The web is slamming Ashton Kutcher for an outdated clip of the actor inappropriately speaking about an underage Hilary Duff and the Olsen twins that resurfaced after he expressed help for his former co-star Danny Masterson, who was convicted of rape.
“Hilary Duff is in Lizzie McGuire. She additionally has an album out. She’s going to be in a film known as ‘Cheaper by the Dozen,’” Kutcher said of Duff within the clip from a 2003 episode of his MTV sequence “Punk’d,” which he hosted till 2007.
“And she or he’s one of many ladies that we’re all ready for to show 18. Together with the Olsen twins,” he continued, referring to “Full Home” baby actors Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen.
The now-viral clip was resurfaced on social media by certainly one of Masterson’s accusers, Chrissie Carnell Bixler, when she shared it to her Instagram story on Saturday, Page Six reports.
Kutcher made the remark the identical yr that he starred within the comedy movie “Cheaper by the Dozen” alongside Duff, who was 16 on the time.
Bixler additionally posted footage from a 2002 episode of “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” wherein Mila Kunis recalled that Masterson made a “facet guess” with Kutcher, who was 19 on the time, about French-kissing her on display screen when she was solely 14 years outdated.
“I by no means kissed a man. And , Ashton is enticing and I used to be a 14-year-old little lady, and I used to be extraordinarily scared for my life,” she informed O’Donnell on the time.
“Then Danny goes, ‘Dude, I’ll provide you with $10 in case you French-kiss her,’” added Kunis earlier than Kutcher interrupted to elucidate that Masterson had guess him $20 that he wouldn’t do it.
“After which the cops confirmed up, and you bought arrested,” O’Donnell interjected.
“They need to have, however they didn’t,” Kutcher replied.
Social media customers on X, previously often called Twitter, reacted to the “That ’70s Present” star’s controversial feedback.
Final week, Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in jail for raping two girls at his Hollywood residence within the early 2000s.
After it was revealed that Kutcher and Kunis wrote letters of support on behalf of their former co-star forward of his sentencing, the pair addressed followers’ scrutiny of their letters in an Instagram video over the weekend.
Masterson famously performed Steven Hyde on “That ’70s Present” from 1998 to 2006 alongside Kutcher and Kunis.
Within the apology clip, Kutcher and Kunis mentioned they’re “conscious of the ache” inflicted by their letters, wherein they vouched for Masterson’s character.
The 2 defined within the footage that Masterson’s household requested them to jot down character letters to “signify the individual that we knew for 25 years” and so they “had been supposed for the choose to learn and to not undermine the testimony of the victims or re-traumatize them in any approach.”
In his July letter, obtained by reporter Meghann Cuniff, Kutcher asserted that he doesn’t take into account Masterson to be an “ongoing hurt to society” and described him as a “function mannequin.” Kuni’ letter known as Masterson an “excellent function mannequin and buddy.”
Reps for Kutcher and Kunis didn’t instantly reply to HuffPost requests for remark.
The couple, who’ve been married since 2015 and share two younger youngsters, had been amongst practically 50 individuals who advocated for leniency for Masterson forward of his sentencing, ”Good Morning America” experiences.
Masterson acquired letters of help from a number of different former co-stars, together with Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp, who performed Purple and Kitty Forman, respectively, on “That ’70s Present.”
“We help victims, we now have finished this traditionally by our work and can proceed to take action sooner or later,” Kunis mentioned within the apology video.
She wrapped up the video by including: “Our coronary heart goes out to each single one that’s ever been a sufferer of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.”