Ashton Kutcher Steps Down From Anti-Child Sex Abuse Organization Amid Danny Masterson Letter Backlash
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Ashton Kutcher announced his resignation as board chairman of Thorn, an organisation he co-founded over a decade ago to prevent child sexual exploitation. The organisation claimed in a statement that the decision to resign was “rooted in the recognition of recent events,” referring to the outrage against Kutcher and his wife, Mila Kunis when they sent letters in favour of convicted rapist Danny Masterson. “After several days of concentrating, personal reflection, examining, & conversations with survivors as well as Thorn employees and leadership, my wife and I have decided that stepping down as Chairman of the Board is the right thing to do”, effectively right away,” Kutcher said in a statement. “I cannot let my lapse in judgement detract from our efforts and the children we represent,” he continued.
Ashton Kutcher has resigned as chairman of the board of Thorn, the anti-child-sex-abuse organization he co-founded in 2009, following backlash over the support letter he wrote for Danny Masterson. pic.twitter.com/BhxvX6gynt
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 15, 2023
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were chastised for submitting letters to a Los Angeles court in which they described Masterson as a “dedicated and loyal” husband, an “excellent” role model, and an “outstanding older brother figure” prior to a judge sentencing him to 30 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting two women. The pair, who co-starred on “That ’70s Show” with Masterson, said they wrote the letters after Masterson’s family requested that they characterise “the individual that we know for 25 years in order that the judge might take that into full consideration relative to the sentencing.” Kathy Gryphon and Christina Ricci were quick to condemn them for their support of Masterson.
Ashton Kutcher’s resignation letter to Thorn, the anti-child-sex-abuse organization he co-founded (via @TIME):
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 15, 2023
“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… pic.twitter.com/y5dpkoscTP
After The Outrage Over Danny Masterson’s Letter, Ashton Kutcher Stepped Down As Board Chairman Of Thorn, An Anti-Child Sex Abuse Organisation
After backing convicted rapist Danny Masterson, Ashton Kutcher resigns as head of the child sex abuse organisation Thorn. After suffering controversy for his support of That ’70s Show co-star Danny Masterson, Ashton Kutcher has stood down as chairman of the board at Thorn, an organisation he co-founded to prevent child sex abuse. Masterson, a longtime friend of Kutcher’s, was sentenced to 30 years to life in jail last week for raping two women. Kutcher and his wife, Mila Kunis, filed letters to LA Superior Court Charlaine Olmedo defending Masterson and doubting his guilt. According to E! News, the 45-year-old No Strings Attached actor wrote a statement to Time magazine today stating why he chose to step down from Thorn. As a result of our days of paying attention, personal reflection, and learning, and our conversations with survivors, staff members, and Thorn leadership, I decided that it was appropriate to resign as Chairman of the Board, effective immediately,” he stated.
“We can’t allow my error of judgment to detract from the work we do and the children we serve,” he said. Kutcher confessed in the statement, which was published in its whole by the US news source, that by drafting a letter in support of Masterson, he had damaged the organization’s goal. The actor explained that he has been working for 15 years to advocate for sexually exploited individuals. “Historically, sexual abuse victims have been silenced, and my character statement represents just another heartbreaking example of questioning survivors who are courageous enough to speak out.” This is exactly what we’ve been working to change over the last decade.” He ended with a “heartfelt apology to all victims of sexual violence as well as all at Thorn who I have hurt by what I did.” The father of two also stated that he is “proud” of Thorn’s work over the last decade. Thorn was launched in 2012 by Kutcher and his ex-wife Demi Moore in response to a documentary on child sex trafficking in Cambodia.
