Back in the late ’90s and early ’00s, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis starred with convicted rapist Danny Masterson on the hit TV series That ’70s Show. While I am sure they were all friends, it was still disappointing to learn that they had written letters to the judge vouching for Masterson’s character after he was convicted of raping two women. Everyone knows how people hang onto the words that come from celebrities’ mouths, so it was surprising that they chose to speak out and try to influence the sentencing. It didn’t work, and Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The letters just came to light, so what do you know? Kutcher and Kunis just put out a video apologizing. The script is so predictable at this point. Stars do bad things, people respond, some people condemn, they apologize, social media lets them have it anyway. Some apologies are definitely better and more authentic than others, but this apology video is just odd in my opinion. You can tell that they’re straight-up reading, and not even well, for two actors. It’s completely devoid of authenticity or emotion. I wouldn’t even be surprised if someone else, a lawyer or publicist or someone like that, wrote what Kutcher and Kunis are saying. It just doesn’t come off genuine at all.
Then there’s the substance of the video. They start by saying that Danny Masterson’s family reached out to them and asked if they would write letters about the person they had known for 25 years. Alright, that’s one thing, but they always could’ve said, “It’s unfortunate but I can’t because he deserves what he gets if he’s convicted.” But maybe that’s just me!
They state that they didn’t intend to question the ruling or re-traumatize the victims, and that the letters were just intended for the judge. It’s the same old “I’m sorry I got caught” schtick, stated pretty bluntly, rather than an actual realization that they shouldn’t have sent the letters in the first place. Questioning the ruling is beside the point when the entire purpose of the letter is to influence the judge towards a more lenient sentence. Honestly, it’s kind of worse to ask for a lighter sentence if you can’t argue that he’s innocent.
As for re-traumatizing the victims, it’s hard to imagine that a more lenient sentence wouldn’t have that effect. I don’t think they—or whoever wrote this apology—completely thought it through. It appears like they were aiming to hit buzzwords and phrases, but it doesn’t actually make sense. They end it by saying that their hearts go out to all victims of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and rape—again, without emotion. And boom! It’s over.
This is another case of the script, the playbook when actors and actresses are caught doing something objectionable. The question is … will people look at them in the same light? I know it’s hard for me to look at them and not think of those letters they initially wrote. Hopefully this will be a lesson to Hollywood: You shouldn’t try to protect your friends when they abuse people. Everyone is not who they seem, and accountability is key.
(featured image: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Contributor/Getty Images)
Published: Sep 11, 2023 11:24 am