Ashton Kutcher resigns from anti-child-sex-abuse group after Masterson letter fallout
Actor Ashton Kutcher, still facing criticism for a character letter he wrote in support of fellow "That '70s Show" alum Danny
Masterson, has resigned as chairman of the board of an anti-child-sex-abuse organization he co-founded in 2009 with then-wife Demi Moore.
In a letter posted on the website of the organization known as Thorn, Kutcher said his decision to resign came after he and wife Mila Kunis "spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at Thorn."
"I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve," Kutcher wrote. "As you know, I have worked for 15 years to fight for people who are sexually exploited. Victims of sexual abuse have been historically silenced and the character statement I submitted (for Masterson) is yet another painful instance of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their experiences. This is precisely what we have all worked to reverse over the last decade."
Kutcher and Kunis, who also starred on "That '70s Show," both faced backlash for writing character letters in support of Masterson, who was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women in his Hollywood Hills home decades ago.
Kutcher and Kunis were among dozens of people who wrote to Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo in support of Masterson, including fellow "That '70s Show" co-stars Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, actor Giovanni Ribisi and Masterson's brother-in-law, actor Billy Baldwin.
When the letters were made public, Kutcher and Kunis both faced public criticism, and they released a video on Instagram days later apologizing. "We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson," Kutcher said in the video.
"We support victims," Kunis added. "We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future."
Kutcher said members of Masterson's family reached out to him and Kunis to write about "the person that we knew for 25 years."
In his letter to the Thorn Board of Directors, Kutcher again apologized "to all victims of sexual violence and everyone at Thorn who I hurt by what I did. And to the broader advocacy community, I am deeply sorry. Iremain proud of what we have accomplished in the past decade and will continue to support Thorn's work."
In statements posted on the Thorn website along with Kutcher's resignation letter, several board members praised his work in founding and leading the organization.
