Ashton Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis have resigned from the board of their anti-child-sex-abuse organization amid criticism of their letters of support for the now-convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
The 47-year-old actor - widely known for starring as Steven Hyde in That '70s Show - was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after being found guilty of two counts of rape on September 7.
Masterson was convicted of raping two of the women between 2001 and 2003, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the third allegation, which was brought forward by a former girlfriend.
After the conviction news, it was revealed that Kutcher and Kunis - who starred alongside Masterson in That '70s Show from 1998 to 2005 - were among 50 people who wrote glowing character references for him during his trial in May.
In their statements, the 45-year-old No Strings Attached star described his co-star as a "role model" and "a person that is consistently there for you when you need him".
Similarly, his 40-year-old wife stated that Masterson was an "amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure to me," concluding: "His caring nature and ability to offer guidance have been instrumental in my growth both personally and professionally."
The public letters garnered excessive criticism on social media and forced the Hollywood couple to share a public apology on Instagram, explaining why the letters were sent.
"We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson," the pair said, before claiming that the Ranch actor's family asked them to write "character letters to represent the person that we knew for 25 years" so that the judge could "take that into full consideration relative to sentencing".
"The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury's ruling," Kutcher said. "They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatise them in any way, we would never want to do that and we're sorry if that has taken place."
The Black Swan actress finished the video by saying: "Our heart goes out to every single person who has ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape."
Critics questioned the appropriateness of the couple's ongoing role with the charity Thorn - which Kutcher founded with his former wife Demi Moore in 2012 - as it has become an important voice in the campaign to end the sexual exploitation of children.
Due to this, the Two and A Half Men star announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the board posted on Thorn's website on Thursday (September 14).
"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.
Kutcher apologized in the letter and said he "cannot allow [his] error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve," adding: "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."
"And to the broader advocacy community, I am deeply sorry. I remain proud of what we have accomplished in the past decade and will continue to support Thorn’s work. Thank you for your tireless advocacy and dedication to this cause," he concluded.
In addition to this, Kunis has also stepped down from her role as an observer on the board, per The Independent.
In the wake of the Kutcher-Kunis letter controversy, award-winning actress Christina Ricci shared an Instagram Story that appeared to be aimed at the couple.
The Addams Family star penned: "So sometimes people we loved and admired do horrible things. They might not do these things to us and we only know who they were to us but that doesn’t mean they didn’t do the horrible things and to discredit the abused is a crime.
"People we know as 'awesome guys' can be predators and abusers. It’s tough to accept but we have to. If we say we support victims - women, children, men, boys - then we must be able to take this stance.
"Unfortunately I’ve known lots of 'awesome guys' who were lovely to me but have been proven to be abusers privately. I’ve also had personal experience with this. Believe victims. It’s not easy to come forward. It’s not easy to get a conviction," the Yellowjackets actress concluded.
