Here's How People Are Reacting To Ashton Kutcher Resigning From His Anti-Child Sex Abuse Organization

This story contains discussion of sexual abuse and sexual assault.

Earlier this month, Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after being found guilty of raping two women in the 2000s.

A closeup of danny at an event
Paul Archuleta / FilmMagic

Shortly after the sentencing, it was revealed that Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis wrote separate letters of support for leniency ahead of Danny's sentencing.

closeup of mila and ashton
David Livingston / FilmMagic

In his letter, Ashton referred to Danny as a "role model" and said he did "not believe [Danny] is an ongoing harm to society," ultimately asking that Danny receive a lesser sentence because "having his daughter raised without a present father would [be] a tertiary injustice in and of itself."

closeup of ashton and danny
John Shearer / Getty Images for CMT

The backlash was swift. Ashley Grace, the wife of Ashton's That '70s Show costar Topher Grace, shared a statement on her IG Story about "witnessing society debate and focus their attention what is going to happen to the RAPIST."

the message on her ig

In a subsequent apology video with Mila, Ashton explained that the letters were requested by Danny's family to "represent the person that we knew for 25 years" and "were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatize them in any way."

closeup of the couple at a sports event
Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Their apology did little to quell the persistent backlash — and, as a result, Time reports that Ashton has stepped down as chairman of the board of Thorn, the anti-child sex abuse organization he founded with ex-wife Demi Moore back in 2009.

closeup of ashton and demi at an event
Henry S. Dziekan Iii / Getty Images

"Victims of sexual abuse have been historically silenced and the character statement I submitted is yet another painful instance of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their experiences," he wrote in a statement.

closeup of Ashton
Steve Granitz / FilmMagic

"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, effectively immediately…I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve."

closeup of the couple
Steve Granitz / FilmMagic

"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," Kutcher also wrote. "And to the broader advocacy community, I am deeply sorry. I remain proud of what we have accomplished in the past decade and will continue to support Thorn's work. Thank you for your tireless advocacy and dedication to this cause."

  David Livingston / FilmMagic
David Livingston / FilmMagic

Social media had plenty to say about Ashton's decision:

@zoenone0none / Via Twitter: @zoenone0none

@DavidDble / Via Twitter: @DavidDble

@Foradancer / Via Twitter: @Foradancer

@ofclkennygas / Via Twitter: @ofclkennygas

@TWERKENNA / Via Twitter: @TWERKENNA

@laffmytitsoff / Via Twitter: @laffmytitsoff

@DawnWat06000632 / Via Twitter: @DawnWat06000632

@marijuanis47 / Via Twitter: @marijuanis47

@BigBungalows / Via Twitter: @BigBungalows

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE, which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.