Ashton Kutcher resigned as Board Chair from Thorn, the anti-human trafficking organization he co-founded in 2009 with Demi Moore.
The resignation comes after he and wife, Mila Kunis, received backlash for writing letters of support on behalf of their “That 70’s Show” co-star Danny Masterson, who was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women 20 years ago.
Kunis also stepped down as an observer on the board, according to Time.
Kutcher’s letter, which was published on Thorn’s website, is as follows:
After my wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning, and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at Thorn, I have determined the responsible thing for me to do is resign as Chairman of the Board, effectively immediately,” he wrote. “I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve.
As you know, I have worked for 15 years to fight for people who are sexually exploited. 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 enough to share their experiences. This is precisely what we have all worked to reverse over the last decade.
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. Thank you for your tireless advocacy and dedication to this cause.
Sincerely,
Ashton Kutcher
The letters written by the couple were posted online by journalist Tony Ortega.
In Kutcher’s letter, he wrote, “As a friend, Danny has been nothing but a positive influence on me. He's an extraordinarily honest and intentional human being.”
In her letter, Kunis wrote, “I wholeheartedly vouch for Danny Masterson's exceptional character and the tremendous positive influence he has had on me and the people around him.”
On Sept. 9, the couple posted a video on Kutcher's Instagram, with Kutcher saying, “We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson.”
Kunis added, “We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and continue to do so in the future.”
In a statement following Kutcher’s resignation letter, Thorn wrote that it would not be where it is without Kutcher’s contributions for the last 15 years.
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