Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis JUAN PABLO RICO/AFP via Getty Images
Kathy Griffin slammed Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher for writing letters of support for Danny Masterson before his sentencing on Thursday, September 7.
“The notion that this guy was also convicted of drugging these women … you know, that is such serious stuff that I don’t really care that when they were working on That ‘70s Show he was, like, a good guy to work with and he worked actively to keep people off drugs because he’s a Scientologist,” Griffin, 62, claimed via a TikTok video on Sunday, September 10.
Griffin then opened up about her late brother, Ken, who was an alleged “pedophile,” sharing how “she tried to get him caught” despite him being a member of her family.
“Now this was my brother, so I don’t want to hear about Ashton and Mila and Giovanni Ribisi and people that feel like they had to stick up for Danny Masterson because he was their buddy. He was my own brother,” she argued, adding that she called the police on Ken which caused a “giant rift” within her family. “The difficulty in getting a conviction in SA cases, the bar is so high that I tend to absolutely believe the victims when there’s even a trial. … Blood was not thicker than water in my case and if you know that somebody is committing SA, you should do something if you can. … Believe the victims.”
Ashton Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis arrive for the ninth Breakthrough Prize awards ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, April 15, 2023. JUAN PABLO RICO/AFP via Getty Images
Masterson, 47, was initially accused of sexual assault in March 2017 when multiple women came forward alleging that the actor had raped them in the early 2000s. In June 2020, the actor, who pled not guilty, was charged with three counts of rape and released on a $3.3 million bail. Following a mistrial in November 2022, Masterson’s retrial began in April. He was found guilty in May and four months later was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on September 7 after being convicted of two counts of forcible rape during his sexual assault retrial.
Several of Masterson’s friends and family supported him amid his retrial including his former costars Kunis, 40, and Kutcher, 45.
“As a friend, Danny has been nothing but a positive influence on me,” Kutcher wrote in his letter of support, obtained by The Underground Bunker on Friday, September 8. “Over [a] 25-year relationship I don’t ever recall him lying to me. He’s taught me about being direct and confronting issues in life and relationships head-on, resolving them, and moving forward.”
Kunis, for her part, wrote her own letter of support for Masterson. “Danny has proven to be an amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure to me,” she claimed. He has had a transformative impact on my life, instilling in me a sense of self-belief and encouraging me to aim for greatness, but all while maintaining a sense of humility.”
Following the letters being publicly released, Kutcher and Kunis explained why they chose to show support for Masterson.
“We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson,” Kutcher said alongside his wife in a video shared via Instagram on Saturday, September 9. “We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and we will continue to do so in the future.”
Kutcher continued by sharing that it was Masterson’s family who initially reached out asking them to write the letters. Kunis, for her part, admitted that their messages “were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling.”
“They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or re-traumatize them in any way,” Kutcher said. “We would never want to do that, and we’re sorry if that has taken place. Our heart goes out to every single person who’s ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.”
