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Ashton Kutcher<\/strong> has stepped down<\/a> as chairman of Thorn<\/a>, the anti-child-sex-abuse organization he cofounded. His resignation comes days after he and his wife, Mila Kunis,<\/strong> publicly addressed<\/a> the letters they wrote in support of their That \u201970s Show<\/em> castmate and convicted rapist, Danny Masterson.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cVictims of sexual abuse have been historically silenced and the character statement I submitted is yet another painful instance of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their experiences,” wrote Kutcher in a letter to Thorn\u2019s board on September 14. \u201cAfter my wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning, and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at Thorn, I have determined the responsible thing for me to do is resign as Chairman of the Board, effectively immediately. I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n Kutcher and Kunis, along with That \u201970s Show<\/em> cast members Debra Jo Rupp<\/strong> and Kurtwood Smith,<\/strong> wrote letters in support of Masterson<\/a>, who, on May 31 was convicted of two counts of forcible rape for separate assaults of two women in 2003. Kutcher and Kunis\u2019s letters of support, which were first published by journalist Meghann Cuniff,<\/strong> spoke glowingly of Masterson\u2019s character and urged the judge to consider a lighter sentence for their former costar. Kutcher wrote that he considered Masterson \u201can extraordinarily honest and intentional human being\u201d and a \u201crole model\u201d who was \u201camong few people that I would trust to be alone with my son and daughter.\u201d Kunis described Masterson\u2019s \u201cexceptional character\u201d and the \u201ctremendous positive influence\u201d on her over the years. Despite their show of support, Masterson was sentenced to at least 30 years<\/a> behind bars.<\/p>\n After their letters were published, Kutcher and Kunis faced swift backlash from the public, so much so that Kutcher and Kunis released an Instagram video addressing their decision to support Masterson. In the video, Kutcher said that he wrote the letter \u201cto represent the person that we knew for 25 years,\u201d while Kunis said that \u201cthe letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury\u2019s ruling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe support victims,\u201d she added. \u201cWe have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Kutcher and Kunis\u2019s Instagram video incited more ire from the public, with many fans flooding the comment section of his past Instagrams<\/a> to criticize the couple for what they found to be an insufficient apology. (Comments on the Instagram video were closed.) Kutcher delivered a more direct mea culpa while resigning from the Thorn board, apologizing specifically to victims of sexual assault in the letter. \u201cThe 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,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAnd 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\u2019s work. Thank you for your tireless advocacy and dedication to this cause.\u201d Kunis, who was an observer on the organization\u2019s board, has also resigned.<\/p>\n Kutcher founded Thorn in 2009 with his then wife Demi Moore.<\/strong> Thorn, initially called DNA (for Demi and Ashton), aims to combat child sexual abuse material online. In 2017, Kutcher testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the horrific abuse he had witnessed as a member of the Thorn board. In 2022, Kutcher raised over $1 million for Thorn by running in the New York City Marathon, citing one victim as his motivation for running the race. \u201cI put that kid on the other side of the finish line,\u201d he told People<\/em><\/a>. \u201cI know she\u2019s out there and I want her to know that somebody\u2019s coming for her.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n