Why Hollywood Won't Cast Ashton Kutcher Anymore
It seems fair to say that Ashton Kutcher has had a pretty terrible 2023. The year had actually started pretty well thanks to a cameo in "That '90s Show," Netflix's sequel to the retro sitcom that he and wife Mila Kunis made their name on. But things only went downhill from there.
The "Just Married" star then flopped hard with his rom-com comeback, aligned himself with a comedian that would go on to redefine the term problematic, and became embroiled in an NFT scandal. But that was all small fry compared to the backlash he received for lending his support to a convicted rapist and the unconvincing apology that followed.
But Kutcher's stock had already fallen pretty far before his annus horribilis. From murder trial testimonies and hygiene confessions to ill-timed investments and memoir revelations, here's a look at why Hollywood might now be reluctant to cast one of its former golden boys.
Ashton Kutcher wrote a glowing reference for Danny Masterson
Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Kurtwood Smith, and Debra Jo Rupp all found themselves in the headlines in 2023, and it wasn't for the Netflix sequel "That '90s Show." No, the castmates were just a few of the famous faces who chose to vouch for disgraced co-star Danny Masterson after he was convicted of raping two women.
Kutcher, who appeared alongside Masterson in both "That '70s Show" and "The Ranch," was particularly effusive in his character reference sent to the court. "As a friend, Danny has been nothing but a positive influence on me," he wrote (via Entertainment Weekly). "He's an extraordinarily honest and intentional human being. Over our 25-year relationship I don't ever recall him lying to me. He's taught me about being direct and confronting issues in life and relationships head-on, resolving them, and moving forward. Danny is a person that is consistently there for you when you need him."
Further proving just how out of touch the celebrity world can be, Kutcher ended his statement by arguing that giving a father of a young daughter a harsh sentence would be an injustice. Unfortunately for Masterson, such glowing tributes didn't do the trick; he was sent to jail for 30 years. And unfortunately for Kutcher, his commendation of a convicted rapist was subsequently made public.
Ashton Kutcher issued a groveling apology for the Danny Masterson letter
After their letters pleading for leniency in the sentencing of convicted rapist Danny Masterson went public, Ashton Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis issued a groveling apology on Instagram. But the A-listers didn't exactly convince their detractors. In fact, some believed they seemed far more concerned with the fact that they'd been exposed than with actually defending their "That '70s Show" castmate.
For example, Kutcher said that their statements "were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatize them in any way. We would never want to do that, and we're sorry if that has taken place." The actor also revealed that they only offered the tribute to Masterson's character in the first place after being approached by his nearest and dearest.
Variety's Daniel D'Addario certainly wasn't impressed by the couple's attempt to play humble, comparing the clip to self-made hostage footage: "The video itself is a bizarre document of contemporary fame; both stars are in just-woke-up-level wrinkled T-shirts, with Kutcher unshaven and bedraggled. If the aim was to present us with a frank dose of Ashton and Mila letting us into their world, it missed the mark."
Ashton Kutcher resigned from his charity position
Ashton Kutcher's annus horribilis continued in 2023, when he and his wife Mila Kunis were essentially left with no option but to stand down from the board of Thorn, a charity tackling the problem of child sexual abuse.
The couple resigned following the backlash to their defense of convicted rapist Danny Masterson and the unconvincing apology video that followed. And in a letter posted to the website of the organization he founded with then-wife Demi Moore in 2012, the "Dude, Where's My Car" star explained that he "cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve."
"The mission must always be the priority and I want to offer my heartfelt apology to all victims of sexual violence and everyone at Thorn who I hurt by what I did," Kutcher continued. "And to the broader advocacy community, I am deeply sorry. I remain proud of what we have accomplished in the past decade and will continue to support Thorn's work. Thank you for your tireless advocacy and dedication to this cause."
Ashton Kutcher's creepy remarks about Hilary Duff resurfaced
Ashton Kutcher's reputation took another blow in September 2023 when a video from 20 years earlier resurfaced online. And it's fair to say that the footage didn't exactly put the increasingly problematic actor in a favorable light.
The clip in question was taken from a 2003 episode of "Punk'd" in which a 25-year-old Kutcher commented on his latest prank victim, who was only 15 at the time: "Hilary Duff is in "Lizzie McGuire," she also has an album out. She's going to be in a movie called "Cheaper by the Dozen" — and she's one of the girls that we're all waiting for to turn 18. Along with the Olsen twins." The latter was, of course, a reference to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who were then also below the legal age of consent.
"Ashton Kutcher is a slime ball" was the general consensus on X, formerly known as Twitter, as the offending VT spread like wildfire across the internet. "Absolutely insane how the '90s and 2000s were so open about this," remarked another gobsmacked social media user.
Another problematic Ashton Kutcher video resurfaced
Ashton Kutcher's sleazy comment about a 15-year-old Hilary Duff wasn't the only video from his past that resurfaced in the wake of the Danny Masterson scandal. A clip from "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" also went viral for all the wrong reasons, and you could argue, given the circumstances, that this was even more damaging.
