Fame can be fickle, and popularity can be easily lost – a lesson learned the hard way by Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis who have experienced a major dip in their popularity in recent years.
Once wildly popular, the couple, who met while co-starring in That ’70s Show, which ran from 1998 to 2006, stepped back from the limelight last September after facing public furore.
After more than two decades in the public eye, the actors, who played young couple Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart on the popular noughties series, faced fierce criticism after it emerged they had written to a judge, penning letters supporting actor Danny Masterson after he was found guilty of two counts of rape in 2023. The assaults, to which he pleaded not guilty, took place at his Hollywood home between 2001 and 2003.
In their letters, Kutcher, 46, and Kunis, 40, who have been married since 2015 and share two children, begged for leniency for their That ’70s Show co-star Masterson, who went onto receive a 30-year prison sentence.
The pair made individual submissions to the court – despite the former actor already being convicted for raping two women. When these letters came to light, they incited a major public backlash, during which previous bad behaviour and other controversies surrounding the couple came to light.
Despite Danny Masterson (pictured, right) being convicted of rape, Mila Kunis (pictured, left) and Ashton Kutcher (pictured, centre) wrote letters supporting their friend and former co-star, begging the judge for leniency when it came to sentencing (seen at the premiere for Traffic in Beverley Hills in 2000)
When the couple shared an apology video (pictured) the backlash intensified, with one PR expert saying that was because they were seen as insincere, and didn’t actually apologise for supporting Masterson, despite his convictions
In their letters, both Kunis and Kutcher spoke highly of Masterson, claiming he always ‘treated people with decency, equality, and generosity’.
Seemingly flexing his status, Kutcher’s submission included the line: ‘I hope that my testament to his character is taken into consideration in sentencing’.
He also wrote: ‘He’s an extraordinarily honest and intentional human being.
‘Over [our] 25-year relationship I don’t ever recall him lying to me. He’s taught me about being direct and confronting issues in life and relationships head-on, resolving them, and moving forward.’
‘Danny is a person that is consistently there for you when you need him.
‘Not only is he a good friend to me I’ve witnessed him be a good friend to others and the kind of brother others would be lucky to have.’
Meanwhile, Kunis said she ‘wholeheartedly’ vouched for Masterson’s ‘exceptional character’ and the ‘tremendous positive influence’ he has on those around him, including her, writing: ‘Danny Masterson’s warmth, humor, and positive outlook on life have been a driving force in shaping my character and the way I approach life’s challenges.’
The Black Swan actress went on to assert that Masterson is an ‘outstanding role model’ – and celebrated his strength to stay away from drugs (although it is not thought that this extends to alcohol).
Kutcher (pictured, left) has also been criticised over his treatment of his first wife Demi Moore (pictured, right), with the actress saying he cheated on her multiple times (seen in 2011)
‘His dedication to avoiding all substances has inspired not only me but also countless others in our circle,’ Kunis wrote.
‘Danny’s steadfastness in promoting a drug-free lifestyle has been a guiding light in my journey through the entertainment world and has helped me prioritize my well-being and focus on making responsible choices.’
She continued: ‘His unwavering commitment to being an exceptional older brother figure to me has had a transformative impact on my life, instilling in me a sense of self-belief and encouraging me to aim for greatness, but all while maintaining a sense of humility.
‘His dedication to leading a drug-free life and the genuine care he extends to others make him an outstanding role model and friend.’
Following Masterson’s sentencing, their letters were made public – which it appears the couple did not expect.
At the time, Kutcher was chairman of the board of charity Thorn (which had been co-founded by Kutcher with his former wife Demi Moore in 2009 ) – a non-profit purported to help fight child sex exploitation. Kunis was an observer on the organisation’s board.
During his trial, jurors were told that Masterson had drugged women before assaulting them, so the emphasis Kunis put on his dedication to living a substance-free life was seen as an attempt to deliberately undermine the testimony of his victims – a position entirely at odds with the couple’s advocacy work with Thorn.
