Mila Kunis has alleged that when she was 14 years old, Danny Masterson had bet Ashton Kutcher, daring him to engage in a "French kiss" with her while they were working on the production of "That '70s Show." A video clip featuring Kutcher, 45, and Kunis, 40, resurfaced recently from a joint interview on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, originally aired in April 2002.
It gained attention as the couple made headlines on Saturday for publicly apologizing after writing letters of support for Masterson to the judge who sentenced the actor for his rape conviction. The 2002 clip is from the early years of the Fox comedy series "That '70s Show," which aired from 1998 to 2006.
Shocking Revelations
In the show, Kunis played Jackie Burkhart, Kutcher portrayed Michael Kelso, and Masterson played the character Steven Hyde. At the time of that interview, Kutcher was 24 years old, and Mila Kunis was 19.
They discussed with Rosie O'Donnell how in the early stages of the show, the script had a scene where their characters were required to be "making out" in a scene. "I'm like thinking this is slightly illegal, right," said Kutcher, noting the young age of his costar, the Daily Mail reported.
Kunis mentioned during the interview that the scripted kiss on the show was her first-ever kiss, and it took place during the first week of filming for the retro comedy, "That '70s Show."
"I never kissed a guy ... I was a 14-year-old little girl and I was extremely scared for my life," Kunis said.
Kunis recounted that during the interview, Masterson had proposed a bet to Kutcher, offering him $10 to French kiss her. "Danny goes, 'Dude, I'll give you $10 if you French kiss her,'" Kunis said, turning to Kutcher and asking, "What, if you stick your tongue in my mouth?"
Kutcher responded by noting that Kunis was making the situation sound more suggestive than it actually was. He acknowledged that he and Masterson did have a side bet regarding the kiss.
Kutcher explained that Masterson had wagered $20, challenging him to go through with it, and he accepted because he believed it was in line with what the script required.
O'Donnell joked, "And then the cops showed up and you got arrested, pretty much."
Kunis and Kutcher had differing accounts regarding whether the kiss happened as described. Kunis insisted, "I didn't let him ... he never got his tongue in my mouth."
Kutcher, on the other hand, mentioned that he believed Kunis was 15 years old at the time of the incident, emphasizing, "There's a big difference - that one year makes the whole world change."
After the Apology
Kunis and Kutcher released a remorseful video message days after a Los Angeles judge sentenced Masterson to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women in 2003.
In an Instagram video posted on Saturday, Kutcher and Kunis apologized for any pain their letters of support may have caused. These letters were made public on Friday.
Kutcher clarified that the intention behind the letters was for the judge to read them and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatize them in any manner. "We would never want to do that and we're sorry if that has taken place."
Kutcher explained that Masterson's family reached out to them after the actor was convicted of the rapes in May. They asked Kutcher and Kunis to write character letters that would describe "the person that we knew for 25 years."
Masterson had reunited with Kutcher on the 2016 Netflix comedy series "The Ranch," but he was written off the show when the investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department was revealed in the following year.
The sentencing of Masterson, 47, to 30 years to life in prison was delivered by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo. The judge made this decision after hearing statements from the women who were victims and considering pleas for fairness from the defense attorneys.
In his letter dated July 27, 2023, Kutcher described Masterson as a man who treated people "with decency, equality, and generosity."
In her letter to Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo, Mila Kunis referred to Masterson as "an outstanding role model and friend" and also as an "exceptional older brother figure."
Both of the rapes took place in Masterson's Hollywood-area home in 2003 when he was at the height of his fame on "That '70s Show." The victims testified that Masterson had drugged them before violently raping them.
In their apology video, Kunis and Kutcher clarified that their intention with the letters of support was not to undermine the testimony of the victims.
"Our heart goes out to every single person who´s ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or rape," she said.
