Photo Courtesy of Getty
TW: Mentions of sexual assault
Ashton Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis have received major backlash since their letters supporting former “That ‘70s Show” co-star Danny Masterson were made public. Danny Masterson was convicted in May of raping two women in his home in the early 2000s. Kutcher and Kunis wrote letters to the judge in support of Masterson’s character in hopes of a lesser sentence for their friend. Fans of the show and the couple alike were shocked at the news of these letters – especially in Ashton Kutcher’s case, due to his ever-present media advocacy for women and sexual assault survivors alike. The bottom line is that celebrities are not always who they present themselves to be, and we, as the public, need to continue holding them accountable for their actions.
Kutcher co-founded the nonprofit Thorn with actress Demi Moore in 2009. Thorn is an anti-child sex abuse organization that advocates for online safety as well as protecting children worldwide from sexual abuse. After the release of Kutcher’s letter, many are looking into the specifics of Thorn and questioning the organization itself due to a lot of vague information about its on-goings. Thorn’s board members defending sexual assault is very concerning for an anti-sexual abuse non-profit. People like this shouldn’t be trusted to save and protect endangered and abused children.
On Friday, Sept. 15, Kutcher stepped down from his position at Thorn and, in part of his release statement, said, “As you know, I have worked for 15 years to fight for people who are sexually exploited. Victims of sexual abuse have been historically silenced, and the character statement I submitted is yet another painful instance of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their experiences. This is precisely what we have all worked to reverse over the last decade.”
This apology seems ingenuine and dismissive of the harm he has done not only with the character statement but also his 25-year-long friendship with Masterson. Not only did the friendship not waver, but Kutcher also came to Masterson’s defense via character statements. His and Kunis’ apology was also released within days of the public reading his statement supporting Masterson. So how is anyone supposed to believe this complete change of heart on the subject?
Not to mention, Kutcher quoting his own statement as a “painful instance of questioning victims” shows his full capacity for understanding exactly what he did and the impact of his letter. Why would he write it in the first place? I would hope the founder of an anti-sexual abuse organization would know better than to question victims and write in direct support of a convicted rapist.
It is still unclear whether the couple knew that these statements would become public, but many agree that they don’t think they would have written them if they knew they would be seen by more than just the judge, especially due to Kutcher’s position with Thorn. This character statement, along with his continued relationship with Masterson, makes Kutcher’s work with Thorn feel incredibly ingenuine.
Since the release of the character statements, many people have taken it upon themselves to do a deep dive into Kutcher’s personal history. Kutcher and Kunis say they were close at the time of filming “That ‘70s Show,” and she really looked up to Kutcher as a “big brother” and “role model” on set and that years later they met again as adults before kindling their romance.
Yet when examining old interviews, there are many comments made about underage Kunis by Kutcher that are very uncomfortable and not very “big brother”-like. In one clip from “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” Kunis stated that, while filming their first on-screen kiss, Masterson made a $10 bet with Kutcher that he would “slip her the tongue” since it was Kunis’ first kiss ever at 14 years old. Kutcher is also on tape saying the only reason he agreed to a certain interview was because Kunis, then 15, would be sitting on his lap. He also stated on television how he was “counting down the days” until Hillary Duff turned 18 when he was 24.
These frankly uncomfortable and inappropriate comments from Kutcher and Masterson make Kutcher’s future role as founder of Thorn and identity as “the good, nice guy” very questionable. They seem like a blatant cover-up for his past and current behavior. Kutcher’s inappropriate comments, along with his recent character statement in defense of Masterson, is a harsh reminder that celebrities aren’t always who they portray themselves as.
