Ashton Kutcher has a message for fans after getting called out for writing a letter in support of Danny Masterson after his rape conviction.
Several social media users took to Twitter on Wednesday, September 13, to share the text they received from the mailing list Kutcher, 45, set up. The phone number, which seemingly sends messages written by the actor, was shared in 2019 and Kutcher hasn’t used it since June of this year.
“A friend said something me today: We have one heart we can fill in with hatred or love. I chose love,” read the message from Kutcher. “I chose love.”
In response to the text, one fan shared a screenshot, writing via Twitter, “Does anyone remember when Ashton Kutcher ‘leaked’ his phone number and you could get automated text messages from him? Well I forgot I did that and today I decided to choose violence.”
The screenshot showed the commentator replying to Kutcher. “Well I choose to believe victims and not support rapists,” they wrote. Meanwhile, a second user shared the exact same message that they got after being added to the mailing list, noting, “I forgot I was on ashton kutcher’s text newslettter. It’s so over for him.”
Kutcher and his wife, Mila Kunis, have come under fire after the letters they penned to Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo ahead of Masterson’s sentencing on Thursday, September 7, came to light.
The trio formed a friendship after working on That ’70s Show from 1998 to 2006. However, Kutcher and Kunis, 40, remained largely tight-lipped after Masterson, 47, was arrested and charged in 2020 with three counts of rape. Following accusations from multiple women about alleged behavior in early 2000s, Masterson was convicted in May and subsequently sentenced on Thursday for two counts of rape.
“From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit,” Masterson told Us Weekly in 2017 about the claims. “I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused.”
After Masterson received 30 years in prison, Kutcher and Kunis’ letters of support started to circulate online.
“As a friend, Danny has been nothing but a positive influence on me,” Kutcher wrote while requesting for Masterson to receive a lighter sentence. “I hope that my testament to his character is taken into consideration in sentencing. I do not believe he is an ongoing harm to society and having his daughter raised without a present father would [be] a tertiary injustice in and of itself.”
Kunis, meanwhile, praised Masterson’s “exceptional character” in her note to the judge. “Danny has proven to be an amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure to me,” she added. “His caring nature and ability to offer guidance have been instrumental in my growth both personally and professionally.”
Days later, the couple released a statement offering context behind their decision.
“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 a video shared via Instagram on Saturday, September 9. “A couple of months ago, Danny and his 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.”
Kunis noted that the pair “support victims” before adding, “[Our messages] 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.”
