Actor Ashton Kutcher suddenly stepped down as the chairman of the board of Thorn, an organization that he founded in 2009, following the conviction of Danny Masterson for sexual assault.
Kutcher and his wife, Mila Kunis, had written the judge presiding over Masterson's case vouching for his character. However, when Masterson was found guilty for serious sexual crimes, the backlash was intense and immediate.
Kutcher and Kunis starred alongside Masterson in the hit sitcom "That 70s Show" from 1998 to 2006.
Masterson's other co-stars, Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, also came out to advocate for Masterson before he was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years to life on Thursday.
Kutcher's resignation letter stated, "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."
Kutcher's decision to step away from Thorn seems to be designed to ensure the organization can continue to do its mission without the bad press that Kutcher and Kunis will bring.
The organization stated, "the decision is rooted in the recognition of recent events and ensuring Thorn remains focused on its mission: to build technology to defend children from sexual abuse."
The backlash against Kutcher and Kunis isn't going away any time soon, especially when Americans learned about what the couple had to say about Masterson.
Kutcher stated, "Danny takes his job seriously. He is kind, courteous, and hard working. He treated everyone from the grips to the teamsters to the actors to the caterers as equals. As a role model, Danny has consistently been an excellent one."
As for Kunis, she said that she could "wholeheartedly vouch for Danny Masterson's exceptional character and the tremendous positive influence he has had on me and the people around him."
So what exactly was this "role model" with "exceptional character" found guilty of? As it turns out, Masterson is anything but a role model as he was found guilty of raping two women at his Hollywood home in the early 2000's.
Alison Anderson, who represented one of Masterson's victims, said that the victims "have displayed tremendous strength and bravery, by coming forward to law enforcement and participating directly in two grueling criminal trials."
Worse, there are strong allegations that the Church of Scientology, which Masterson is a member of, harassed and intimidated his victims into not speaking up about Masterson's crimes.
While the church has denied those allegations, the circumstances around this case certainly raise questions. However, Masterson will likely spend the rest of his life in prison and those who defended him have paid a steep price.
