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Topics: Ashton Kutcher, Celebrity, US News
Gregory Robinson
Topics: Ashton Kutcher, Celebrity, US News
One of the women who came forward against convicted rapist Danny Masterson has slammed the apology video made by his co-stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher.
Earlier this week, Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the rape of two women - the offences said to have taken place in his home in 2003.
Kutcher and Kunis - who starred alongside Masterson in That ‘70s Show - have faced backlash on social media after it came to light they wrote character references in support of Masterson.
The pair later filmed an apology video which was uploaded to Instagram, stressing their support for victims of sexual assault.
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One of the women who came forward against Masterson has since responded to the celebrity couple's post.
In the letters, Kutcher, 45, lauded Masterson as a 'role model' and claimed he was instrumental in keeping Kutcher away from 'the typical Hollywood life of drugs'. While Kunis wrote her former co-star had 'exceptional character' and said she could 'sense his innate goodness' when she first met him.
Talking of the letter's impact in the video uploaded to Instagram, Kutcher said: "We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson."
Kutcher and Kunis both reiterated they support victims who come forward.
And according to Kutcher, the letters were written as a favour to Masterson's family. The Punk'd creator said: "A couple 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."
Kunis continued: "The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling."
One of the woman who has come forward against Masterson, - identified as Jane Doe #1 - sent a text message to journalist Yashar Ali in response to the couple’s video which was uploaded amid fierce backlash online.
She said the apology didn’t make her feel better about them or the letters they sent.
“This video was incredibly insulting and hurtful,” she wrote in the text, which Ali shared on X. “My hope is that they learn radical accountability and the importance of self-education to learn when to keep their privilege in check - especially Ashton, who claims to work with victims of sex crimes. And as to Mila, I can only think of ‘Times Up’.”
The couple claimed the letter was never intended to go public and apologized if their words hurt Masterson's victims.
The Butterfly Effect star said: "They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or re-traumatize them in any way.
"We’d never want to do that, and we’re sorry if that has taken place."
Kunis then ended the video by saying: "Our heart goes out to every single person who’s ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 between 12pm–2.30pm and 7pm– 9.30pm every day. Alternatively, you can contact Victim Support free on 08 08 16 89 111 available 24/7, every day of the year, including Christmas
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivor’s Trust for free on 08088 010 818, or through their website thesurvivorstrust.org
UNILAD has contacted Kunis and Kutcher's representatives for comment.