’s part and that it was rather bold of his to part with the show at the height of his fame.

Moreover, other alumni of the show such as Ashton Kutcher and his now-wife Mila Kunis have been facing backlash for writing individual letters of support for Danny Masterson vouching for his “exceptional character” and asking for leniency in sentencing.

Meanwhile, people are accusing Wilmer Valderrama as a “groomer” and Laura Prepon has been slammed for being quiet about the case.

In the wake of this, Topher Grace’s wife Ashley Hinshaw took to her Instagram Story after Danny Masterson’s sentencing and wrote:

“To every r*pe victim that is retraumatized by witnessing society debate and focus their attention on what is going to happen to the R*PIST…I see you.”

Following this, fans of That ‘70s Show have come together to applaud Topher Grace for being different than his co-stars and choosing the path of virtue. Here are some of the reactions online.

So far, Grace has not issued a public statement on Danny Masterson’s sentencing and has maintained his silence on his exit rumors from the TV show.

For those uninitiated, That ‘70s Show aired on the Fox channel from August 1998 to May 2006, and Topher left the show a year before its ending. However, he did return for a cameo in the finale.

Later, Grace also had a successful film career and starred in blockbuster movies such as Interstellar where he played the role of Getty, and Spider-Man 3 where he acted in the character of Eddie Brock or Venom.

Some of his other notable movie ventures include Predators, Traffic, In Good Company, Valentine’s Day, Me Home Tonight, and Irresistible among others. His latest work was in the ABC sitcom Home Economics and the follow-up sitcom That ‘90s Show.