Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have apologised after providing letters of support to a co-star convicted of rape.
The pair took to social media to say sorry to fans who called the couple out for writing positive character references for the That ’70s Show co-star Danny Masterson.
Both Kutcher and Kunis starred alongside Masterson, who played the role of intelligent “tough guy” Steven Hyde on the hit TV show.
READ MORE: Rape victim brands Danny Masterson ‘pathetic, disturbed and completely violent’
But in recent months, Danny was put on trial for the rape of three women in 2003 – whilst he was filming the comedy show.
After a lengthy court battle, Danny was found guilty on two counts of rape, whilst the third count resulted in a hung jury and the accusation was quashed.
(Image: aplusk/Instagram)
Following the jury’s decision, Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his actions.
During the trial, both Ashton and Mila penned letters defending the convicted rapist, saying that he was a “role model” who had “exceptional character”.
But following Masterson’s conviction, the married couple took to Instagram to apologise to anyone they hurt or offended by defending Danny.
Ashton began the video, admitting: “We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson”.
(Image: Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Mila then continued: “We support all victims. We have done this historically through all our work and will continue to do so in the future”.
Kutcher later explained that earlier in the year, Danny’s family had reached out to the couple to write character references for Danny, whom they had known for over two decades.
Kunis later apologised in the video: “Our heart goes out to every single person who has ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or rape”.
(Image: Getty Images)
As she gave the verdict on Masterson’s case, the judge said to the disgraced actor: “Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s choice and voice.
“Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that’s why you are here.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
