They say that Los Angeles in the city of dreams, but in Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’ case, it’s becoming the stuff of nightmares. Now, we’re told, the married pair are seriously considering a fresh break in the hopes that they can finally put an end to the backlash that’s being railed against them – following a series of very serious, public faux-pas.
'They want to get the heck out of LA and make a new life somewhere else,' says an insider close to the Kunis-Kutchers, who have seen their social standing fall dramatically over the past year. 'They still want to work, but moving away from the bubble and just dipping back in for specific projects makes the most sense right now.'
It’s no surprise that the pair – who are parents to daughter Wyatt, 10, and son Dimitri, seven – are feeling somewhat exasperated, considering the anger and indignation that’s still being peddled against them. Last year, the couple sparked outrage, after they both wrote letters in support of their former That 70s Show co-star, convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
In 2023, Masterson was found guilty of two counts of rape – which took place while Ashton and Mila were both working with him, between the years of 2001 and 2003. Despite his conviction, Ashton and Mila lobbied for leniency ahead of his sentencing (he was eventually imprisoned for 30 years). In separate letters, Ashton, 46, wrote that Masterson was “an extraordinarily honest and intentional human being”.
Mila, 41, then doubled down on their controversial support, praising Masterson’s 'exceptional character' and the 'tremendous positive influence' he has on those around him.
Unsurprisingly, their support for the rapist kindled global fury – forcing the couple to step down from their positions at the charity Thorn, which Ashton previously co-founded in 2009 to help fight child sex exploitation. In a subsequent apology video, they said they 'support all victims' – but their apology fell on deaf ears, with many saying it seemed disingenuous.
Since then, there’s been a frosty feeling towards the Kutcher-Kunises in LA, despite the perennially hot climate.
But last month, feelings towards them went from cold to sub-zero, after Ashton’s longstanding friendship with P Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, came to the fore – amid the latter’s almighty reckoning and eventual arrest. There’s no suggestion that Ashton ever knew about the crimes that have now been levelled against the disgraced rapper, but the fact that he was known to attend his famous parties, which were apparently the breeding ground for almost all his criminal activity, has rattled a lot of the actor’s fans and friends in LA. What’s more, historic comments he made about Combs – who he said he became “fast friends” with after meeting in 2003 – now sound all the more sinister as we continue to hear about the rapper’s heinous crimes – making Ashton and Mila’s position in Hollywood all the more untenable.
'Ashton’s so exasperated that once again he’s being dragged through the mud because of his past associations,' our insider explains.
'First it was Danny Masterson and now it’s Diddy, and it’s got him convinced that there are way better places out there to live than Hollywood. In his view, the town is just a cesspool at this point. He and Mila both realise what a mistake it was writing those letters of support; they understand why they were in hot water and have taken full responsibility for their poor judgement. But what they have a harder time accepting is this culture of scapegoating and negativity that seems to be so pervasive these days.
'Ashton is being crucified and all sorts of conspiracy theories are swirling around him, simply because he attended parties at Diddy’s house years ago. He finds the blame game exhausting and it makes him want to just opt out of the whole celebrity thing entirely.'
While Ashton and Mila have been biding their time and letting the dust settle on their associations with Masterson, the P Diddy issue is all the more concerning as the charges consistently roll in. Last month, the 54 year old was arrested in New York City and was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. In an indictment, it was also alleged that he had engaged in kidnapping, forced labour, bribery and other crimes, and had acted as the leader of a criminal group that abused women and violently coerced them into participating in 'elaborate and produced sex performances' with male prostitutes – much of which is said to have occurred at his infamous parties.
Sadly for Ashton, he’s simply one of many celebrities who’s been known to have frequented said parties in the past – but he’s one of the few who’s spoken about them publicly. In 2019, while appearing on Sean Evans’ Hot Ones, the actor laughed, 'I’ve got a lot I can’t tell [about the parties]… I mean, I’m actually cycling through them. Diddy party stories, man. That was like some weird memory lane.'
Obviously, there’s no claim that Ashton knew about the dark underbelly of Diddy’s events – but as fans reel from all the revelations, it’s looking unlikely that Ashton will be able to disentangle himself from the narrative anytime soon. He and Mila were reminded of this again last week, when five new civil lawsuits were filed against Combs – including allegations that he sexually assaulted or raped two men and three women, one of whom was allegedly 13 at the time. With 120 more accusers believed to be coming forwards – and his court case set for May next year – Diddy’s misdemeanours won’t be leaving the public sphere for a long while. Which means that Ashton faces the possibility of continuously being cited as one of his former friends and party guests.
So, with so much heat and negative press surrounding them, we’re told Ashton and Mila are considering their options. They recently returned from a summer trip to Europe – kicking things off in London, where they were spotted enjoying a walk in Regents Park and taking their kids to see Taylor Swift perform at Wembley Stadium. According to insiders, they could see themselves relocating to our shores permanently, or even following in the footsteps of Brad Pitt and George Clooney and investing in their own European vineyard. Granted, they don’t want to leave the Hollywood machine entirely – but they both realise it’s simply not the most welcoming place for them right now.
'They want to take the kids out of the bubble and raise them somewhere more rural, away from all the superficiality and backbiting,' we’re told. 'They’ve just had it with Hollywood.'