In 2020, actor Danny Masterson, known for playing Steven in Those wonderful 70s, was reported several times for sexual abuse. Their surroundings and some filming companions, such as the couple formed by Mila Kunis (Chernovtsi, Ukraine, 40 years old) and Ashton Kutcher (Iowa, United States, 45 years old), who played Jackie and Michael in the fiction broadcast between 1998 and 2006, they came to his defense. “I do not believe that she is a walking danger to society and for her daughter to grow up without her father present would be an injustice,” Kutcher wrote in a letter of support before the case for which Masterson has been convicted was resolved. Kunis added for him: “He is an extraordinarily honest human being. In our 25 years of relationship, I don’t remember him ever lying to me. He has taught me to be direct and to face life and relationship problems head-on, solve them and move on. I wholeheartedly attest to the exceptional character of Danny Masterson and the tremendous positive influence he has had on me and the people around him.” Both actors insisted in their letters that their friend, accused of drugging his victims before raping them, was characterized by leading a drug-free life. After being detained since last May pending resolution of the case, Masterson has been convicted and sentenced to at least 30 years in prison. And it was up to the Kunis-Kutcher couple to apologize.
The acting couple, married since 2015 and with two children together, have shared a video through Kutcher’s Instagram account —where he has 5.2 million followers— with a message for the victims of his former colleague. “We are aware of the pain that the letters we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson have caused,” the actor begins by apologizing, who due to the controversy of the case has deactivated the comments on the publication, which has accumulated more than 270,000 I like since Sunday. “We support the victims. We have done this historically through our work and we will continue to do so in the future,” she continues, confirming that they do not agree with Masterson’s actions.
Regarding the letters, Kutcher excuses himself, very seriously, saying that they were a request from the condemned actor’s family with the intention of “representing the person” they knew for 25 years, “so that the judge could take it into account in relation to the sentence.” And Kunis clarifies: “The letters were not intended to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s decision, but rather to allow the judge to take them into account without the need to harm the victims or recriminate them in any way. ”. According to American media, more than 50 people sent letters to the judge in support of Masterson, including those from other actors such as Giovanni Ribisi and William Baldwin.
Masterson, found guilty in May of raping two women in 2001 and 2003 at his home in the Hollywood Hills, was sentenced in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 7. The final sentence can conclude with a minimum of 30 years in prison up to life imprisonment. With the court decision, the actor, 47 years old and father of a nine-year-old daughter with actress Bijou Phillips, will only be able to request parole at the age of 77. This was the second rape trial that Masterson faced, after the previous trial was declared a mistrial last November due to another jury failing to reach a unanimous decision.
Last Thursday, before announcing the sentence, the judge granted the three women who accused him the right to speak. “You like to hurt women,” said one of them, adding that the world would be “safer” with her imprisonment. They are all former members of Scientology, a church to which Masterson is also faithful, and their identities were preserved.
Kunis and Kutcher’s new statements have generated a lot of controversy. Several social media users have called his apology “pathetic” and even “hypocritical,” ensuring that they have only shared the message with the intention of separating themselves from someone who is now considered a criminal by law. The victims themselves have criticized it. “This video is incredibly insulting and hurtful. I hope they learn the responsibility they have and the importance of self-education to know when to keep their privileges in check,” said one of them.
The actress Christina Ricci has also thrown some insults at the couple through some stories on his Instagram account. “Sometimes people we love and admire do horrible things. “They may not do these things to us and we only know who they were to us, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t do horrible things and discrediting the abused is a crime,” the 43-year-old actress wrote. She is known for her role in Wednesday’s The Addams Family, She herself suffered “severe physical and emotional abuse” at the hands of her ex-husband, James Heerdegen, she has confessed. And she delivers a message from her own experience: “Unfortunately, I have met many ‘awesome guys’ who were lovely to me, but have been shown to be abusive in private. I have also had personal experience with this. Believe the victims. It’s not easy to introduce yourself. It is not easy to obtain a conviction.”
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