Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis apologize over letters of support for Danny Masterson
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis apologize over letters of support for Danny Masterson
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis issued an apology on Saturday in response to criticism over their character letters in support of convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
The three women were members of the Church of Scientology, as is Masterson. All three women said they were initially hesitant to speak to law enforcement because they said church teachings discouraged reporting to police. The women eventually left the church.
Cults are bad, people. Religion is bad because it's a normalized / accepted cult. Eff this guy.
I noticed that Topher Grace didn't get mentioned for writing a letter to the judge. I've never thought he's a great actor (he was pretty good in Traffic), but I like him a bit more now.
I doubt Ashton and Mila apologized because they actually regret writing those letters; this is just damage control because they got caught defending a rapist. Also, Scientology isn't a religion, it's a criminal organization, and it ought to be treated as such.
I was disappointed to hear that Kurtwood Smith wrote a letter in support of Masterson too. I really liked him in RoboCop... but I guess there's a reason why he was so good at acting like a total bastard.
106Hasn't Ashton Kutcher essentially stopped acting and dedicated his life to fighting child predation?
Edit: I guess it's Moore and Kutcher. https://www.thorn.org/about-our-fight-against-sexual-exploitation-of-children/
21Except when defending adult rapists I guess?
"As a role model, Danny has consistently been an excellent one," Kutcher wrote, later writing, "He has always treated people with decency, equality, and generosity."
Not that I want to throw shade at his current work, but this is a pretty big red flag on his credibility towards siding with victims. ESPECIALLY since this is was in relation to defending a Scientologist, a known organzation for SA.
25Well, if republican politicians and catholic priests are any guide, this means Kutcher and Moore are almost certainly prolific child abusers.
EDIT: oh FFS, their org is THORN?!? The same group of wine mommies trying to destroy the internet with that awful and mislabeled “kids online safety act”?
Fuck them AND their parent-pandering bullshit. Scientologists are nasty business.
6So you'd think he'd know better.
6
Religion and criminal organizations don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
20Just look at the Catholic Church.
4
I don't know about you guys, but if a great friend and coworker I knew to be an upstanding person got accused of raping people I didn't know, I'd be with my friend all the way.
When it comes out they actually did the thing? You condemn what they did.
This isn't some weird 'gotcha'. This is people who like to scrutinize people who watch the Kardashians essentially doing the same thing on the internet lol.
Having your trust and integrity betrayed is one of the most human and humbling moments possible. One which anybody who's had more than two friends or a family in their life has ALREADY gone through.
What a pile of low life tabloid shitmongery.
Don't be a fucking hypocrite. Do you want people to change their opinions with new information or not?
86I mean, their letter wasn't written after he was accused though, it was written after he was convicted of it. They weren't merely expressing shock or disbelief, they were trying to provide a character witness to try to reduce his sentence on his RAPE CONVICTION.
66I absolutely hate this situation and I was going to write a whole thing about how we wouldn't do the same thing if an upstanding husband and father was convicted of murder, except oh yes people literally actually do do the same thing. You'll literally have letters written like "he made a mistake but he has kids at home please go easy on him" as if actual murder isn't a pretty big disqualifier.
I guess we humans have a blind spot to the most common sins versus the mythical perfect criminal who spits on babies and hails satan...
22Yes, writing a letter to get sentence reduction might be reasonable if it were a non-violent crime. Shoplifting, tax fraud or drugs or something, I dont know. But not rape for effs sake.
20
The couple knew these women. They had these women to their houses. Danny wasn't raping strangers in dark alleyways, he was raping partners when they said no. Chrissie was with him for 6 years.
After hearing the evidence. After him being convicted. They both wrote statements saying he was a great guy.
32In their interactions and personal knowledge, perhaps he was. If you personally don't know Danny or anyone else involved, your only exposure is what you've heard presented and made public. If you personally knew Danny and hadn't witnessed any of these crimes yourself, you now have a conflicted view of someone who is both your friend and now guilty of 2 counts of sexual assault. While that conviction almost certainly changes your relationship going forward, it doesn't change how you thought of that individual beforehand.
