Ashton Kutcher Wants That '70s Show Costar Danny Masterson to Be 'Innocent' in Ongoing Rape Trial
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Ashton Kutcher is opening up about his former costar Danny Masterson's rape trial for the first time.
The 44-year-old Your Place or Mine actor admitted that he "can't know" if Masterson, 46, will be found innocent in the trial after he was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003. (Masterson has continued to deny the charges.)
"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. And so, in that case, I don't have a space to comment." he told Esquire. "I just don't know."
Kutcher revealed that he wants Masterson — who he costarred alongside on Fox's That '70s Show from 1998-2006, and Netflix's The Ranch from 2016-2018 — "to be found innocent of the charges brought against him" while also sharing his support for the victims of abuse, saying, "I wholesale feel for anybody who feels like they were violated in any way."
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RELATED: Danny Masterson Must Stand Trial on 3 Counts of Rape, Judge Rules After Accusers Testify
In December, Masterson's rape trial was declared a mistrial after the jury said they were unable to reach a verdict on any of the three criminal charges Masterson faced.
After the mistrial was declared, two of the women who testified in the trial spoke out, saying in part: "We are obviously disappointed that, at least for the time being, Daniel Masterson has evaded criminal accountability for his deplorable acts. However, we are collectively resolved to continue our fight for justice, including in civil court, where we have alleged that Mr. Masterson, along with the Church of Scientology, its leader David Miscavige, and others conspired to systematically stalk, harass, and intimidate us when we sought to shed light on Mr. Masterson's actions."
A retrial date was set for March 27, 2023, and Masterson will remain free on bail of $3.3 million, per Deadline.
Lalo Yasky/Getty Danny Masterson
RELATED: Danny Masterson Rape Trial Concludes as Prosecutor Calls Actor 'a Man for Whom No Never Meant No'
The That '70s Show actor was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges in January 2021, and a Los Angeles judge ordered him last year to stand trial.
All of the alleged crimes occurred at Masterson's home, prosecutors say, and all three accusers took the stand to detail their allegations last May in a preliminary hearing.
Masterson, who has been married to actress and model Bijou Phillips since 2011, faced a maximum sentence of 45 years to life in state prison.
RELATED VIDEO: Opening Statements Begin in Danny Masterson Sexual Assault Trial as D.A. Recounts Disturbing Rape Claims
Many of the allegations against Masterson first surfaced in March 2017 when the LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division confirmed an investigation was taking place into sexual assault allegations against the actor. In November 2017, HuffPost reported that a fourth woman had accused Masterson of raping her in the early 2000s.
Netflix announced that it had cut ties with Masterson a month later, as did the United Talent Agency. Four accusers then filed a lawsuit against Masterson and the Church of Scientology in 2019.
"This is beyond ridiculous," Masterson said in a statement to PEOPLE through his attorney at the time. "I'm not going to fight my ex-girlfriend in the media like she's been baiting me to do for more than two years. I will beat her in court — and look forward to it because the public will finally be able learn the truth and see how I've been railroaded by this woman. And once her lawsuit is thrown out, I intend to sue her and the others who jumped on the bandwagon for the damage they caused me and my family."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
