“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 the video.
The support letters “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.”
Kunis added: “Our heart goes out to every single person who’s ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.”
In their character letters, Kunis and Kutcher described Masterson as a decent human and a “role model” for others. Kunis wrote that Masterson was “an outstanding role model and friend” and an “exceptional older brother figure.” Kutcher explained in his letter that Masterson always showed “decency, equality, and generosity.”
Letters from them and others were reportedly written in July and August — shortly after Masterson was found guilty of two counts of rape during a trial that involved three women back in May, according to the Associated Press. Masterson has long denied the allegations against him, pleading not guilty during two trials over the allegations. His defense argued that he had consensual sex with the women.
Kutcher said Masterson’s family had asked the couple to write the letters after the actor was convicted. He said they were meant to describe “the person that we knew for 25 years” so the judge could take that into consideration for Masterson’s sentencing.
Criticism for the apology video and the support letters circulated online throughout the weekend. Chrissie Carnell Bixler, one of Masterson’s victims, condemned the couple in an Instagram Story post.
“In my opinion, you’re just as sick as your ‘mentor,’” she wrote of Kutcher. She added that Kunis should start processing her experience on “That ’70s Show” and seek therapy.
Others on social media alleged that Kutcher had shown questionable behavior in the past, specifically pointing to a 2003 video of the actor speaking on his MTV show “Punk’d” about actress Hilary Duff. In the video, Kutcher says Duff, who was a minor at the time, is “one of the girls that we’re all waiting for to turn 18. Along with the Olsen twins.”
Representatives for Kutcher and Kunis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kutcher and Kunis are the latest celebrities to see backlash on social media for writing character letters. In August, social media was quick to criticize rapper Iggy Azalea for writing a support letter for Tory Lanez, who was sentenced to 10 years in the shooting of rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Azalea reportedly asked the judge for a “transformational and not life destroying” sentencing in her letter.
Azalea apologized amid the backlash, saying she did not know her letter would become public.
“I was told this was for a judge only, yet it’s being discussed in public?” she said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I never intended to publicly comment.”