Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis apologise for Danny Masterson support letters following rape sentence

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have apologised for sending letters of support to a judge, after fellow actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women.

Both attacks were said to have taken place in Masterson’s home in the Hollywood area in 2003, when he was starring in That ’70s Show.

Kunis and Kutcher, who married in 2015, rose to fame on the same sitcom, about teenagers coming of age in the 1970s.

In an Instagram video on 45-year-old Kutcher’s account, he said: “We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson…

“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.

“They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatise them in any way. We would never want to do that and we’re sorry if that has taken place.”

According to the Associated Press news agency, in his letter dated July 27 Kutcher described Masterson as a man who treated people “with decency, equality, and generosity”.

Kunis, 40, said: “We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future… The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system, or the validity of the jury’s ruling.

“Our heart goes out to every single person who’s ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.”

Her letter to Los Angeles Superior Court judge Charlaine F Olmedo called Masterson “an outstanding role model and friend” and an “exceptional older brother figure”.

Masterson also starred alongside Topher Grace and Laura Prepon in That ’70s Show from 1998 until 2006.

Grace, Prepon, Kunis and Kutcher have since reprised their roles with appearances in Netflix series That ’90s Show, released in 2023.

Kutcher also starred opposite Masterson on American sitcom The Ranch, until the latter was written out of the show when an LAPD investigation was revealed in 2017.

On Thursday, before Masterson was sentenced, Los Angeles Superior Court heard statements from the women attacked by the 47-year-old in which they detailed their trauma and pain.

A jury of seven women and five men has found Masterson guilty of two counts on May 31 after seven days of deliberations.