Ashton Kutcher Steps Down From Anti-Sex Abuse Board After Danny Masterson Backla

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00:00 Ashton Kutcher is stepping down as the chairman of THORN, the anti-sex abuse organization

00:05 he founded in 2009 alongside his then-wife, Demi Moore.

00:10 The move comes after the actor and his wife Mila Kunis received backlash for their letters

00:15 of support for Danny Masterson, who was convicted of raping two women.

00:21 On Friday, the organization announced the change in their leadership in a statement

00:25 released to Access Hollywood that reads, quote,

00:27 "Today we are sharing that Ashton Kutcher, our co-founder, will be resigning from his

00:31 role as board chair at THORN, effective immediately.

00:35 This decision is rooted in the recognition of recent events and ensuring THORN remains

00:39 focused on its mission to build technology to defend children from sexual abuse."

00:45 THORN also shared the letter Ashton sent to the board on Thursday, which reads, quote,

00:50 "After my wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning,

00:56 and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at THORN, I have determined

01:00 the responsible thing for me to do is resign as chairman of the board effective immediately.

01:05 I cannot allow my error and judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve,"

01:10 he wrote, adding,

01:11 "As you know, I have worked for 15 years to fight for people who are sexually exploited.

01:16 Victims of sexual abuse have been historically silenced and the character statement I submitted

01:20 is yet another painful instance of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their

01:25 experiences.

01:27 This is precisely what we have all worked to reverse over the last decade.

01:32 The mission must always be the priority and I want to offer my heartfelt apology to all

01:37 victims of sexual violence and everyone at THORN who I hurt by what I did.

01:42 And to the broader advocacy community, I am deeply sorry.

01:46 I remain proud of what we have accomplished in the past decade and will continue to support

01:50 THORN's work.

01:51 Thank you for your tireless advocacy and dedication to this cause."

01:57 Ashton's decision to step down comes weeks after it was revealed that he, Mila, and several

02:02 other notable actors wrote letters in support of Danny during the sentencing part of his

02:06 trial.

02:07 The A-list couple has since apologized for the quote, "pain that has been caused by

02:12 the character letters" in a video shared on Instagram.

02:14 "We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote

02:21 on behalf of Danny Masterson.

02:23 We support victims.

02:25 We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future.

02:29 A couple months ago, Danny's family reached out to us and they asked us to write character

02:35 letters to represent the person that we knew for 25 years so that the judge could take

02:41 that into full consideration relative to the sentencing.

02:45 The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity

02:50 of the jury's ruling.

02:52 They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims

02:57 or re-traumatize them in any way.

03:00 We would never want to do that.

03:02 And we're sorry if that has taken place.

03:05 Our heart goes out to every single person who's ever been a victim of sexual assault,

03:10 sexual abuse, or rape."

03:14 Access Hollywood has been covering the case for years, from Danny's arrest in 2020 to

03:19 Ashton and Mila's letters to the judge.

03:23 Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher showed their support for Danny Masterson in letters written

03:27 to the judge in his sexual assault trial, according to court documents obtained by Access

03:32 Hollywood.

03:34 The A-list couple starred in That '70s Show with Masterson from 1998 to 2006.

03:40 Kutcher then went on to star with Masterson in Netflix's show The Ranch.

03:45 In their letters to the judge, both Kunis and Kutcher vouched for Masterson's character,

03:49 with Kutcher calling him a "role model" and Kunis writing he has "exceptional character."

03:56 In her letter, Kunis writes in part, "One of the most remarkable aspects of Danny's

04:00 character is his unwavering commitment to discouraging the use of drugs.

04:05 His influence on me in this regard has been invaluable.

04:08 In an industry where the pressures and temptations of substance abuse can be overwhelming, Danny

04:13 played a pivotal role in guiding me away from such destructive paths," adding later on

04:18 in her letter, "In conclusion, I wholeheartedly vouch for Danny Masterson's exceptional character

04:24 and the tremendous positive influence he has had on me and the people around him.

04:29 His dedication to leading a drug-free life and the genuine care he extends to others

04:33 make him an outstanding role model and friend."

