'We support victims' Ashton-Mila apologise for letters supporting Danny Masterson

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, on Saturday, September 9, expressed regret for character letters they wrote in support of fellow actor Danny Masterson, ahead of his rape sentencing. The three of them had shared screen space in the sitcom, 'That '70s Show'.

ASHTON KUTCHER-MILA KUNIS' PUBLIC APOLOGY

Danny Masterson was recently sentenced to life on charges of rape. Masterson, who is a 'That '70s Show' alumnus, received a life sentence of 30 years from a Los Angeles judge for sexually assaulting two women in 2003. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, in an Instagram video, apologised for any distress their character letters might have caused. They clarified that their intention was not to undermine the victims' testimonies or cause them any further trauma.

Kutcher said, "We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson. A couple of months ago, Danny's family reached out to us and they asked us to write character letters to represent the person we knew for 25 years so that the judge could take that into full consideration relative to the sentencing."

Kunis continued, "We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future. The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury's ruling.

Ashton and Mila then concluded by saying, " They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine victims' testimonies. We would never do that and we are sorry if that took place. To every single person who's ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape."

Watch the video here:

WHEN DANNY MASTERSON WAS REMOVED FROM 'THE RANCH'

Kutcher and Kunis co-starred with Masterson in 'That '70s Show' from 1998 to 2006 and Kutcher later collaborated with him in the 2016 Netflix comedy 'The Ranch'. Masterson was written off from the show following the revelation of an LAPD investigation in 2017. Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo of the Los Angeles Superior Court passed the sentence after hearing from the victims and defence attorneys. The victims testified that Masterson drugged and violently assaulted them in his Hollywood residence in 2003, during his stint on 'That '70s Show'.