- By Bernd Debusmann Jr
- BBC News, Washington
45 minutes ago
Image source: Getty Images
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Ashton Kutcher is facing intense criticism over a letter in support of Danny Masterson
Ashton Kutcher has resigned from his child sexual abuse charity following outrage over a letter of support he wrote to a judge following Danny Masterson’s rape conviction.
In resigning from the Thorn charity, Kutcher said his letter of support was a “misjudgment.”
Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women.
Kutcher’s wife, actress Mila Kunis, sent a similar letter.
The letters and subsequent apology from Kutcher and Kunis — both of whom starred alongside Masterson on “That 70s Show” — were heavily criticized by victims and advocacy groups.
In a resignation letter to Thorn’s board that was posted online, Kutcher said his decision to step down from the board was “grounded in recognition of recent events.”
“After several days of listening, personally reflecting, learning, and speaking with survivors as well as Thorn’s staff and leadership, my wife and I have decided that it is my responsibility to step down as CEO, effective immediately.” Kutcher said in the resignation letter.
“I cannot allow my lapse in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve,” he added.
Founded in 2012 by Kutcher and his ex-wife Demi Moore, Thorn focuses on combating child sexual exploitation.
The group’s focus is on the Internet and the role it plays in the dissemination of material about child sexual abuse and sexual slavery. To date, the group claims to have identified 27,000 child victims and removed more than two million potentially sexual abuse files from the Internet.
In his resignation statement, Kutcher said his letter of support for Masterson – in which he described him as someone who treated people with “decency” and “generosity” – was “another painful case of questioning of victims brave enough to share their experiences.” split.” “.
“This is exactly what we have all been working on over the last decade to reverse,” he added.