04:37 Kutcher echoed similar sentiments in his letter to the judge, writing in part, "As a role

04:41 model, Danny has consistently been an excellent one.

04:44 I attribute not falling into the typical Hollywood life of drugs directly to Danny.

04:49 Any time that we were to meet someone or interact with someone who was on drugs or did drugs,

04:54 he made it clear that that wouldn't be a good person to be friends with.

04:58 And for me, that was an implication that if I were to do drugs, he wouldn't want to

05:02 be friends with me, which is something I would never want to risk or jeopardize.

05:07 I am grateful to him for that positive peer pressure," adding later in his letter, "I

05:11 am aware that the judgment has been cast as guilty on two counts of rape by force, and

05:16 the victims have a great desire for justice.

05:19 I hope that my testament to his character is taken into consideration in sentencing.

05:23 I do not believe he is an ongoing harm to society, and having his daughter raised without

05:28 a present father would be a territory injustice in and of itself.

05:32 Thank you for taking the time to read this."

05:36 Masterson's wife, Bijou Phillips, as well as fellow actors Billy Baldwin, Ethan Supley,

05:40 Giovanni Ripsi, and Deborah Jo Rupp also wrote letters to the judge in support of Masterson.

05:46 On Thursday, the former That '70s Show star was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison

05:51 after being convicted on two of three counts of rape in May, according to NBC News.

05:57 As Access Hollywood previously reported, the jurors were deadlocked on a third count and

06:01 spent seven days deliberating over two weeks.

06:05 The charges against Masterson stem from alleged sexual assaults committed against three different

06:09 accusers at the actor's Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003.

06:15 Masterson's accusers spoke out during the hearing, with one reportedly calling him,

06:19 quote, "a true coward and heartless monster," and another saying that she is still grappling

06:23 with her trauma.

06:26 Masterson did not take the stand in the trial and did not speak at Thursday's hearing.

06:31 He has consistently denied the allegations against him since his 2020 arrest.

06:36 In December, the jury in his first trial failed to reach a verdict and the judge declared

06:40 a mistrial.

06:42 All three accusers met Masterson through the Church of Scientology, of which he is still

06:46 a member.

06:47 The church has denied the women's claims that they were discouraged to report the allegations

06:50 to police.

06:52 In addition to the women Masterson was charged and convicted of raping, two more accusers

06:57 testified in the retrial per NBC News.

07:00 Following the sentencing, District Attorney Randall Mueller spoke to the press about the

07:04 case.

07:05 I've gotten to know the victims in this case quite well over the years.

07:12 And I can tell you they're strong.

07:19 They are, were committed to making sure that justice gets served.

07:24 And today they got it.

07:25 The judge imposed a sentence, an aggregate sentence of 30 years to life, which we believe

07:34 is the appropriate sentence in this case.

07:36 And based on certain case law that the judge cited, as well as the manner in which these

07:45 offenses were committed, she found justification for the fact that these sentences needed to

07:50 be run consecutively for a total of 30 to life.

07:54 And that was the right decision.

07:58 I have to say that I'm extremely proud of the named victims in this case for coming

08:04 forward, for enduring the long time that it took to get to justice today.

08:16 But I was so happy to see them in court when they were able to get up there, give their

08:22 impact statements and have their voices be heard and to be able to express themselves

08:27 on the significance of the impact that the crimes had upon them.

08:33 It was wonderful to see.

08:35 And this is a day for them.

08:37 This is a moment for them.

08:40 And I'm just very pleased.

08:42 Sean Hawley, co-counsel for Masterson, also weighed in on the sentencing, releasing a

08:46 statement that reads in part, quote, "The errors which occurred in this case are substantial

08:51 and unfortunately led to verdicts which are not supported by the evidence.

08:55 And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice

08:59 overall, sometimes they get it wrong.

09:02 And that's what happened here.

09:03 Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted and we and the

09:07 appellate lawyers, the best and brightest in the country, are confident that these convictions

09:12 will be overturned."

09:25 (upbeat music)

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