Ashton Kutcher Rocked By Danny Masterson Firing: ‘He’s Trying To Protect The Show’
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Ashton Kutcher’s world has been turned upside down amidst the sexual misconduct allegations against his friend, Danny Masterson. Masterson has since been fired from Netflix’s ‘The Ranch’.
Ashton Kutcher, 39, is still processing the numerous rape allegations that have been made against his friend and The Ranch co-star Danny Masterson, 41. Masterson has since been fired by Netflix from the show in which he and Kutcher both work on. “Ashton has been rocked by the firing of his friend Danny,” a source close to Kutcher tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. “He doesn’t want to believe any of the accusations against his longtime friend, but he does hope the truth will come out.” However, Kutcher knew he had to do what was best for everyone involved. “As one of the executives on the show, Ashton is agreeing to swift action being taken. He is trying to protect the show and jobs of others working on the project. He just feels horrible about the whole situation.” Kutcher has yet to release an official statement following the allegations of misconduct against Masterson.
Masterson is also known for starring alongside Kutcher and his wife, Mila Kunis, 34, in That 70’s Show. And, as we previously reported, the news shocked Kunis as well. Kutcher has been leaning on his wife since the cast shake up on The Ranch. The show — which is reportedly on the brink of wrapping the first 10 episodes of its third season — made the decision to move forward without Masterson on Dec. 5. “As a result of ongoing discussions, Netflix and the producers have written Danny Masterson out of ‘The Ranch’,” the entertainment company said in a statement to our sister site Deadline. “Yesterday was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him.” It’s unclear exactly how Masterson’s character, Rooster, will be written out of the series.
A rep for Masterson released the following statement to HollywoodLife.com shortly after the news broke: “I am obviously very disappointed in Netflix’s decision to write my character off of The Ranch. From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit. I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused. I understand and look forward to clearing my name once and for all. In the meantime, I want to express my gratitude to the cast and crew that I’ve worked so closely with over the past three seasons. I wish them nothing but success. I am also so thankful to the fans that have supported me and continue to do so.”
HollywoodLifers, are you shocked over the allegations against Danny Masterson?