The rape trial of embattled actor Danny Masterson was filled with a considerable amount of drama, and that’s seemingly carried over into the aftermath of his guilty verdict and sentencing. After Masterson was given 30 years to life in prison for raping two women, it was revealed that former co-stars, including Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, wrote character letters on his behalf. The celebrity couple ultimately received backlash, and that ensued after Kunis and Kutcher broke their silence on the matter via an apology video. Now, a PR expert is weighing in on why that clip ultimately proved to be ineffective.
Celebrity apologies are not uncommon, as there have been rare instances in which major Hollywood stars issued statements as a way to address certain actions on their part. Many of those are handled by a public relations team, and veteran crisis rep Molly McPherson is familiar with those kinds of statements. McPherson recently analyzed the video that was put out by the That ‘70s Show alums, and she believes it falls short in one key regard. In her eyes, it lacks any sense of responsibility on the two stars’ part:
The couple’s apology video received intense backlash because they refused to acknowledge they submitted letters to the court asking for Danny Masterson’s sentence to be reduced. Rather, they wanted people to believe they only sent the letters at his family’s request.
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In their video, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher explained that Danny Masterson’s family reached out to them months ago, asking if they’d write the letters. Kutcher, who referred to Masterson as a “positive influence” in his statement, said the letters were meant to “represent the person that we knew for 25 years.” Kunis later added that she and her spouse “support victims” and that their messages “were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling.” The clip ultimately closed out with Kutcher saying that they never meant to “retraumatize” those impacted by their co-star’s reported actions and apologized if that had taken place.
Many social media commentators have weighed in on the apology at this point, making note of several aspects. Aside from questioning the wood-paneled background, some have postulated that the two appear uncomfortable in the footage. Molly McPherson, in her email to Insider, believes there’s a specific reason for that:
The reason they looked awkward on the video was probably because they were trying to apologize for something they weren’t sorry for — almost as if they believed their long-term friend was innocent. You cannot craft an apology statement, let alone deliver it on video when you don’t believe you did anything wrong.
As previously alluded to, That ‘70s Show’s Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart actors weren’t the only two series alums to write letters on their colleague’s behalf. Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp – who played Red and Kitty Forman, respectively – also spoke to the convicted actor’s character. At this point, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are still dealing with the fallout, which has seen Kutcher resign as the chairman of his anti-sex abuse organization, Thorn.
Since confirming his decision to step down from that position, neither the Your Place or Mine star nor his wife have made any further comment on the letters or Danny Masterson’s situation. Whether the couple choose to speak out again or take any further action remains to be seen.