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Ashton Kutcher has resigned as chairman of the board of a non-profit organization against child s*x abuse after he and his wife, Mila Kunis, penned a character letter requesting mercy for his former That '70s Show co-star and convicted r*pist, Danny Masterson. The organization, Thorn, was formed by Ashton Kutcher and his then-wife, Demi Moore, in 2009.
Content warning: Discussion of r*pe and s*xual abuse
In a letter to Thorn's board, published by TIME on Thursday, September 14, the No Strings Attached actor acknowledged that "victims of s*xual abuse have historically been silenced" and claimed that his testimony in court in support of fellow actor Danny Masterson, a convicted r*pist, was "yet another painful instance of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their experiences."
He further wrote:
“I want to offer my heartfelt apology to all victims of s*xual violence and everyone at Thorn who I hurt by what I did."
Fans react as Ashton Kutcher steps down from being the Board Chair of Thorn
On Thursday, Kutcher announced his resignation from the board of Thorn. Moreover, according to TIME, Kunis has resigned from her role as an observer on the organization's board.
Ashton Kutcher took the step as he and Kunis received criticism for writing a character letter pleading for compassion in Masterson's punishment. After being found guilty of r*ping two women, Masterson was given a minimum sentence of 30 years in jail.
Kutcher and Mila praised Masterson's character and questioned his guilt in the letter to LA Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo in support of Masterson.
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis expressed regret after the news broke, but they were still left with the dilemma of supporting a charity whose goal is to eradicate s*x crimes while also backing a friend who has been found guilty of committing s*x offenses.
As per TIME, in a letter dated September 14, Kutcher apologized for his behavior and acknowledged the suffering his support had caused s*xual assault victims.
The Two and a Half Men actor also decided to resign from his position following some thoughts and discussions with the former s*xual assault survivors, staff members, and Thorn's management, according to the letter made public by TIME.
He also made it clear that he believed doing so was both responsible and important. Ashton Kutcher further admitted that he couldn't let his "mistake in judgment" overshadow Thorn's crucial goal of preventing child s*xual exploitation.
“After my wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning, and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at Thorn, I have determined the responsible thing for me to do is resign as Chairman of the Board, effectively immediately,” Kutcher wrote in the letter to the board.
After the news got out, netizens reacted by taking to X (formerly known as Twitter). They also commented under @KendallRaeOnYT's X post to express their opinion and criticize Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis for the character letter supporting Masterson.
Danny Masterson has been sentenced to jail for 30 years
Danny Masterson, an actor from That '70s Show, was given a 30-year sentence by Los Angeles judge Charlaine F. Olmedo for r*ping two women. Masterson was found guilty by a jury in May 2023 after his accusers said he made them drunk before s*xually assaulting them at his Hollywood Hills home.
Masterson sat in the courtroom during his sentence hearing and listened to his accusers describe the effects of the assault on their lives. Additionally, the prosecution also stated that Masterson used his status as a famous Scientologist to escape responsibility. Judge Charlaine Olmedo allowed the victims to read impact statements in court before issuing the punishment.
A well-known former Scientologist and actress named Leah Remini was in attendance in court on Thursday, September 7, and comforted the women before and after they spoke.
As reported by US media, one of the women stated:
"I wished I had reported him earlier to the police”.
As per Reuters, the second woman addressed Masterson and said:
"I forgive you. Your sickness is no longer mine to bear”.
Meanwhile, Masterson didn't say anything at all during the hearing. Danny Masterson, a longtime member of the Church of Scientology, has five accusers who claim that the church stopped them from reporting the former actor to the LAPD.
