Current:Home > ScamsAshton Kutcher faces backlash for clips discussing underage Hilary Duff, Olsen twins, Mila Kunis -Thrive Success Strategies
Ashton Kutcher faces backlash for clips discussing underage Hilary Duff, Olsen twins, Mila Kunis
View
Date:2025-04-12 15:42:20
A resurfaced clip of Ashton Kutcher discussing Hilary Duff and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen from his "Punk'd" days is sparking backlash in the aftermath of Kutcher and wife Mila Kunis apologizing for writing letters of support for former "That '70s Show" co-star Danny Masterson.
"She's one of the girls that we're all waiting to turn 18," Kutcher said of Duff in a "Punk'd" episode that aired in October 2003, just after Duff had turned 16.
"Along with the Olsen twins," Kutcher added of the child stars, who were both 17 at the time.
A judge sentenced Masterson to 30 years to life Thursday for the rape of two women. In a character letter dated July 27, 2023, Kutcher described Masterson as a man who treated people "with decency, equality, and generosity," he wrote; Kunis' letter called Masterson "an outstanding role model and friend" and an "exceptional older brother figure." Both asked the judge for leniency in Masterson's sentencing.
On Saturday, Kutcher and Kunis posted a video to Instagram apologizing for causing any pain or trauma for the character letters they wrote for Masterson after his conviction in May.
Kutcher is facing new backlash on social media for the "Punk'd" footage, which was reportedly shared in an Instagram story on Saturday by Chrissie Carnell Bixler, one of Masterson's accusers and an ex-girlfriend. She also called out Kutcher in a separate story: "In my opinion, you're just as sick as your 'mentor.'"
USA TODAY has reached out for additional comment from Kutcher's representatives.
'We support victims':Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis address 'pain' caused by Danny Masterson letters
Ashton Kutcher talks about kissing Mila Kunis when she was a '14-year-old little girl' in resurfaced interview
Another vintage clip that made the rounds over the weekend was from a 2002 episode of Rosie O'Donnell's talk show where Kutcher and Kunis joke around about Kutcher's bet in 1998 with Masterson to "French kiss" Kunis on the set of "That '70s Show" when Kutcher was 19 and Kunis 14. (They married in 2015.)
Their characters were a couple on the sitcom and in the O'Donnell clip, the two actors talk about filming a makeout scene early on in the first season: Kutcher remembers thinking, "Wait, this is slightly illegal, right?" and Kunis admits that it was her first kiss. "Ashton's attractive and I was a 14-year-old little girl and I was extremely scared for my life," she quips. Then she reveals that Masterson told him, "I'll give you $10 if you French kiss her." Kutcher claims he did it but Kunis says, "I didn't let him. I think he tried. … He never got his tongue in my mouth."
One user on X, formerly Twitter, who shared the clip called the bet "literally so disgusting" while another wrote, "Producers should have been arrested."
Christina Ricci tells her fans to 'believe victims,' 'awesome guys' can also be abusers
Shortly after Kutcher and Kunis' video Saturday, Christina Ricci wrote that "sometimes people we have loved and admired do horrible things" to her Instagram story. "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 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."
Ricci continued in a second story that she's known "lots of 'awesome guys' who were lovely to me who have been proven to be abusers privately" and admitted that "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."
Contributing: Kim Willis, Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
veryGood! (67)
Related
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Clean Energy Investment ‘Bank’ Has Bipartisan Support, But No Money
- Biden gets a root canal without general anesthesia
- 6 doctors swallowed Lego heads for science. Here's what came out
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Open enrollment for ACA insurance has already had a record year for sign-ups
- Jill Biden had three skin lesions removed
- Elizabeth Holmes, once worth $4.5 billion, says she can't afford to pay victims $250 a month
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- 7 tiny hacks that can improve your to-do list
Ranking
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Trump indictment timeline: What's next for the federal documents case?
- Black Panther actor Tenoch Huerta denies sexual assault allegations
- As electric vehicles become more common, experts worry they could pose a safety risk for other drivers
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- U.S. Army soldier Cole Bridges pleads guilty to attempting to help ISIS murder U.S. troops
- Wegovy works. But here's what happens if you can't afford to keep taking the drug
- Get Budge-Proof, Natural-Looking Eyebrows With This 44% Off Deal From It Cosmetics
Recommendation
Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
Can you get COVID and the flu at the same time?
Arctic’s 2nd-Warmest Year Puts Wildlife, Coastal Communities Under Pressure
Permafrost Is Warming Around the Globe, Study Shows. That’s a Problem for Climate Change.
Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
E. Jean Carroll can seek more damages against Trump, judge says
MrBeast YouTuber Chris Tyson Shares New Photo After Starting Hormone Replacement Therapy
15 wishes for 2023: Trailblazers tell how they'd make life on Earth a bit better