Former "That '70s Show" star Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after he was convicted of rape earlier this month. Prior to that, his former co-stars, long-time friends and Hollywood A-list couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis shared letters of support requesting sentencing leniency. In his letter, Kutcher called Masteron a "role model." Kunis also praised Masterson's "exceptional character" and referred to him as an "outstanding older brother figure."
The universally adored couple may have been under the assumption that their letters would remain confidential, but they was shared with the general public on Friday by a court reporter and the backlash was immediate. Chrissie Bixler, one of three of Masterson's ex-girlfriends who accused him of rape, blasted Kunis and Kutcher on Instagram for their letters of support, saying Kutcher was "just as sick as his mentor." Bixler dated Masterson from 1996-2002 while he was on "That '70s Show" and during the time of the assaults he was accused of.
Bixler also wrote to Kunis: "Dear Mila, I pray you begin to process what you experienced as a child on that set. Your old interviews are very telling. I encourage everyone to watch them and decide for yourself what you hear and see. Do so before they get scrubbed from the internet. . . . Question, if that's what you view as a normal relationship with a 'big brother figure' then I feel very sad for you, and I hope you consider getting into therapy. You all must forget I was there the whole time those first 5 years of That 70's Show. I remember everything."
Following her statement on Instagram, Bixler posted an additional story but this time it was a video of Kutcher in 2003 on his popular MTV show "Punk'd." The then 25-year-old actor was pranking a 15-year-old Hilary Duff. He said in an interview, "She's one of the girls that we're all waiting for to turn 18. Along with the Olsen twins."
Another video widely shared on the internet is an old interview of Kunis and Kutcher on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." The clip is meant to be a funny anecdote about Kunis' young age at the beginning of the show – she lied about being only 14 in her audition but fessed up once she got cast – but now it is deeply unsettling considering the context of Masterson's conviction. In the interview, Kunis recalled Kutcher making a "bet" with Masterson that he couldn't put his tongue in the first kiss he going to have with Kunis as their "That '70s Show" characters Jackie and Kelso — who were boyfriend and girlfriend at the time.
"Danny goes to him and goes, 'Dude, I'll give you $10 if you French kiss her,'" Kunis said.
After public condemnation of Kunis and Kutcher's letters and the videos posted by Bixler went viral on social media — the couple decided in celebrity fashion that they would issue an apology on Saturday. Dressed in very casual t-shirts, the disheveled couple they were asked by Masterson's family to write letters on his behalf to represent the person they've known for over two decades.
"We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson," Kutcher said.
"We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future," Kunis said matter of factly, adding. "The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury's ruling."
Kutcher continued: "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."
If we're honest, their response is lukewarm at best. These days it's second nature for celebrities to sit in front of a camera and perform a decent apology — Kutcher and Kunis couldn't even wear something more respectful for the cameras. But for Kutcher, his unwavering participation in defending Masterson feels particularly disturbing and contradictory of previous actions. Kutcher has long been an advocate for child sexual assault survivors and even testified in Congress. He also co-founded Thorn, an anti-human trafficking organization, working to eliminate the sexual exploitation of children with his ex-wife and actress Demi Moore.
We need your help to stay independent
But maybe it's easier defending someone like Masterson considering Kutcher's extremely pervy, predator-adjacent comments on underage female celebrities like Duff, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and even his now wife Kunis. Kutcher also was Masterson's co-star again in the Netflix show "The Ranch," for two years whilst the allegations against Masterson came to light in 2017. Masterson was eventually kicked off the show due to the sexual assault allegations.
In Kunis' case, she was laughing along to her future husband and friend plotting behind her back about her first kiss in the old Rosie O'Donnell interview. But we can't forget that Kunis was 14 when she auditioned for "That '70s Show." The star was 15 when she had to have her first kiss with Kutcher on screen when he was 20. Masterson was the oldest one on set in the first season at 22, acting as a reported mentor and older sibling to the younger cast. It's hard to put the onus on an underage girl who was surrounded in an environment where men were senior by five-plus years. Kunis was never in a position of power when she was a 15-year-old child actor but now as a 40-year-old industry veteran — she has no excuse.
As a couple, Kutcher and Kunis have a certain allure. They played a turbulent on-again-off-again couple that people enjoyed, they stayed friends throughout their relationships with other people (Moore and Macaulay Culkin) and eventually, they had a fairy tale-like reunion in their adulthood. They now have two kids together. People cry "love is real" when they see pictures or interviews of the couple together. People have put a lot of goodwill and trust into this image of love and committed activism that they portray. So these letters of support and archival footage of their previous interviews unravel the immaculate image of an unproblematic loveable celebrity couple into an image of something bleaker — something that we as an audience cannot trust and should not stand behind.
