Ashton Kutcher resigned as chairman of Thorn, the anti-child-sex-abuse organization he co-founded in 2009, after receiving backlash for his letter to a judge in support of Danny Masterson, Time reported.
Kutcher and his wife, actress Mila Kunis, are stepping down from their positions following backlash they received after writing a letter in support of the actor.
“Victims of sexual abuse have been historically silenced and the character statement I submitted is yet another painful instance of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their experiences,” Kutcher wrote in a letter Thursday to Thorn’s board, according to Time Magazine.
Following their letters in support of Danny Masterson, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are stepping down from Thorn, the anti-child-sex-abuse organization Kutcher co-founded in 2009.
Kutcher has resigned as chairman of the board. pic.twitter.com/4z9vV0iFHG
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 15, 2023
“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,” he wrote, Time reported. “I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve.”
“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 attributed Masterson to being the reason he didn’t fall into the “typical Hollywood life of drugs” in his letter and hoped that his “testament to his character is taken into consideration in sentencing.”
Kutcher posted an Instagram video of him and his wife trying to explain why they were supporting their friend, saying they did not mean to discredit rape victims. (RELATED: Danny Masterson Paid $400,000 To Silence Rape Allegations, Accuser Testifies In Court)
“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 of the letters in the video.
A California judge sentenced Masterson, the former “That ’70s Show” actor, to 30 years to life in prison on Sept. 7 on two convictions of rape.
Kutcher founded Thorn with his then-wife, Demi Moore.