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 corporation he co-founded dedicated to combating little one intercourse trafficking.
RELATED: Ashton Kutcher & Mila Kunis Apologize After Receiving Backlash For Their Character Letters Supporting Danny Masterson (VIDEO)
Ashton Kutcher Presents A “Heartfelt Apology” Whereas Resigning
Based on an announcement shared by Thorn on Friday (Sept. 15), Kutcher resigned via 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 latest occasions.”
“This choice is rooted within the recognition of latest occasions and guaranteeing Thorn stays targeted on its mission: to construct know-how to defend kids 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 kids we serve.”
Extra particularly, he shared that writing a personality assertion for Danny Masterson serves as “one other painful occasion of questioning victims.”
“As , I’ve labored for 15 years to battle 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 got 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 provide my heartfelt apology to all victims of sexual violence and everybody at Thorn who I harm by what I did.”
The Improvement Follows Ashton & Mila’s Help 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 via Authorized Affairs and Trials with Meghann Cuniff.
In Ashton’s letter, he mentioned Danny “set a unprecedented normal round the way you deal with different individuals.” He additionally said, “Over [our] 20 12 months 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 price 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. We have now finished this traditionally via 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