Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis in turmoil after their support for Danny Masterson, convicted of rape
The Hollywood star couple is forced to justify themselves after letters sent to the judge, in favor of their former playmate, convicted of two rapes.
They grew up together. In life and on television at the time of That ’70s Showbroadcast from 1998 to 2006. Ashton Kutcher And Mila Kunis are friends of Danny Masterson and when the latter found himself accused of rape, they did not hesitate to write letters to judge Charlaine Olmedo, to defend him (like about fifty other people).
These letters were obtained by journalist Tony Ortega, who shared several of them via Substack. Ashton Kutcher writing : “As a friend, Danny has always had a positive influence on me. He is an extraordinarily honest and caring human being.“, he wrote, highlighting his fight against drugs: “Whenever we had to meet someone or interact with someone who was on drugs or taking drugs, he made it clear to us that they would not be a good person to be friends with. And for me, that meant that if I had to do drugs, we would never be friends. However, I especially didn’t want to jeopardize our friendship.”
Mila Kunis also focuses on “Masterson’s unwavering commitment to drugs” in her letter of support, in which she describes her former playmate as a “incredible friend, a confidant and, above all, an exceptional older brother figure.” And she concludes: “I wholeheartedly vouch for the exceptional character of Danny Masterson and the tremendous positive influence he has had on me and the people around him.”
Except that since then, Danny Masterson – who pleaded not guilty – was found guilty of two rapes and sentenced to 30 years in prison in the process.
So this public support and praise for a rapist is bad news today. So much so thatAshton Kutcher And Mila Kunis immediately tried to smooth the corners. In the wake of the publication of the letters, they wanted to explain themselves and distance themselves:
“We are aware of the pain caused by the letters we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson“, confides the couple in an Instagram video posted on Kutcher’s account. “We support the victims. We always have and we will continue to do so in the future.“
They then justify: “A few months ago Danny and his family contacted us and they asked us to write character letters to represent the person we had known for 25 years so that the judge could take that into full consideration, versus the sentencing. The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the justice system or the validity of the jury’s decision. They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the victims’ testimony or re-traumatize them in any way. We don’t want that. And we’re sorry if that happened.”
Finally, the video ends with a message of support to all victims of sexual assault: “Our hearts go out to everyone who has ever been the victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.”