Ashton Kutcher says he hopes Danny Masterson “is found not guilty” in sexual assault case
Ashton Kutcher is speaking out about the legal battles surrounding Danny Masterson, who is headed for a second trial in connection with sexual assault allegations involving three women at his home in the Hollywood Hills between 2001 and 2003.
The 44-year-old actor, speaking to Don on Tuesday, he said he hopes Masterson “will be found not guilty of the charges brought against him,” with the publication noting that that’s not “the same as Kutcher wanting his friend off the hook.”
Kutcher, who co-starred with Masterson in That ’70s Show and The Ranch, said that with his limited perspective, he doesn’t have “room to comment” on the situation.
The Latest: Ashton Kutcher, 44, opens up about legal battles surrounding Danny Masterson, 46, his co-star on That ’70s Show and The Ranch, who is headed for a second trial in connection with the assault allegations sexual.
“Ultimately, I can’t know,” the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native told the publication. I’m not the judge. I’m not the jury. I’m not the district attorney. I am not the victim. And I am not the defendant. So in that case, I don’t have, I just don’t know.
The Two and a Half Men actor is keeping in touch with Masterson and his brother, the outlet reported, saying he made his comments with Masterson’s eight-year-old daughter, Fianna Francis Masterson (with wife Bijou Phillips, 42) would eventually learn about the ongoing legal battle involving his father.
“Someday, your son will read about this,” Kutcher said, adding that he considers himself an advocate for victims.
“I feel very sorry for anyone who feels they have been violated in any way,” said Kutcher, who founded the nonprofit organization against online sexual abuse. Thorn more than 10 years ago.
Kutcher said he hopes Masterson “will be found not guilty of the charges brought against him,” and the publication noted that that’s not “the same as Kutcher wanting his friend off the hook.”
Masterson and his wife Bijou Phillips were photographed leaving court in Los Angeles last November.
Masterson was first accused of sexual assault by four women in March 2017 and has denied the allegations.
In June 2020, Masterson was charged with allegedly sexually assaulting three women, to whom he pleaded not guilty in January 2021.
A first trial that began in October 2022 was declared a mistrial in November after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision.
At the time the initial allegations were made in 2017, Masterson was appearing on the Netflix series The Ranch with Kutcher, and was subsequently written out of the show in December 2017.
Kutcher, who founded the online sexual assault nonprofit Thorn more than 10 years ago, says he feels “for anyone who feels they’ve been violated in any way.”
Masterson was first accused of sexual assault by four women in March 2017 and has denied the allegations; In June 2020, Masterson was charged with alleged sexual assaults on three women, photographed in 2017 in Los Angeles.
“I’m obviously very disappointed in Netflix’s decision to remove my character from The Ranch,” Masterson said. us weekly in a sentence. ‘From day one, I have denied the outrageous accusations against me. Police investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and found them to be without merit.
Masterson has also not been involved in the That ’70s Show That ’90s Show reboot to reprise his role as Steven Hyde. The Netflix reboot has featured original series cast members Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Wilmer Valderrama, Laura Prepon, and Topher Grace.
In his conversation with Esquire on Tuesday, Kutcher said Masterson was the lead cast for the series, which originally aired on Fox.
He says, “One fucking rule: don’t do anything fucking stupid and fuck this up. Because if you fuck it up, you fuck it up for everyone.”‘