Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis Receive More Backlash for Glowing Recommendations About Danny Masterson
Celebrity couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis answered the backlash they received over the letters they wrote about Danny Masterson, now a convicted rapist. But instead of shedding light on the situation and appeasing the public with their video on Instagram, the couple ended up dealing with more of the public’s wrath.
From 1998 to 2006, Danny Masterson worked alongside Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis on the hit TV sitcom That 70s Show. As an actor, he played the role of Steven Hyde. In 2020, he was charged with raping three women between 2001 and 2003 during three separate incidents.
Ashton and Mila were requested by Danny’s family to provide personal accounts about him to the presiding judge. This prompted the couple to write letters in July 2023, making them among the 50 letters that the court received.
When the couple’s letters were released, many were outraged. Published by Meghan Cuniff, a legal affairs reporter, the letter refers to the defendant as “extraordinarily honest” and a “role model.” Ashton was even quoted as saying, “he is among the few people that I would trust to be alone with my son and daughter.”
In an attempt to deal with the backlash they received, the couple created a video to explain their actions. The clip showed 45-year-old Ashton saying, “We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson.”
His wife, 40-year-old Mila, joined him on the video, saying, “We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future.”
As Mila took over, she explained that the character letters they wrote were not intended to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or even contest the validity of the jury’s ruling.
The couple explained that the letters were for the presiding judge to read and it was never their intention to challenge the testimonies of the victims or cause them additional distress.
They declared, “We would never want to do that. And we are sorry if that has taken place.” Mila ended the video with, “Our heart goes out to every single person that has ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.”
The couple disabled comments on their post.
People expressed their disappointment over the couple’s alleged “lawyered” apology. One of the noteworthy online comments came from Yashar Ali, a journalist who wrote, “It’s important to note that the letters weren’t just character letters you’d write for a friend. The letters, which contained a great deal of Scientological phrasing, were intended to undermine the victims who were drugged by Danny.”
A former fan of the celebrity couple left a comment on Ashton’s recent Instagram post, “I’m not a fan of cancel culture, but I make an exception for you two.”
Danny received a sentence of 30 years to life imprisonment last week after the jury found him guilty of raping two women.
Ironically, Ashton and Mila are co-founders and board chairmen of an organization that fights the sexual exploitation of children.
