Ashton Kutcher has resigned from his role at the Thorn organization amid his support for convicted sex offender Danny Masterson. Thorn is an organization that he cofounded with his ex-wife Demi Moore in 2009 which supports victims of child sex abuse as well as prevention efforts into human trafficking.
“Victims of sexual abuse have been historically silenced and the character statement I submitted is yet another painful instance of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their experiences,” Kutcher wrote in a statement to Thorn’s board on Thursday, September 14, via Time. “After my wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning, and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at Thorn, I have determined the responsible thing for me to do is resign as Chairman of the Board, effectively immediately. I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve.”
“The mission must always be the priority and I want to offer my heartfelt apology to all victims of sexual violence and everyone at Thorn who I hurt by what I did.”
He concluded: “And to the broader advocacy community, I am deeply sorry. I remain proud of what we have accomplished in the past decade and will continue to support Thorn’s work. Thank you for your tireless advocacy and dedication to this cause.”
Kutcher served as chairman and his wife Mila Kunis, who also wrote a letter of support for Masterson, stepped down from her role in the organization as an observer.
This is not the first time they reached out following the backlash of support they've given Masterson after his sentencing. On September 9, the couple posted a video to Instagram acknowledging fans' outrage of their support given their devotion to help sex abuse victims over the years.
“We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson,” they said in the Instagram video.
Kunis added: “We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and we will continue to do so in the future.”
Danny Masterson was Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis' costar on “That 70s Show” and Kutcher's costar on “The Ranch.”
Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on September 7 after raping two women in 2003. He was convicted back in May.
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