Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and other That ’70s Show stars wrote letters in support of Danny Masterson before he was sentenced to 30 years in prisonfor raping two women.
One day after the sentencing, journalist Meghann Cuniff, who was in court covering the case, published the letters sent to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo. Along with Masterson’s wife, actress/model Bijou Phillips, married couple Kutcher and Kunis, who co-starred with Masterson in the Fox TV series from 1998 to 2006, each wrote individual pleas in support of Masterson’s character.
Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp, who played parents on the show, also sent letters as did Masterson’s brother-in-law Billy Baldwin and actor/fellow Scientologist Giovanni Ribisi.
The general theme was that Masterson could never drug anyone, let alone worse, as he has long been anti-drug. The actor, also of TV’s The Ranch, was convicted of drugging and raping two women — whom he met through the Scientology organization — at his Hollywood Hills home in 2003, during the That 70’s Show era. During the trial, the jury heard that Scientology allegedly punished the victims for coming forward.
Bijou Phillips, Masterson’s wife since 2011, called him an “extraordinary husband” and a “life-saving partner to me” as well as an “amazing father” to their 9-year-old daughter, Fianna. She wrote that “Danny has always been against drugs and helped so many friends and colleagues get sober. My husband, who never smoked a joint in his life, has strong feelings about drugs that have never wavered. He tried to shield the younger actors he worked with from such temptations and offered them advice on their careers and in their lives.”
Phillips, daughter of The Mamas & the Papas singer John Phillips and half-sister to Wilson Phillips singer Chynna and One Day at a Time actress Mackenzie, said, “We need him more than you can imagine.”
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’s letters
Masterson’s long-time co-stars and friends went to bat for him as well.
Kutcher — who submitted his letter on his legal name “Christopher A. Kutcher” — said his long-time friend, whom he considers a “brother,” is a “role model,” “extraordinarily honest” and “nothing but a positive influence” on him. Kutcher said in the 25 years they’ve known each other, Masterson has never lied to him and he credited him for helping him avoid drugs in Hollywood as a young star.
“I attribute not falling into the typical Hollywood life of drugs directly to Danny,” he wrote.
Kutcher said they’ve traveled the world together and shared “countless family moments” raising their children. He said Masterson is “among few people I would trust to be alone with my son and daughter,” Wyatt and Dimitri. He also wrote about Masterson once stepping in to stop a fight in which a male strange was yelling at his girlfriend in a pizza shop, and said Masterson raised money for firefighters after Sept. 11.
“I do not believe he is an ongoing harm to society and having his daughter raised without a present father would a tertiary injustice in and of itself,” Kutcher wrote at the end of his letter.
Kunis also worked to dispel the notion that Masterson would ever drug anyone.
“One of the most remarkable aspects of Danny’s character is his unwavering commitment to discouraging the use of drugs,” Kunis wrote. “His influence on me in this regard has been invaluable. In an industry where the pressures and temptations of substance use can be overwhelming, Danny played a pivotal role in guiding me away from such destructive paths. His dedication to avoiding all substances has inspired not only me but also countless others in our circle. Danny’s steadfastness in promoting a drug-free lifestyle has been a guiding light in my journey through the entertainment world and has helped me prioritize my well-being and focus on making responsible choices.”
Kunis also said Masterson was an “extraordinary” husband and father to his 9-year-old daughter. He “prioritizes his family, education and happiness above all else,” and had a “remarkable influence” on her life with his “innate goodness and genuine nature” as a “role model” and “older brother figure.”
She ended by writing, “I wholeheartedly vouch for Danny Masterson’s exceptional character and the tremendous positive influence he has had on me and the people around him.”
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis call Danny Masterson a ‘role model’ in letters to judge ahead of rape sentence. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis call Danny Masterson a ‘role model’ in letters to judge ahead of rape sentence