Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis: Backlash over support for rapist Danny Masterson

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis (pictured last year) met on the set of That 70s Show, which also starred Masterson

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are facing further backlash after they sent letters of support to a judge following Danny Masterson's rape conviction.

Kutcher and Kunis, who starred in That 70s Show with Masterson, apologised for sending letters of support to a judge after he was found guilty of rape.

Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life for the rapes of two women.

One woman who came forward against Masterson said the apology was "incredibly insulting and hurtful".

Identified as Jane Doe number one, she sent a text message to Huffington Post journalist Yashar Ali in response to the recorded apology posted on Kutcher's Instagram.

"This video was incredibly insulting and hurtful," she wrote in the text, which Ali shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"My hope is that they learn radical accountability and the importance of self-education to learn when to keep their privilege in check - especially Ashton, who claims to work with victims of sex crimes. And as to Mila, I can only think of 'Times Up'."

Time's Up is an organisation which campaigns to end harassment, assault and discrimination.

Christina Ricci, who stars in Yellowjackets, said victims of abuse must be supported

Actress Christina Ricci shared a statement on social media which many interpreted as a comment on Kutcher and Kunis's support letters.

"So sometimes people we have loved and admired do horrible things. They might not do these things to us and we only know who they were to us but that doesn't mean they didn't do the horrible things and to discredit the abused is a crime," the Yellowjackets star shared on Instagram Stories.

She continued: "People we know as 'awesome guys' can be predators and abusers. It's tough to accept but we have to. If we say we support victims - women, children, men, boys - then we must be able to take this stance."

Both attacks were said to have taken place in Masterson's home in the Hollywood area in 2003, when he was starring in That 70s Show.

Kunis and Kutcher, who married in 2015, rose to fame on the same sitcom.

'We support victims'

Kutcher posted an Instagram video over the weekend in which he said: "We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson.

"A couple of months ago, Danny's family reached out to us, and they asked us to write character letters to represent the person that we knew for 25 years, so that the judge could take that into full consideration relative to the sentencing.

"They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatise them in any way. We would never want to do that and we're sorry if that has taken place."

Kunis said: "We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future... The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system, or the validity of the jury's ruling.

"Our heart goes out to every single person who's ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape."

According to the AP news agency, in his letter dated 27 July and sent to Los Angeles Superior Court judge Charlaine F Olmedo, Kutcher described Masterson as a man who treated people "with decency, equality, and generosity".

Kunis's letter to Los Angeles Superior Court judge Charlaine F Olmedo called Masterson "an outstanding role model and friend" and an "exceptional older brother figure".

The couple have since reprised their roles in Netflix series That '90s Show.

Kutcher also starred opposite Masterson on US sitcom The Ranch.

A jury of seven women and five men found Masterson guilty of two counts of rape in May.

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