Ashton Kutcher Breaks Silence on Danny Masterson’s Sexual Assault Charges: ‘His Kid Is Going to Read About This’
31.01.2023 - 21:15
/ usmagazine.com
As Danny Masterson gears up for his second trial for sexual assault charges, his former That ‘70s Show and The Ranch costar Ashton Kutcher is addressing the controversy for the first time.
“Ultimately, I can’t know. I’m not the judge. I’m not the jury. I’m not the DA. I’m not the victim. And I’m not the accused,” Kutcher, 44, told Esquire for its first-ever digital cover story, published on Tuesday, January 31. “And so, in that case, I don’t have a space to comment. I just don’t know.”
He added that he hopes Masterson will “be found innocent of the charges brought against him.”
Masterson, 46, was originally accused of sexual assault in March 2017. After denying the claims for years, he was charged in June 2020 with allegedly raping three women and pleaded not guilty in January 2021.
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Masterson’s trial began in October 2022. The following month, the jury was unable to come to a unanimous vote, causing the judge to declare it a mistrial. Jury selection for the second trial is set to begin in March.
The Two and a Half Men alum, for his part, has found it difficult to watch his costar’s legal battle play out. “Someday, his kid is going to read about this,” he said in Tuesday’s cover story, referring to Fianna, 8, whom Masterson shares with wife Bijou Phillips. At the same time, Kutcher is also an advocate for victims of abuse. He cofounded Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children — which aims to defend children from online sexual abuse — in 2012.
“I wholesale feel for anybody who feels like they were violated in any way,” the Just Married actor said.
The outlet reports that Kutcher confirmed he is still in touch with Masterson and speaks to Masterson’s brother “often.”
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