We first spoke to Joe Reaiche in 2013 for a story here at the Underground Bunker. Then in 2020, after Danny Masterson was charged by the DA’s office with criminal charges, we turned to him again for some background on Danny’s upbringing.
That’s because Joe is in a unique position: For ten years he was stepfather to Danny Masterson (That ‘70s Show) and his brother Christopher Masterson (Malcolm in the Middle) during crucial years in their childhoods, and Joe is also the biological father of their half-siblings, Jordan Masterson (Last Man Standing) and Alanna Masterson (The Walking Dead).
We spoke to Joe about that background with the Masterson family, as well as what led him to leave Scientology in 2005, when his children Jordan and Alanna (and his former stepkids Danny and Chris) cut off ties with him and have stayed away ever since under the Scientology practice called “disconnection.”
We have said in the past that Jordan and Alanna’s attendance on most days during the first and second trials of their brother Danny was maybe the most visible advertisement for Scientology in the courtroom. They had cut off all ties with their own father merely because he had left the organization.
They were walking advertisements for how Scientology rips families apart.
But we wondered, how will Scientology react to Danny Masterson’s conviction, and how will it treat this large loyal clan of dedicated members going forward? We thought Joe might have some interesting thoughts about that, and he did.
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Exclusive: Danny Masterson's former stepdad on what the family can expect from Scientology