Actor Ashton Kutcher has resigned from his role at anti-child-sex-abuse non-profit Thorn after suffering backlash to his support for convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
Masterson, a former co-star of Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis in That 70s Show, was convicted in May on two counts of rape from two decades ago and was sentenced last week to 30 years to life in prison.
Kutcher and Kunis have since apologised for writing letters of support for Masterson, which they said were intended "for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or re-traumatise them in any way".
In the letter, Kutcher said he was aware of Masterson's guilty verdict but still referred to him as a "role model". Kunis wrote to vouch for his "exceptional character".
The letters generated a wave of criticism which has now led to Kutcher stepping down from the board at Thorn.
In his resignation letter to the board, published by Thorn, Kutcher 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.
"I cannot allow my error in judgement to distract from our efforts and the children we serve."
Thorn was co-founded by Kutcher over a decade ago and works to stop the sexual exploitation of children and combat human sex-trafficking.
"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," Kutcher wrote.
A statement from Thorn said Kutcher "has played a significant role in the impact we have made, and we are grateful for his participation over the last 15 years".
SHARE ME