Ashton Kutcher is a vocal advocate against sex crimes and a supporter of women’s rights — so some are confused as to why he’s still such good chums with accused rapist Danny Masterson.
The 40-year-old actor was called out by Masterson’s alleged victim for his deafening silence about the sexual assault controversy surrounding his former The Ranch and That 70s Show costar after an article was published shedding light on their continued friendship.
Journalist Tony Ortega published a scathing post on Tuesday, in which he detailed a recent appearance Kutcher made at a friend’s wedding alongside Masterson, who is currently under investigation for multiple alleged incidents of sexual assault.
Related: Michael Jackson Accuser Has A Message For Disbelievers
Ortega’s report included a “leaked” photo from the wedding that showed Kutcher and Masterson posing in a group. Another photo of the seating chart revealed that Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis had been placed at a table with Masterson and his wife Bijou Phillips. The longtime friends and their spouses were celebrating the wedding of Justin Mooney, an actor on The Ranch and, like Masterson, a “longtime Scientologist,” according to Ortega.
While Netflix ultimately fired Masterson from The Ranch after four women accused him of rape in 2017, Kutcher, an executive producer on the show, has still yet to make a public statement about the accusations.
Naturally, Kutcher’s ongoing silence isn’t sitting well with Masterson’s accusers — especially given the actor’s history of advocating against sex trafficking. In a statement to The Daily Beast, one of Masterson’s accusers, Chrissie Carnell Bixler, wrote:
“Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have positioned themselves as champions for women, children, fighting against sexual abuses and sex trafficking. Public supporters of the Me Too movement and Time’s Up. Ashton and Mila were at the forefront marching in the Women’s March on March 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. As much as I applaud them for standing up for women, I am left confused and heartbroken as to why they refuse to stand up for all the women they know who have been violently raped by their friend Danny Masterson.”
Bixler went on to urge Kutcher to watch her upcoming episode on Leah Remini’s Scientology and the Aftermath and reevaluate his friendship with Masterson.
Video: Ellen DeGeneres Daddy-Shamed Ashton & Gave Him ‘A Complex’!
Referencing the actor’s 2018 interview about supporting the #MeToo movement, in which he admitted it was probably best that he “just shut up and listen for a little bit,” Bixler continued:
“Ashton, on February 18, 2019, I implore you to shut up and listen as we tell our stories on Leah Remini’s Scientology and the Aftermath. Shut up and listen as we recount the most vicious, degrading, and humiliating acts committed on us by your pal Danny Masterson. Acts that have nearly destroyed us. You knew all of us women. You and I were friends. So please do shut up and listen. Then it’s on you whether you continue to remain silent, but let’s be clear here, silence protects the abusers. Never the abused.”
Masterson has not been charged with any crime. After being written off The Ranch, the actor claimed he was a witch hunt victim and looked forward to clearing his name.
In his post, Ortega wrote that Masterson has been “unable to pursue more career options” while the ongoing investigation hangs over his head.
Sounds like Kutcher is hoping to wait out this storm without ever having to talk about it. But he’ll have to say something eventually… right?
Do U think Kutcher should take his friendship with Masterson out to pasture?
[Image via DJDM/WENN.]
-
Categories
