Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson rose to superstardom for their roles in That ’70s Show, and while Masterson is currently facing legal issues, Kutcher recently spoke about his friend and their time together.
Speaking to Esquire, Kutcher talked about the Netflix reboot of That ’70s Show, That ’90s Show, a series that saw most of the original ’70s Show cast appear in cameos. The one main character that didn’t appear, however, was Masterson, who wasn’t invited back after being charged in June 2020 with three counts of rape from three separate incidents.
When speaking of Masterson, Kutcher noted that he was the original leader of the group of actors during their time on That ’70s Show. According to Kutcher, it was actually Masterson that would urge the group to try and stay out of trouble, so as to not ruin things for the rest of the cast.
“He’s like, ‘One f—ing rule: Don’t do anything f—ing stupid and f— this up. Because if you f— it up, you f— it up for everybody,'” said Kutcher.
As far as Masterson’s legal battle goes, Kutcher said that he still talks to the actor and his brother, and said he thinks about Masterson’s son from time to time. “Someday, his kid is going to read about this,” Kutcher said, while also acknowledging the victims involved. “I wholesale feel for anybody who feels like they were violated in any way.”
Masterson’s original trial was declared a mistrial due to the jury remaining deadlocked on a verdict. Now, Masterson will face a second retrial. For Kutcher, his wish is for Masterson “to be found innocent of the charges brought against him.” However, Kutcher’s wish is not for his friend to get away with anything, but rather that Masterson lived up to the example he tried to set for his castmates.
“Ultimately, I can’t know,” said Kutcher on the matter. “I’m not the jury. I’m not the DA. I’m not the victim. And I’m not the accused. And so, in that case, I don’t have a space to comment. I just don’t know.”
