A Look At Ashton Kutcher And Danny Masterson's Relationship Since That '70s Show

The following article includes allegations of sexual assault.

Co-starring actors Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson have remained friends through thick and thin despite the controversies embroiling the latter. The pair first began their working relationship when they were cast on the sitcom, "That '70s Show," back in 1998, per IMDb. The two played stoner BBFs, with Masterson as burnout Hyde and Kutcher as the hilariously simple Kelso. Their onscreen friendship definitely extended to real life as "That '70s Show" ran for eight seasons until 2006. Reminiscing in his 2023 interview with Esquire, Kutcher said that Masterson was the one who kept the "That '70s Show" cast in line in terms of drugs and alcohol. "[Masterson's] like, 'One f***ing rule: Don't do anything f***ing stupid and f**k this up," the actor remembered. "Because if you f**k it up, you f**k it up for everybody.'"

The tides truly changed for Masterson in 2017 when he was accused and sued by three women for allegedly sexually assaulting them, per Us Magazine. For the record, the actor has denied these claims. According to ABC, his criminal case was deemed a mistrial in 2022 after the jury became deadlocked, and a retrial is forthcoming as of this writing.

So, what was Kutcher and Masterson's friendship like after "That '70s Show," and how has the "Jobs" actor reacted to his friend's allegations?

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Before the allegations against Danny Masterson came to light in 2017, he and Ashton Kutcher definitely stayed in contact the most post-"That '70s Show" out of their other cast members. When Masterson was a part of the principal cast of the short-running 2012 sitcom, "Men at Work," Kutcher made a guest appearance in a 2013 episode, per IMDb. In 2015, the "Two and a Half Men" actor posted a photo of him, Masterson, and fellow "'70s" costar Wilmer Valderrama having a boy's night out, per ET. Most notably, the now-disgraced actor was included in the cast of the Kutcher-led Netflix show, "The Ranch," in 2016, but was written out of the plot once his allegations came to light.

When doing press together for "The Ranch" in 2016, Kutcher told People about the pair's special friendship. "I think, without him, I don't know where I would be as a person because he kept me on the ground," he noted. "He taught me how to have fun without getting myself too far out, and he's one of my best friends in the world."

During this time, the two were also discussing a potential "'70s" reunion show — per Entertainment Weekly — but we now know the reboot went on without Masterson, the only original cast member missing, due to his legal issues. Other than allegedly attending the same party in 2019 (via the Daily Beast), Kutcher has not spoken much about his old friend's legal woes — until recently.

For a long time, actor Ashton Kutcher was relatively silent regarding the sexual assault case brought against co-star Danny Masterson. While the jury was not able to come to a consensus for their trial case, this does not mean that Masterson is in the clear, and the charges will be brought against him again in a future retrial. After his friend's criminal case ended in a mistrial, Kutcher decided to speak out about his conflicting feelings surrounding the court case. In a January 2023 interview with Esquire, the actor confirmed that he has remained in contact with both Masterson and his brother, and he wishes that his friend will "be found innocent of the charges brought against him."

"I wholesale feel for anybody who feels like they were violated in any way ... Ultimately, I can't know," Kutcher responded to the court case. "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. I just don't know."

As of this writing, the prosecutors in Masterson's case confirmed that they will be pursuing a second trial, and jury selection will begin sometime in March 2023, per Variety.