Ashton Kutcher broke his silence on former That ’70s Show co-star Danny Masterson’s sexual assault charges.
The actor addressed the controversy in Esquire for its first-ever digital cover story, published on Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
“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 the outlet. “And so, in that case, I don’t have a space to comment. I just don’t know.”
However, Kutcher added that he hopes Masterson will “be found innocent of the charges brought against him.”
The Two and a Half Men alum, for his part, has found it difficult to watch his co-star’s legal battle play out. “Someday, his kid is going to read about this,” he said, referring to Fianna, 8, whom Masterson shares with wife Bijou Phillips.
Kutcher added that he supports anyone who has faced abuse, saying, “I wholesale feel for anybody who feels like they were violated in any way.”
According to Variety, Masterson was charged in June 2020 with three counts of rape from alleged incidents that took place between 2001 and 2003. His 2022 court case ended in a mistrial in December. Masterson will now face a second trial on rape charges.