Ashton Kutcher steps down from anti-child sex abuse organization Thorn and apologizes again for writing letter of support for rapist Danny Masterson: ‘It was an error in judgement’

Ashton Kutcher has stepped down from the board of an anti-child abuse organization he co-founded and apologized again for the ill-advised letter of support he wrote for his convicted rapist friend Danny Masterson.

In a letter to the organization obtained by TIMEKutcher said the letters he and his wife Mila Kunis wrote were an “error in judgment.”

“Victims of sexual abuse have historically been silenced and the character statement I have submitted is yet another painful example of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their experiences.

Masterson and Kutcher in 2017. The pair had been friends for decades before he was convicted of raping two women in separate incidents in 2001 and 2003

“After my wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning and conversations with the survivors, staff and leadership of Thorn, I have decided that it is my responsibility to step down as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

“I cannot allow my lapse in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve,” he wrote.

The stars were hit by a flood of backlash after their letters calling Masterson an “honest” man were made public.

They did nothing to influence the judge. Masterson was sentenced to thirty years in prison.

Kutcher was an outspoken advocate for the organization, appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to testify about the horrors of child sex trafficking he had been exposed to through his work for the charity.

They met Masterson on That 70s Show.