Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis stand by their friend and former That 70’s show co-star Danny Masterson, who was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison for drugging and raping two women. The couple wrote individual letters of support to the judge after Masterson’s conviction, asking for leniency in his sentencing – a move that has sparked much controversy.
The That 70’s show actor, 47, who co-starred with Kutcher and Kunis on the Fox sitcom from 1998 to 2006, was convicted of two of three counts of forcible rape in May, during his second trial. At the time, no ruling could yet be made on the third charge, which alleged that the actor raped an old girlfriend in 2001.
Here’s a look at the couple’s relationship with Masterson.
How did Kutcher and Kunis support Masterson during the process?
Kutcher, 45, and Kunis, 40 — who didn’t start dating until 2012, long after the sitcom ended — have been widely criticized for their support of Masterson, especially their advocacy for victims of sex crimes. Kutcher, along with his ex-wife Demi Moore, co-founded an anti-sex trafficking nonprofit called Thorn. In 2022, Kunis produced and starred in Netflix’s Happiest girl in the world, a thriller about the trauma caused by sexual violence.
During Masterson’s sentencing trial, the couple wrote individual pleadings in support of his character to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo. In Kutcher’s letter, published by journalist Meghann Cuniff, the Jobs actor called Masterson a “role model for me” and an “extremely honest and intentional human being”. He credited Masterson with keeping him out of the “typical Hollywood life of drugs” as a young actor, and also reflected on their relationship in the present, noting his former The farm co-star “among the few people I would trust alone with my son or daughter.”
In her letter to Judge Olemedo, Kunis called Masterson “an older brother to me” and noted that he played a “critical role in steering us away from such destructive paths” by “promoting a drug-free lifestyle.” Citing his “genuine care for those around him,” Kunis praised Masterson’s role as a father who instilled in his daughter the values of “integrity, compassion and respect.” She concluded by saying that she “wholeheartedly vouches” for his “exceptional character”.
What has Kutcher said about Masterson in the past?
The relationship between Kutcher and Masterson spans decades. After the end of That 70’s show in 2006, the duo teamed up again in 2016 to play the lead role The farm, a series about two brothers who run a cattle ranch. (Masterson was fired from the Netflix series in 2017 following news of the rape allegations, Entertainment weekly reported at the time.)
But before these allegations surfaced, Kutcher spoke about his friendship with Masterson.
“While we were busy That 70’s showwe always had the dream of doing another show together,” Kutcher shared USA today in 2016. “I moved to Los Angeles when I was 19. Danny became an older brother to me and showed me the ropes.” Calling themselves “a pair of alpha males,” Kutcher said their relationship is one of “brotherly camaraderie.”
Kutcher has gone out of his way to avoid discussing Masterson’s current legal troubles. In January, Kutcher explained that his avoidance of the topic is based on his compassion for Masterson’s daughter.
“One day his child will read about this,” the actor said Esquire, noting that he has “great respect for anyone who feels they have been violated in any way.” He added that he hoped Masterson would be “found innocent of the charges brought against him,” saying that “in the end, I have no way of knowing.” I’m not the judge. I’m not the jury. I’m not the prosecutor. I’m not the victim. And I’m not the accused. And so in that case I have no room to comment.”
Kutcher also talked about how Masterson kept the cast out That 70’s show in line.
“He says, one damn rule: Don’t do anything damn stupid and screw this up. Because if you screw up, you screw it up for everyone,” Kutcher said. recalled, noting that Masterson had made it clear he would not tolerate drug use.
What has Kunis said about Masterson in the past?
Kunis, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine at the age of 7, was just 14 when she auditioned for the role of Jackie Burkhart on the hit Fox show. As she came of age, she recognized how influential the rest of the cast was on her during her formative years. Kunis said last year Vanity fair that since the show debuted during “the heyday of older kids playing younger kids”, she could have felt very out of place with the rest of the group, who were generally four to six years older than her. (Kunis has since confirmed that she lied about her age when she auditioned.)
But despite the age difference, she found that the cast influenced her positively and never isolated her because of her age. She said she had the “greatest experience” on the show and was embraced “100%” and never treated as “less than.”
The group also kept her on the straight and narrow during her formative years in Hollywood.
“I will say, the reason I didn’t do drugs, the reason I didn’t get into drugs, was all because no one on set did,” Kunis said. “I looked up to them when I was 14, and so the trajectory of my career, or my life, could have gone either way, but it didn’t. The set was cool. They played poker on Friday nights and they drank beer and I thought, ‘Oh cool.’ But that was it. That was the extent of it.”
In the wake of Masterson’s conviction, some have also pointed to Kunis and Kutcher’s 2002 joint interview with Rosie O’Donnell, in which the co-stars discussed Masterson making a “bet” with Kutcher over the use of “tongue” while he kissed Kunis onscreen for the first time when she was 14 and he was 19.
“I had never kissed a man before, and that was true [nervous]. Ashton is an attractive man, and I was a 14 year old girl. I was very afraid for my life,” Kunis joked in the resurfaced interview.[Ashton] was very nice about it and said, ‘Don’t worry.’ Then Danny goes up to him and says, ‘Dude, I’ll give you $10 if you French kiss her.'”
