Actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were lambasted by the court of public opinion after character statements they had written about their former “That ’70s Show” co-star and now convicted rapist Danny Masterson were released. The married couple issued an apology, sharing that they never intended to re-traumatize victims and were speaking on behalf of their friend whom they have known for 25 years.
Now, actress Christina Ricci is seemingly adding gasoline to the fire, calling out those that support “predators and abusers” because of previous reputations they may have held.
“So sometimes people we have 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,” the “Wednesday” actress wrote in commentary posted to her Instagram stories.
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were seemingly shaded by actress Christina Ricci after their character letters for convicted rapist Danny Masterson were made public. (Michael Tullberg/Paul Archuleta/Steve Granitz/Getty Images)
“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,” she added.
Christina Ricci shared that people should be supporting victims, not abusers. (Christina Ricci/Instagram)
“Unfortunately I’ve known lots of ‘awesome guys’ who were lovely to me who have been proven to be abusers privately,” she continued.
“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,” she wrote.
A representative for Ricci did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Danny Masterson was convicted of two counts of forcible rape in May after a mistrial in December 2022. (Myung J. Chun/Getty Images)
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Masterson was sentenced to thirty years to life in prison on September 7, after being convicted of two of three counts of rape by a Los Angeles jury in May, after a previous trial ended in a mistrial.
After the sentencing, character letters written by Kutcher and Kunis on behalf of Masterson were released, enraging fans and prompting the couple to issue a statement apologizing for the “pain” they may have caused.
Ashton Kutcher is the founder of Thorn, an organization that works to keep children safe from sexual exploitation. He is pictured with Danny Masterson in 2017. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT)
“We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson,” Kutcher said solemnly, in a video shared to social media. Seated next to him was Kunis, who continued.
“We support victims,” she said. “We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future.”
“A couple of months ago, Danny’s family reached out to us and they asked us 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 the sentencing,” Kutcher continued.
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“The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling,” Kunis clarified. “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 noted. “We would never want to do that, and we’re sorry if that has taken place.”
“Our heart goes out to every single person who’s ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape,” Kunis concluded. Comments were disabled on the post.
Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Danny Masterson pose together for a picture in 2000. (Chris Weeks/Liaison/Getty Images)
In their character statements obtained by Fox News Digital, both Kutcher and Kunis applauded Masterson for his drug-free lifestyle. Kunis qualified Masterson as an “outstanding older brother figure.”
“As a role model, Danny has consistently been an excellent one. I attribute not falling into the Hollywood life of drugs directly to Danny. Any time that we were to meet someone or interact with someone who was on drugs, or did drugs, he made it clear that that wouldn’t be a good person to be friends with,” Kutcher wrote, in part.
“One of the most remarkable aspects of Danny’s character is his unwavering commitment to discouraging the use of drugs,” Kunis echoed in her own letter. “His influence on me in this regard has been invaluable.”
The cast of “That ’70s Show” in a promotional picture. (FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)
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During Masterson’s retrial, the actor was accused of drugging and then raping three different women.
Representatives for Kutcher and Kunis did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
