Earlier this month, Danny Masterson, famous for his role as Hyde on “That ‘70s Show,” received a sentence of 30 years to life in prison following his conviction for sexually assaulting two women.

The crimes occurred in the early 2000s. Masterson was accused of sexual assault by five women in 2017. In 2020, Masterson was charged with three counts of rape, as two of the women’s cases did not have sufficient evidence.

The actor was originally charged with three counts of rape, but the jury could not reach a decision involving one of the women, an ex-girlfriend of Masterson. He was found guilty of two counts of rape in May. Judge Charlaine Olmedo sentenced him to 15 years to life in prison on each charge, to be served consecutively. 

After Masterson’s sentencing, it became public knowledge that his former costars wrote character letters on behalf of Masterson. Character letters are used to testify and to convince the court of the defendant’s good character. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who played Kelso and Jackie on the sitcom with Masterson, faced backlash from these letters. 

After receiving outrage from the public regarding their letters, Kutcher and Kunis released a video explaining and apologizing for their actions. 

“We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson,” Kutcher said. “They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatize them in any way. We would never want to do that, and we’re sorry if that has taken place.”

“We support victims,” Kunis said. “We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future. Our heart goes out to every single person who has ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape.”

The apology video received more backlash for the two actors. People felt that the actors were apologizing that the letters were released to the public rather than apologizing for writing the letters.

Students who are fans of the show have spoken out about their feelings regarding the Masterson case and Kunis and Kutcher’s letters.

“It’s really sad that he would do that,” said senior Sydney Homan, a business major. “Growing up loving this show, it’s scary to see that the person who played one of your favorite characters could do such horrible things.”

“Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were just writing the letters to support the person they knew him to be, not to support a rapist,” said senior Cammi Breitbart, a mass communications major. “I understand why people are upset, but they weren’t saying what he did was okay.”

There is a question as to what is to come of the original sitcom’s reboot, “That ‘90s Show.” Actors Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, who played Kitty and Red in both series, also wrote character letters on behalf of Masterson. The two are receiving less backlash than Kunis and Kutcher but are still facing criticism.

“I think the reboot will probably end up being canceled,” said senior Autumn Arnette, senior mass communications major. “I feel like it was only popular because the cast of the original show was in the first episode, and after all of this, it doesn’t feel like the smartest idea to continue making it.”

Creators of “That ‘90s Show” have not spoken of any plans to cancel the upcoming season after its renewal this year.