In addition to his controversial friendship with Danny Masterson, Kutcher (pictured, left) was also close friends with rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs – who is being investigated over sex trafficking allegations (seen in 2007 at the New York launch of the rapper’s Unforgiveable Woman fragrance launch party)
They would both go on to step down from their positions. According to TIME magazine, the resignation came in the form of a letter penned by Kutcher to Thorn’s board, dated September 14, 2023.
While this apparent hypocrisy, in addition to their support of a convicted rapist, meant the pair faced a swift backlash, when they attempted to salvage the situation, things got worse for them.
In an attempt to appease those angered and offended by their support of Masterson, the actors released an apology video – but this would fail spectacularly, with members of the public, former fans, other celebrities including Kathy Griffin, and even one of Masterson’s victims blasting the couple over the clip.
During the apology video, which they shared on September 9 last year, the couple acknowledged they had caused upset to people, apologising for it.
Kutcher spoke first during the sombre video, which shows the couple sitting side-by-side in front of what appears to be a wooden fence.
‘We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson,’ he said.
Kunis added: ‘We support all victims. We have done this historically through all our work and will continue to do so in the future.’
In an attempt to explain why they had supported the convicted rapist, Kutcher said: ‘A couple of months ago Danny’s family reached out to us and they asked us to write character 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.’
Before telling fans the letters were not intended to question the legitimacy of the system or the validity of the ruling, Kunis said: ‘Our heart goes out to every single person who has ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or rape.’
Masterson, 48, was convicted last May of raping two women in the early 2000s and sentenced to at least 30 years in prison
The actor had denied the allegations against him, but after a mistrial in 2022, was convicted of two rapes in 2023 (pictured with wife Bijou Phillips arriving at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles in May 2023)
Kutcher was fiercely criticised for writing a letter (pictured) in support of Masterson. In it, he described the convicted rapist as ‘kind, courteous, and hard working’
Meanwhile, Kunis wrote in her letter (pictured) that she vouched for Masterson’s ‘exceptional character’ – making a point of saying he lived a drug-free lifestyle – despite the jury being told he drugged women before assaulting them
Just days after releasing the apology video, Kutcher came under fire once more, when a video clip from 2003 resurfaced, showing the actor making a problematic comment about Hilary Duff while she was underage.
The footage, from an episode of his show Punk’d, showed him talking about the then-15-year-old actress and singer.
‘Hilary Duff is in Lizzie McGuire, she also has an album out,’ Kutcher said.
‘She’s going to be in a movie called Cheaper by the Dozen. And she’s one of the girls that we’re all waiting for to turn 18. Along with the Olsen twins.’
While Duff was just 15, the Olsen twins would have been 17-years-old at the time – meanwhile, Kutcher was 25-years-old.
The video was unearthed after another older clip of Kutcher went viral, where during a joint 2002 interview with Kunis, the actress revealed that Masterson bet Kutcher to ‘French kiss’ her when she was a ’14-year-old little girl’.
The clip of Kutcher and Kunis – which came from a joint interview on The Rosie O’Donnell Show that aired in April of 2002 – resurfaced just as the pair was in the headlines after publicly apologizing for letters they wrote in praise of Masterson to the judge sentencing the actor over his rape conviction.
The 2002 interview took place during the early years of Fox comedy That ’70s Show (which ran from 1998 – 2006).
In September 2023, footage from 2003 resurfaced showing the actor making problematic comments about 15-year-old actress and singer Hilary Duff during an episode of his show Punk’d (pictured)
In the clip, 25-year-old Kutcher said Duff (pictured) was ‘one of the girls that we’re all waiting for to turn 18’
At the time of the interview, Kutcher was 24 and Kunis was 19. They chat with O’Donnell about how early on in the show, the script called for their characters to be ‘making out’ in a scene.
‘I’m like thinking this is slightly illegal, right,’ said Kutcher, noting the young age of his co-star. Kunis said that the scripted kiss was the first time she ever had ever been kissed, and it occurred during the first week of filming the retro comedy.
‘I never kissed a guy[…]I was a 14-year-old little girl and I was extremely scared for my life,’ Kunis said.