Ashton and Mila were asked to write letters of character that described the Danny they knew. It doesn't change the outcome of the trial, but as with matters that carry different sentencing structures awarded by the judge, a judge will often take letters like this to determine what is appropriate. Is there a chance that the defendant will repeat this offense? What punishment, if any, will be restorative to the victims? How does this punishment affect everyone, including families established years afterwards? Is the defendant the same person today as they were when they committed these crimes?
These aren't matters easily decided and therfore it isn't surprising to see letters of character submitted either as part of the trial or during sentencing. If there is a patten of behavior, then sentencing might be maximum allowed, but if there's no clear discernable behavior, then sentencing might be light.
I don't know all the details that was considered, but based on my knowledge from reports, I think 15 years concurrent would have been appropriate. However, I don't have all the evidence or material to make an informed decision. I don't look upon these letters ss reflecting poorly on Ashton or Mila as they were just doing what was asked of them to help give the judge the context necessary to carry out an appropriate sentence. They aren't guilty of doing anything wrong, more than the lawyers defending a now convicted and sentenced rapist.
9
Celebrity. Gossip. Is. Not. News.
38Rapists in a cult that have been convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison is definitely news, celebrity or not.
29yes it is
2To shallow people, maybe.
1
37Topher's wife put out a statement in support of the victims. Which is where the support should be, in my opinion.
31and Topher, afaik, knew well enough to stfu
12
I was the right age for That '70s Show during the original broadcast. Eric was always the character I liked the most, and Grace was the better actor of the bunch. Literally discovered at a high school play. Awesome. He did some great villains over the years (David Duke, holy hell) and when he shows up in random things, like Black Mirror, it's like, "dang, dude is a pro"...
It was known back then that Scientology had their fingers in the pot on this series. Especially when it ended. That is how I learned about Scientology, in fact.
I am blown away by how successfully these 2 have tanked their careers in the past few days. I mean, they will continue to be in films. But, when the internet is the courtroom and the public is the jury... they're boned. Predictable apology video? Come on! Just... don't.
I am so disappointed that one of the defining series of my adolescence is ruined. I am not an emotional person. I am pretty cold about things, in fact. This is not a disappointment fueled by the bubbling rage of the internet. This is sincere. Most of all, I am disappointed that it has taken so long for him to receive his punishment. Those poor people that have had to wait, and retell their stories and nightmares again and again.
Vilmer and Laura will likely make statements, maybe not soon, but hopefully they will do a more believable job than these two. Both were part of the, uh, "belief system" at different points in their lives.
26Isn't she a scientologist too?
3Laura was around the time she dated Danny's brother. Story goes she left.
Vilmer and Danny were close after the show. I think they went into business. I think they bought the Vista Cruiser from the series together? I don't remember everything, just watched Entertainment Tonight every evening at dinner because that's what was on.
3
Permanently Deleted
26FTA:
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis issued an apology
No, they didn't. That video wasn't an apology. It was a "sorry if you got upset" PR skit.
19Their apology was a way to dip their toes in acting again.
16Kutcher is already in an upcoming movie.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4585910/Mila Kunis is in two projects.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10171472/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4209550/10Lol, Kutchers is with James Franco, a man completely devoid of any scandals with girls and young women! /s
12
They're just trying not to get canceled.
13Can we please start to cancel these scientology fuckheads altogether
5I don't even have to actively boycott. I just feel weird watching Scientologists leading movies and shows. I find it odd that people can get excited to go watch Tom Cruise in a movie.
2
I hadn't been aware that Scientology was mixed up in all this but I am not in the least surprised to learn it.
10I like Topher. His podcast was charming as heck.
8Well damn, Jackie, I can't control his sentence
6They were asked to write their personal experience with him. And that's what they did. I didn't see anything defending his actions or condemning the charges.
3It was specifically done after the ruling and after they read the horrific victim statements. Make of the fact that they could still stomach writing a character testimony letter after that what you will. They weren't subpoenaed, they were asked by his family. Also, Ashton Kutcher runs a nonprofit dedicated to helping sexual assault victims.
10
shoulda talked to their PR person first on this one
1Too late. You are now marked as Scientologist scum.
1"We supported him, but since that's unpopular now, we withdraw our support"
What?
1