Kutcher was appearing alongside his future wife when talk turned to a gross wager he and Danny Masterson had made while filming an episode of "That '70s Show." "Why don't you tell them about the bet you made with Danny about my first kiss," Mila Kunis said incredulously. "It was the first week. I had never kissed a guy. I was a 14-year-old little girl. I was scared for my life."
The Hollywood star, who played airhead Michael Kelso in the hit sitcom, then reluctantly said, "Danny goes, 'I'll give you $10 if you French kiss her.' We had a little side bet going. So Danny bets me like 20 bucks I wouldn't do it." Kunis revealed that she didn't let Kutcher carry out his plan before O'Donnell quipped, slightly presciently considering what happened later, that she should phone the police.
Has Ashton Kutcher burned his Hollywood bridges?
It wasn't just the general public that took umbrage with Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis' tone-deaf defense of a convicted rapist. Many of their Hollywood peers also voiced their outrage over the pair's astonishing lack of good judgment.
Christina Ricci, for example, posted a text-based Instagram story which, although not specifically referencing the married A-listers, strongly alluded to them. She remarked (via Sky News), "People we know as 'awesome guys' can be predators and abusers," adding that it's "tough to accept but we have to" and that to "discredit the abused is a crime." Several comedians also used Kutcher and Kunis as a punchline. After getting into trouble online for mocking Nicole Kidman's posture, Amy Schumer wrote in a deleted Instagram post (via NME), "I will be asking the cast of "That '70s Show" to write letters advocating for my forgiveness #takingtimetoheal."
Kathy Griffin wasn't in a joking mood, however. Referring to the time she tried to get her late sibling arrested for preying on underage girls, the funnywoman said in an Instagram video, "It was a horrible, horrible thing, and I tried to get him caught. Now, this was my brother, so I don't want to hear about Ashton and Mila and Giovanni Ribisi and people that feel like they had to stick up for Danny Masterson because he was their 'bro,' he was their buddy. This was my own brother."
Is Ashton Kutcher one of Hollywood's rudest celebs?
Away from the drama of the Danny Masterson scandal, Ashton Kutcher has also recently been called out for his apparent everyday conduct. In fact, Sharon Osbourne, a woman renowned for pulling few punches herself, told E! News that "The Butterfly Effect" star is the rudest celebrity she's ever had the misfortune to encounter.
"The Talk" co-host shocked everyone, including her own daughter, Kelly Osbourne, when she happily answered a request to name and shame Hollywood's most ill-mannered. "The guy that's married to an actress and he used to do "That '70s Show,"" she replied, leaving her offspring to seek clarification that she was referring to Kutcher. "Yes. Oh, rude, rude, rude, rude little boy," came the typically outspoken response.
And the former talent show judge wasn't done sticking the knife in there, either. When Kelly revealed her surprise at her mom's beef with the "Punk'd" host, Sharon described him as a "dastardly little thing." It's not known where, why, or how exactly Kutcher rubbed Mrs. Osbourne up the wrong way, but no doubt she won't keep it a secret for too long.
Ashton Kutcher's rom-com comeback flopped
The days when Ashton Kutcher's name would guarantee rom-com success certainly appear to be over now. 12 years after appearing in "New Year's Eve," the Iowa native made his return to the genre in 2023 with "Your Place or Mine," a Netflix original in which he co-starred alongside Reese Witherspoon. But their on-screen love story proved to be a big, fat dud.
"About as romantic and funny as a root canal," noted Observer's Rex Reed in his review, while The Daily Beast's Fletcher Peters wrote, "Netflix's new long-distance love story is trying to be Nora Ephron for the smartphone generation — except with none of the charm, wit, or romantic tension." Ouch.
The two leads didn't exactly help matters when they appeared at its premiere looking like they couldn't bear to be sharing the same red carpet together. Indeed, Kutcher and Witherspoon appeared so standoffish, it was hard to imagine them as a loved-up couple. But the former insisted to podcast "Chicks in the Office" that there was a valid reason for all the awkwardness: "Here's the thing: if I put my arm around her, and was like all friendly with her, I'd be having an affair with her."
Ashton Kutcher was involved in an illegal web series
In 2021, Ashton Kutcher signed up to voice a character in the animated web series "Stoner Cats." But this was no ordinary animated web series. It was financed by the sale of more than 10,000 NFTs, the market for which has been described by many as the digital age's answer to the Ponzi scheme. So it wasn't too surprising when the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) got involved.
The series, based around a bunch of cats who care for their weed-smoking, Alzheimer's-suffering owner, was given a fine of $1 million by the commission for "conducting an unregistered offering of crypto asset securities." In an official statement released to the press, the SEC confirmed that "by offering and selling these crypto asset securities to the public in an unregistered offering that was not exempt from registration," "Stoner Cats" had been in violation of the Securities Act of 1993.
The Associate Director of the SEC's Home Office, Carolyn Welshans, said the Stoner Cats series "wanted all the benefits of offering and selling a security to the public but ignored the legal responsibilities that come with doing so." Not only was Kutcher a star of the show, but his wife Mila Kunis was also a producer, ensuring that the pair continued to stay in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Ashton Kutcher aligned himself with Matt Rife
Ashton Kutcher's poor judgment of character was further exposed in 2023 when he agreed to appear in a world tour trailer for Matt Rife. Just a few months later, of course, the comedian would come under fire for a Netflix special in which he joked about domestic abuse.
