Following backlash round his choice to defend convicted rapist Danny Masterson‘s character, Ashton Kutcher has formally stepped down because the Board Chair of Thorn — a company he co-founded dedicated to combating youngster intercourse trafficking.
RELATED: Ashton Kutcher & Mila Kunis Apologize After Receiving Backlash For Their Character Letters Supporting Danny Masterson (VIDEO)
Ashton Kutcher Provides A “Heartfelt Apology” Whereas Resigning
In accordance with a press release shared by Thorn on Friday (Sept. 15), Kutcher resigned by a letter to the group’s board of administrators on Thursday (Sept. 14). The group acknowledged that the event is “rooted within the recognition of current occasions.”
“This choice is rooted within the recognition of current occasions and making certain Thorn stays centered on its mission: to construct expertise to defend youngsters from sexual abuse.”
In his resignation, Ashton declared that the choice adopted “a number of days of listening, private reflection, studying, and conversations with survivors.”
Calling his step-down “the accountable factor to do,” he described his choice to pen the letter as an “error in judgment.”
“I can’t permit my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the youngsters we serve.”
Extra particularly, he shared that writing a personality assertion for Danny Masterson serves as “one other painful occasion of questioning victims.”
“As you already know, I’ve labored for 15 years to struggle for people who find themselves sexually exploited. Victims of sexual abuse have been traditionally silenced and the character assertion I submitted is one more painful occasion of questioning victims who’re courageous sufficient to share their experiences. That is exactly what we’ve all labored to reverse during the last decade.”
Earlier than noting that he “stay[s] proud” of his accomplishments with Thorn, he reiterated that he was providing a “heartfelt apology.”
“I wish to supply my heartfelt apology to all victims of sexual violence and everybody at Thorn who I damage by what I did.”
The Growth Follows Ashton & Mila’s Assist Letters For Danny Masterson
As The Shade Room reported, Ashton Kutcher and his spouse, Mila Kunis, landed themselves in sizzling water after character letters they’d made on behalf of Danny Masterson had been made public. Meghann Cuniff shared full copies of the letters by Authorized Affairs and Trials with Meghann Cuniff.
In Ashton’s letter, he mentioned Danny “set a rare customary round the way you deal with different individuals.” He additionally said, “Over [our] 20 yr relationship I don’t ever recall him mendacity to me.”
As for Mila, she referred to as Danny Masterson an “distinctive older brother determine” earlier than declaring, “I wholeheartedly vouch for Danny Masterson’s distinctive character.”
It’s additionally value noting that Niesha Trout, “one of many victims who [Masterson] was convicted on,” said that the couple’s letters got here “after they learn the entire ugly sworn-under-oath testimony of 5 of Danny’s victims.”
As soon as the pair started to catch some extreme backlash, they addressed the scenario in a video. Whereas apologizing, Kutcher and Kunis acknowledged that they “help victims.”
“We help victims. Now we have executed this traditionally by our work and can proceed to take action sooner or later.”
RELATED: Danny Masterson—Star Of ‘That ’70’s Present’—Sentenced To 30 Years To Life In Jail Over Rape Convictions
