Not since the then-couple Johnny Depp and Amber Heard released a pained, hostage-style video in 2016 apologising for bringing their dogs into Australia illegally has there been such an awkward public statement by A-list stars. Now is the turn of actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher over the weekend. In the minute-long video, they half-apologise for their statements of support for their erstwhile That 70s Show co-star Danny Masterson, who has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of raping two women.
These eulogies to Masterson’s character – which were supplied to the Los Angeles judge who nevertheless gave him the maximum permissible sentence – saw Kutcher suggest that the rapist was ‘an extraordinarily honest and intentional human being’ who ‘set an extraordinary standard around how you treat other people’. Kunis wrote that she could ‘wholeheartedly vouch for Danny Masterson’s exceptional character’ as well as being able to ‘sense his innate goodness’. For good measure, Kutcher – who has never quite shaken off his unfair reputation for being intellectually limited – declared that Masterson was one of the few people who he would trust to look after his children unsupervised.
The reaction to this show of solidarity was brutal and furious and so a chastened-looking pair of actors delivered a mea culpa as artfully scripted and performed as anything else in their careers. Kutcher stated ‘We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson’ before Kunis went on to say that ‘the letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling’ and declared ‘we support victims’, before concluding ‘our heart goes out to every single person who has ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.’
Unfortunately, the statement has done little to mitigate the anger against them, with one of Masterson’s victims calling the video ‘incredibly insulting and hurtful’, before saying ‘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.’ It has not helped that a 2002 interview has resurfaced in which the actress laughingly recalled how Masterson bet Kutcher ten dollars that he would not French kiss the then 14-year-old Kunis. To quote someone else who has been on the wrong side of public outrage, that joke isn’t funny anymore.
Given the number of other celebrities who issued statements and character references in support of Masterson, it might seem unfair to pick on Kutcher and Kunis; a couple who, before this incident, were generally regarded as leading members of the Hollywood liberal elite, vociferous in their support for everything from abortion rights to Ukrainian refugees. The sheer wrong-headedness of their apology suggests – accidentally or otherwise – that their mitigation statements were meant only to praise the non-rapist qualities of Masterson. This is an embarrassing, potentially career-threatening scandal for the pair and is likely to continue for some time. It may be strike time for both actors and writers, but Kutcher and Kunis would be well advised to lie low and refrain from offering any other statements in public – and hope that someone can write them considerably more convincing lines before very long.
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