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Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have been friends with Danny Masterson ever since they met on the sets of That '70s Show. As per NBC News, before Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison for reportedly r*ping two women in the early 2000s, the couple wrote character letters to the judge expressing their support for their friend.
They called the actor a great human being and also thanked him for preventing both of them from becoming addicted to drugs. However, after the letters recently came to light, the couple began receiving backlash from netizens.
On September 9, 2023, they released a video expressing their regret about the letters and apologizing for hurting people's sentiments.
"We support victims" - Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher release apology video after penning letters in support of Danny Masterson
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher began dating in the year 2012 and tied the knot in 2015. The couple, who is friends with Danny Masterson, penned character letters for him before he was convicted and sentenced to 30 years to life in jail.
Kutcher referred to Masterson as a "role model" and called him "extraordinarily honest" in his letter. Kunis, on the other hand, thanked him for being an "exceptional older brother figure."
This did not sit well with netizens and the couple faced massive online backlash and criticism for siding with Masterson. They soon released an apology video expressing their regret for their letters.
"We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson. They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or re-traumatize them in any way. We would never want to do that, and we’re sorry if that has taken place," Kutcher said.
He added:
"We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future. The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system, or the validity of the jury’s ruling. Our heart goes out to every single person who’s ever been a victim of s*xual assault, s*xual abuse or r*pe."
This came after the duo's character letters became the talk of the town. In his letter, Ashton Kutcher mentioned that Masterson did not pose an "ongoing harm to society." He mentioned that the actor was one of the few people he would trust to be alone with his children. As per The Hollywood Reporter, he also thanked the actor for helping him stay away from drugs.
"Any time that we were to meet someone or interact with someone who was on drugs, or did drugs, he made it clear that that wouldn’t be a good person to be friends with," he said.
Mila Kunis also penned a character letter for the actor and called him an "amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure." She mentioned that he had a "tremendous positive influence" on her life and referred to him as a role model.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have been friends with Danny Masterson since 1998.
