Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis step down from organisation over Danny Masterson backlash

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have stepped down from their roles with an organisation after backlash over their support of convicted rapist Danny Masterson.

Ashton Kutcher has resigned “effective immediately” from an anti-child sex abuse organisation he co-founded in 2012.

The US actor, 45, started the charity Thorn with his ex-wife Demi Moore, which seeks to prevent the sexual exploitation of children worldwide.

Kutcher, who was chairman of the board, and his current wife Mila Kunis, who worked as an observer on the board, have both stepped down from their positions in the wake of backlash over their letter of support for convicted rapist, actor Danny Masterson.

In a statement sent to board members, Kutcher said upon reflection he had decided the “responsible thing” was to resign from his position.

“After my wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning, and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at Thorn, I have determined the responsible thing for me to do is resign as Chairman of the Board, effectively immediately,” Kutcher wrote.

“I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve.”

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis apologised for the hurt they caused by writing the character letters.

Kutcher went onto apologise for writing a character letter for Masterson, one of which Kunis also wrote, which was included in court documents at the actor’s sexual assault trial. Masterson, who starred alongside Kutcher and Kunis in That ‘70s Show, was last week sentenced to 30 years jail for raping two women in the early 2000s.

“The mission must always be the priority and I want to offer my heartfelt apology to all victims of sexual violence and everyone at Thorn who I hurt by what I did,” Kutcher continued.

“And to the broader advocacy community, I am deeply sorry. I remain proud of what we have accomplished in the past decade and will continue to support Thorn’s work. Thank you for your tireless advocacy and dedication to this cause.”

While Kunis wasn’t mentioned, Time reports she too has resigned.

Kutcher and Kunis, who married in 2015, copped heavy backlash for character letters they wrote ahead of Masterson’s sentencing, which made up more than 50 references for the disgraced actor.

Kutcher and Kunis have stepped down from their roles. Picture: David Livingston/Getty Images/AFP

Part of Kutcher’s letter read, “Danny takes his job seriously. He is kind, courteous, and hard working. He treated everyone from the grips to the teamsters to the actors to the caterers as equals. As a role model, Danny has consistently been an excellent one …”

In Kunis’ note, she referred to Masterson as an “amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure.” She added, “His genuine concern for those around him and his commitment to leading by example make him an outstanding role model and friend.”

The Hollywood power couple were forced to issue an apology video last weekend, taking to Instagram to insist they “support victims”.

“We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson,” Kutcher began.

Kunis added, “We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future.”

Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years in jail.

The cast of That 70s Show: Topher Grace, Wilmer Valderama, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon and Danny Masterson.

The Punk’d creator then explained that Masterson’s family had contacted them months ago, requesting that they “write character letters to represent the person we knew for 25 years so that the judge could take that into consideration – relative to the sentencing.”

Kunis insisted the documents were “not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling.”

Kutcher agreed, adding that they were “intended for the judge to read” and not written to “undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatise them in any way.”

“And we’re sorry if that has been the case,” he said.

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