The couple faces backlash for the letters they wrote on their co-star’s behalf.
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have spoken out about the character letters they wrote on behalf of their That ‘70s Show co-star Danny Masterson. The actor was sentenced last week to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women in 2003.
In letters that began circulating online on Friday, the couple urged Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo to offer Masterson leniency. After the pair was heavily criticized on social media, Kutcher and Kunis addressed the letters in an apology video posted on Instagram Saturday.
“The letters were not meant to question the legitimacy of the judicial system, or the validity of the jury’s ruling,” Kunis says in the video.
Kutcher adds: “They were intended for the judge to read, and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatize them in any way. We would never want to do that. And we’re sorry if that has taken place.”
Masterson co-starred with Kunis and Kutcher on the sitcom from 1998 to 2006, and worked alongside Kutcher for two seasons of the Netflix series, The Ranch. (Two other That ‘70s Show alum, Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, also penned character letters. You can read them in The Hollywood Reporter.)
In her letter, Kunis called Masterson an “amazing friend, confidant, and above all, an outstanding older brother figure to me.” She went on to praise his commitment to a “drug-free lifestyle” and described him as an admirable father and husband. Kutcher, similarly, called Masterson a “role model” who also helped steer him away from the “typical Hollywood life of drugs.” Masterson was accused of drugging and raping three women between 2001 and 2003, and convicted of raping two of the women. (A jury deadlocked on the third rape charge.)
“I wholeheartedly vouch for Danny Masterson’s exceptional character and the tremendous positive influence he has had on me and the people around him,” Kunis wrote.
“He has always treated people with decency, equality, and generosity,” Kutcher wrote. “I can honestly say that no matter where we were, or who we were with, I never saw my friend be anything other than the guy I have described.”
Backlash against the couple, who met on the show and married in 2015, has been building. Many have accused them of “hypocrisy,” considering that Kutcher founded an anti-human trafficking organization that’s meant to protect children from sexual exploitation.
In a much-discussed Instagram story, the actress Christina Ricci appeared to weigh in, writing “sometimes people we have loved and admired do horrible things.”
“People we know as ‘awesome guys’ can be predators and abusers,” the Yellowjackets star writes. “It’s tough to accept but we have to. If we say support victims — women, children, men, boys — then we must be able to take this stance.” (Kunis said in the video, “We support victims. We have done this historically through work and will continue to do so in the future.”) Chrissie Bixler, one of Masterson’s accusers, shared Ricci’s post on the app over the weekend.
