Most of the original cast of “That ’70s Show” is back for the reboot, “That ’90s Show”, and this includes Ashton Kutcher and now wife, Mila Kunis. One name is notably missing. That of Danny Masterson, who was dropped faster than a hot potato, the moment rape allegations against him went public.
Now, Kutcher has addressed the rape allegations against his friend and once-mentor, Masterson, for the first time. His POV might surprise you.
Ashton Kutcher Remembers Danny Masterson As Leader
Ashton Kutcher spoke about tough stuff with Esquire Magazine. And in his latest interview, he admits that he’s stayed in touch with most of his co-stars of the “That ’70s Show”, given that he married one of them! Other than husbanding Mila Kunis and staying close friends with Wilmer Valderrama, Kutcher is connected with Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Debra Jo Rupp, and Kurtwood Smith, and most returned for the reboot as well.
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Kutcher admits he would not have dared missed the reboot, “That ’90s Show” and Kunis would not let him either way, as she told him, “[She] goes, ‘You know, we owe our entire careers to this show. It doesn’t matter what the script is, we’re doing it.'”
And so they are. But Danny Masterson is not back for the show. Today, no one wants to associate with him ever since he was accused of rape but back when “That ’70s Show” was on, Kutcher recalls Masterson as the leader of their young gang, in a good way.
Masterson was a relative veteran of the industry and knew all about reviews and ratings. He also knew how they were sitting on something special and warned everyone. Kutcher recalls, “He’s like, ‘One f–king rule: Don’t do anything f–king stupid and f–k this up. Because if you f–k it up, you f–k it up for everybody.'” Kutcher felt that he was key in keeping the rest of the cast of young ones in line, off from drugs and away from bad decisions.
Danny Masterson Remained A Mentor For Him
Kutcher left the show but Masterson remained a mentor of his and in 2017, when the rape allegations went public, the two were co-starring in a Netflix sitcom, “The Ranch.” As the story broke, Masterson’s character was written off the script as he was fired. No one wanted to associate with a rapist, even if the allegations were not proven yet.
Even so, Kutcher remained in touch with Masterson and speaks to his brother often.
And he feels for both sides of the story as well.
On one side, Kutcher feels for Masterson’s eight-year-old daughter, and how the Internet lives forever. Thought Kutcher, aloud, “Someday, his kid is going to read about this.”
Then again, Ashton Kutcher stands up for anyone who has been or is being abused, saying, “I wholesale feel for anybody who feels like they were violated in any way.”
Ashton Kutcher Wants Him To BE Innocent
In June 2020, Masterson was charged with three counts of rape from three separate, alleged incidents between 2001 and 2003. The trial began in the latter half of 2022 but after the jury remained deadlocked over the case, the judge declared a mistrial. and in December the judge declared a mistrial when the jury remained deadlocked after deliberations. He will now face a retrial with a new expert and a new witness as well.
What does Ashton Kutcher truly think, about the trial and Danny Masterson’s alleged innocence?
Kutcher just doesn’t know. And he says the same too, “Ultimately, I can’t know. I’m not the judge. I’m not [on] the jury. I’m not the DA. I’m not the victim. And I’m not the accused. And so, in that case, I don’t have a space to comment.”
That said, Kutcher hopes for Masterson to be innocent. he wants his friend and former mentor to “be found innocent of the charges brought against him.”
But he specifies, this is not him wanting his friend to be off the hook for something he did. He wants Masterson to truly be innocent. But then again, as Kutcher said before when it comes to the guilt or innocence of someone else, he “just doesn’t know.”
