Summary
- Danny Masterson, star of That '70s Show, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexual assaults, but not everyone believed the sentence was deserved.
- Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who worked alongside Masterson on the show, submitted letters of support highlighting his positive attributes and his role as a father.
- Other cast members, including Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, as well as Masterson's siblings and several others, also expressed support, but Masterson's guilty verdict still stands.
That '70s Show star Danny Masterson was recently sentenced to 30 years behind bars for two separate sexual assaults. While many fans are relieved to see the controversial actor be handed jail time, not everyone agreed he deserved such a lengthy sentence.
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who starred with Danny for years on That ‘70s Shows, apparently submitted a letter of support for Danny to the court when his sentencing was being determined in hopes of a more lenient outcome.
Ashton And Mila Defended Danny's Character In Letters Of Support
In the letter, the couple couldn’t help but highlight what they felt were Danny’s positive attributes, and how they’d never had negative interaction as his co-stars. “As a friend, Danny has been nothing but a positive influence on me,” Ashton, 45, write in his letter, which was first publicized by The Underground Bunker, an outlet that specifically focused on covering Scientology.
“Over [a] 25-year relationship I don’t ever recall him lying to me,” Ashton went on. “He’s taught me about being direct and confronting issues in life and relationships head-on, resolving them, and moving forward.” The actor went so far as to call Danny a “role model,” and emphasized that his former co-star wasn’t into the “typically Hollywood life of drugs.”
Ashton, who shares two children with Mila, also noted that Danny was “hands-on” dad to the daughter, Fianna, 9, he shares with his wife Bijou Phillips.
“I hope that my testament to his character is taken into consideration in sentencing,” Ashton concluded his letter. “I do not believe he is an ongoing harm to society and having his daughter raised without a present father would [be] a tertiary injustice in and of itself.”
Mila also submitted her own letter of support, which echoed many of her husband’s sentiments. She described Danny as having “exceptional character,” and an “amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure to me.”
She went on to credit her former co-star for having a “transformative impact on my life, instilling in me a sense of self-belief and encouraging me to aim for greatness, but all while maintaining a sense of humility.”
Many Famous Faces Begged The Court To Go Easy On Danny
Ashton and Mila were far from the only famous faces who petitioned the court in response to Danny’s guilty sentence.
Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, fellow cast members from That '70s Show, also authored letters of support for Masterson. In addition to them, Phillips, retired NYPD Lieutenant Steven Mona, Jim Patterson, the writer and creator of The Ranch, Masterson's siblings, and several others expressed their support as well.
Despite the many people calling for a reduced sentence, it looks like Danny will spend three decade behind bars, unless he wins an appeal. In 2017, allegations of sexual assault emerged against Masterson, stemming from his time on the early 2000s sitcom. Despite his denial of these allegations at the time, he was removed from the Netflix series The Ranch, which he co-starred in with Kutcher.
Subsequently, in June 2020, Masterson was arrested and faced three rape charges, to which he pleaded not guilty. He was released on bail after posting a $3.3 million bond. After a mistrial in November 2022, his retrial commenced in April, ultimately resulting in his guilty verdict in May, only for sentencing to be handed down this month.
