Ashton Kutcher & Mila Kunis Apologize After Backlash Over Writing Letters Of Support For Danny Masterson In Rape Case
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are addressing the character letters they wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson.
ICYMI, it came out this week that the two actors penned letters of support for their That ‘70s Show co-star in the hopes of convincing the judge to reduce his sentencing after he was convicted of two rapes. Mila and Ashton gushed about how great of a guy Danny was, calling him a “role model” and an “amazing friend.” Ugh. Obviously, their words did not affect the decision. The judge sided with the victims as the actor was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison – one of the longest rape sentences we’ve seen given.
But since the letters were revealed, the celebrity couple have faced a ton of backlash on social media – with people slamming them for not supporting rape victims. Many have even called them hypocrites for siding with a rapist as Ashton has a foundation called Thorn, which works to protect children from trafficking and sexual abuse. Instead of ignoring the controversy, though, Mila and Ashton have now come forward to share their side of the story about the letters.
Related: Topher Grace’s Wife Shows Support For Rape Victims After Danny’s Sentencing
They posted a video to Instagram on Saturday to publicly apologize for the letters. Ashton began the clip by saying:
“We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson.”
Mila then chimed in to say that they “support victims,” adding:
“We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future.”
She says they have always supported victims, yet they wrote a letter in support of someone who was convicted of sexual assault. If they did support victims, they never would have written the letters in the first place. Just saying…
As for why they wrote the character letters? The Two and a Half Men alum explained that Danny’s family contacted him and Mila “a couple of months ago” to write letters “to represent the person that we knew for 25 years so that the judge could take that into full consideration relative to the sentencing.” The Black Swan star insisted that “the letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling.” Ashton 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.”
Concluding the video, Mila expressed:
“Our heart goes out to every single person who’s ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.”
See the video (below):
A post shared by Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk)
Hmm.
What do you think about this apology, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments below.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
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