Ashton Kutcher steps down from anti-child-sex-abuse charity after backlash

15 September 2023 , 19:32

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Ashton Kutcher has been forced to step down (Image: Getty Images)

Ashton Kutcher has stepped down from his position at an anti-child-sex-abuse organisation following his support for Danny Masterson.

Ashton's letter of support called Danny a "role model" and referred to him as "kind and courteous", after he admitted to two charges of rape for which he was found guilty. While Ashton and his wife Mila Kunis made a video defending themselves from backlash without retracting their commending statements on Danny, Thorn has remained silent until today.

They shared a letter that Ashton wrote as his resignation from the board. He said: "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."

Fans have pointed out Ashton's hypocrisy in supporting Danny despite the mission of his non-profit (Wade Payne/Invision/AP)

Ashton continued in his resignation letter: "As you know, I have worked for 15 years to fight for people who are sexually exploited. 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. This is precisely what we have all worked to reverse over the last decade."

Thorn remains silent even after Ashton and Mila doubled down on their support for Danny (aplusk/Instagram)

He concluded: "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. 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."

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Thorn was founded in a joint effort by Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. The website elaborates that the pair learned more about child sex trafficking in a documentary. The organization explained: "They describe it as this moment where you learn something about the world that you can’t un-know."

The Mirror contacted representatives for Ashton Kutcher, Thorn, and Demi Moore.

Alex West