In the clip for the aptly-titled tour "Problematic," Kutcher emerges as a genie from a bottle rubbed by Rife. The controversial comic then throws some shade with his first wish, remarking that he'd like to "go back in time and I want to star in the hit comedy, "Dude, Where's My Car" ... I'd be playing Ashton's role, but make it funny." Unsurprisingly, this wish isn't fulfilled. And neither is his second, a date with Kutcher's wife, Mila Kunis.
But the A-lister does grant Rife his third wish, "a world tour, bigger than anything I could've ever dreamed of. And I want it fully sold out, with people from across the world who just want to come out, have a good time and laugh. Can you give me that?" You could argue that "Problematic" lived up to Kutcher's claims that it "would be the tour of a lifetime," just not in the way that Rife probably hoped.
Demi Moore further shattered Ashton Kutcher's reputation
Demi Moore certainly didn't hold back in her 2019 memoir, "Inside Out," when it came to her third marriage. The actor revealed that although she was the happiest she'd ever been after first getting together with Ashton Kutcher in 2003, things soon soured.
Moore made several damaging claims concerning everything from their sex life to her sobriety in the tell-all book. For example, the "Ghost" star, who's had battles with both drink and drugs over the years, recalled hearing her former husband say (via Entertainment Weekly), "I don't know if alcoholism is a real thing – I think it's all about moderation." She added, "After hearing that, "I wanted to be that girl. The girl who could have a glass of wine at dinner, or do a tequila shot at a party. In my mind, Ashton wanted that, too."
Moore also claimed that Kutcher gave her next to no support while trying to kick her Vicodin habit: "I felt like he was angry with me for having this problem in the first place: you made your bed; now you have to lie in it." And referring to the tabloid reports that Kutcher had been unfaithful, she remarked, "Because we had brought a third party into our relationship, Ashton said, that blurred the lines and, to some extent, justified what he'd done."
Ashton Kutcher's bathing habits leave a lot to be desired
Ashton Kutcher didn't exactly present himself as the perfect romantic lead when he and his wife appeared on Dax Shepard's podcast "Armchair Expert" in 2021. The A-list couple quite happily shared the news with the world that they very rarely treat themselves to a full body wash.
The "Guess Who" star revealed (via Sky News) that his crotch and armpits are the only areas of his body that he cleans on a daily basis, but that he will "throw some water on my face after a workout to get all the salts out." He also admitted that he has a similarly strict approach when it comes to their children Wyatt and Dimitri: "If you can see the dirt on them, clean them. Otherwise, there's no point."
Following the online backlash they experienced over their bathing habits, or lack thereof, Kutcher and Kunis took to Instagram to post a video mocking the controversy. "You're putting water on the children?" the former asked as the latter was busy bathing their two children. "Are you trying to melt them? Are you trying to injure them with water? This is ridiculous. What's going on?"
Ashton Kutcher became embroiled in a murder case
Ashton Kutcher's chequered past came back to haunt him in 2019 when he was forced to testify in a high-profile murder trial. The "Two and a Half Men" star had been due to go out for drinks with 22-year-old fashion student Ashley Ellerin on the same night that she was killed in February 2001. And so, following the arrest and charging of Michael Gargiulo, the actor had to tell the court exactly what happened that fateful evening.
Kutcher revealed (via Mirror) that he'd turned up to Ellerin's home to pick her up and spotted something through the window he thought was entirely innocuous at the time: "I saw what I thought was red wine spilled on the carpet, but that wasn't alarming because I went to her house party [days before] and it was like a college party. I didn't think much about it." After getting no answer, the Hollywood star thought that Ellerin had simply stood him up and left. Instead, having been fatally stabbed in her bathroom, her lifeless body had been in the hallway at the time, just out of sight.
After learning of the tragedy, Kutcher admitted he voluntarily spoke to the police over concerns he might become a suspect. "I remember the next day, after I heard about what happened, I went to the detectives and said, 'My fingerprints are on the door.' I was freaking out."
Ashton Kutcher is spearheading the AI revolution
Considering how much of the recent Hollywood strike action has centered around the ever-increasing use of artificial intelligence, Ashton Kutcher has no doubt made himself an even more unpopular figure in certain circles. In 2023, the "What Happens in Vegas" star launched an AI investment fund worth $240 million.
And the actor revealed how committed he was to the project, created in conjunction with music impresario Guy Oseary, while speaking at the Milken Institute's Global Conference. The actor said (via Entrepreneur), "If you're a company, and you're sleeping on this, you're probably going to be out of business. It's that good and that powerful from a utilization standpoint."
Kutcher, whose Sound Ventures AI Fund has invested in the likes of StabilityAI and Anthropic, was just as enthusiastic while discussing the subject in an interview with Variety: "We believe this is potentially the most significant technology we will experience since the advent of the internet. The foundation model layer companies are defining the category, and, in our view, they have the power to transform businesses and everyday life. That is a conversation we want to be in."