Kunis explained how Masterson offered to wager Kutcher $10 to French kiss her: ‘Danny goes, “Dude, I’ll give you $10 if you French kiss her”,’ Kunis said, turning to Kutcher and asking, “What, if you stick your tongue in my mouth?”.’
Kutcher said that Kunis was ‘making it sound like it was really’ lecherous, conceding that he and Masterson ‘had a little side bet going’ on the kiss.
As more criticism was levelled at the couple, more earlier behaviour resurfaced – notably around the two actors’ previous relationships.
Before marrying Kunis, Kutcher was wed to Demi Moore, 61, for eight years, with the couple divorcing in 2013. In her 2019 memoir, Inside Out, Moore revealed how fraught the union was, with her then-husband cheating on her more than once.
Another older clip of Kutcher went viral, where during a joint 2002 interview with Kunis, the actress revealed that Danny Masterson bet Kutcher to ‘French kiss’ her when she was a ’14-year-old little girl’
During the clip, Kutcher said that Kunis was ‘making it sound like it was really’ lecherous, conceding that he and Masterson ‘had a little side bet going’ on the kiss
In the book, Moore said she ‘went into contortions to try to fit the mold of the woman he wanted his wife to be’, adding that she ‘put him first’.
‘So when he expressed his fantasy of bringing a third person into our bed, I didn’t say no. I wanted to show him how great and fun I could be,’ she revealed, adding that the experience left her with feelings of shame.
In addition, she wrote that Kutcher said inviting a third person into their marriage ‘blurred the lines’, and therefore somewhat justified his cheating.
Meanwhile, before getting together with Kutcher, Kunis had been in an almost decade-long relationship with Macaulay Culkin, between around 2002 and 2010, though it wasn’t until 2018 that she opened up about the split during an interview on the Dax Shepard podcast.
She revealed: ‘I had a horrible breakup. I had a horrible, horrible, horrible breakup. I f***** up. I was an a****** in my 20s and I’ll be the first to admit it.’
In 2009, Ashton attended Diddy’s notorious annual white party along with then-wife Demi Moore (pictured)
Mila Kunis and Macaulay Culkin dated for about eight years, between around 2002 and 2010, with the actress later revealing she had created a horrible breakup
Kutcher’s relationship with Danny Masterson is not his only friendship to face media scrutiny – he and rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, 54, who has been under investigation over sex trafficking allegations, were close for decades.
During an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2018, Diddy revealed that Ashton’s MTV show Punk’d – which he fronted from 2003 to 2007 – brought them together.
He recalled: ‘I gave [Ashton] a call one day and said, “I heard you are going to Punk me and I just don’t think that’s a good idea. If you do that that will not end well for you, but I think we should work out a deal”.’
Diddy explained that he was fearful of being targeted on Punk’d after watching an episode with Kanye West, adding that it ‘got so dangerous’.
In 2019, Ashton shared more details of his friendship with the rapper during an appearance on Sean Evans’ Hot Ones.
At the time, he said: ‘We became fast friends. We used to just hang out and watch football together.’
Ashton went on to reveal that he also played a part in getting Diddy to sign up for the New York City Marathon in 2003 after he had joined the actor on a run.
He said: ‘Halfway through the run, he’s [Diddy] like “I’m running out of gas right now.” There was paparazzi all around us at the time.
Kunis (pictured, right) reportedly ‘banned’ Kutcher (pictured, left) from supporting his friend Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs amid his sex trafficking allegation
‘He’s like, “You gotta slow down and make it look like you’re not slowing down because I don’t want to look like I’m not going to be able to finish this thing.”
Ashton continued: ‘And he was losing it[…]We finish out the run and then he was so upset over the fact that he got skunked on this run that he decided he would run the New York Marathon.
‘He just started immediately training for the New York Marathon. He just can’t lose. Even when he’s that close to humility, it becomes a driver, so then he went out and ran the New York Marathon.’
The hip hop mogul was arrested on September 16, 2024 in New York City on unspecified federal charges. The arrest follows raids on two of his properties in March – in LA and Miami. He has denied the allegations made against him.
Neither Kutcher nor Kunis appear to have commented on the situation surrounding the investigation or arrest.
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