Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis talk about Danny Masterson letters
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are “aware of the pain caused by the character letters” they wrote Support from Danny Masterson.
The two actors loved it Instagram on Saturday to address the letters they wrote in support of their “That ’70s Show” co-star Masterson, who was sentenced Thursday to 30 years to life in prison after being convicted of two counts of rape in May. Kutcher and Kunis were among prominent Hollywood figures whose letters of support were included in a 108-page request for leniency in Masterson’s sentencing.
“The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the justice system or the validity of the jury’s decision,” Kunis said in her video testimonial.
“They were written so that the judge could read them and not to undermine the victims’ statements or retraumatize them in any way,” Kutcher added. “We would never want to do that. And we’re sorry if that happened.”
The couple, who exchanged lines in their joint video, noted their history of supporting victims in their philanthropic work and explained that Masterson’s family asked them to write character letters to represent the person we knew for 25 years “So that the judge could take this fully into account when sentencing.”
In May, after his second trial, Masterson was convicted of two counts of rape based on allegations from three women he met through the Church of Scientology. Neither Kutcher nor Kunis’ letters called the conviction into question. Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith of “That ’70s Show” were also among those who wrote statements in support of Masterson.
The full transcript of Kutcher and Kunis’s statement can be found below.
Kutcher: We recognize the pain caused by the character letters we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson.
Kunis: We support victims. We have done this through our work in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
Kutcher: A few months ago, Danny’s family reached out to us and asked us to write character letters to represent the person we had known for 25 years so that the judge could fully consider this when sentencing.
Kunis: The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the justice system or the validity of the jury’s decision.
Kutcher: They were written so that the judge could read them, not to undermine the victims’ statements or to retraumatize them in any way. We would never want to do that. And we’re sorry if that happened.
Kunis: Our condolences go out to every single person who has ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.
