That Shady Show: Details of Mila Kunis’ Time on Set

If you have not kept up with the Danny Masterson case, the title of this article may confuse you. “That ’70s Show” is a beloved classic with a cast that loves each other like family. The show also marked the beginning of the fan-favorite couple Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, and even though many of their costars have fallen out of grace, this couple has found a way to hold the spotlight.

That was until fans discovered that Kunis and Kutcher wrote two separate character letters to the judge of Danny Masterson’s case, praising his exemplary character. If you are unfamiliar with Danny Masterson, he played Hyde on “That ’70s Show” and has been accused of raping and drugging three women. Though this article is not about him, I can give you exciting news. He was found guilty on two charges of rape and sentenced to 30 years to life in prison!

After it became public knowledge that Kunis and Kutcher wrote letters of support to Masterson, one of his victims who first opted to remain anonymous took to Instagram and wrote a story post. The post says many suggestive and evil things about Kutcher, but the surprising part is the things said about Kunis. Jane Doe #3, who we now know as Chrissie Bixler, talks to Kunis in a more understanding tone. She says, “Dear Mila, I pray you begin to process what you experienced as a child on that set. Your old interviews are very telling.”

That post led to people digging up old interviews, and the findings are revolting.

In an interview conducted in 2002, Kunis brings up a prank that happened on set. It is public knowledge that Kunis lied about her age to book this show, so during the first season, she was just 14 years old when the rest of the cast was 18+. However, after meeting her costars, she told everyone the truth, and all was well. Kunis’ character Jackie and Kutcher’s character Kelso were dating throughout the first few seasons, and during an episode, they kiss.

Since Kunis is 14, this kiss is her first. Masterson knowing this information, bets Kutcher $10 to French kiss her instead of giving her a regular stage kiss. This interaction is played off as a joke during the interview, but imagine yourself as a 14-year-old girl experiencing your first kiss, thinking it will be a chaste TV kiss, and a grown man sticks his tongue in your mouth. Even Kutcher seems embarrassed in the interview and tries to make the situation look less daunting. But the truth is Masterson was willing to pay to make this young girl, his friend, uncomfortable for his own enjoyment.

Another interview that takes place in the early 2000s follows the actors behind the scenes of the set. Masterson talks about how he got the job and mentions when he first met Kunis. He then jokes that she was “hot as sh*t” when they first met. Kunis quickly whispers under her breath, “14”. Masterson hears this and doubles down saying, “At 14 she was even hotter, but I’m not allowed to say that.” Kunis and Masterson laugh at the joke, and the interviewer moves on like nothing happened.

Jokes like this appear normal around the set. This makes me think back to Kunis’ letter to the judge, where she referred to him as an “older brother figure.” But we see here that he does not think the same of her. She is his fetish, something he knows he should not be attracted to but is anyway. Kutcher and Masterson both seem to revel in the fact that not only is Kunis beautiful, but she is also young and beautiful.

In this last interview, Kunis was in her late teens, and Kutcher was in his early twenties. The video starts with Kunis introducing herself, and as far as we can tell, Kutcher is not in the frame. That is until his head pops up from behind Kunis, and we find out she is sitting on his lap. Kutcher then introduces himself and claims he only did the interview because he was told, “Mila would sit on my lap if I did.” They both start to laugh, and Kutcher exclaims that “it feels good” and starts to hump and grab Kunis, this lasts for a few seconds, and the video cuts off.

This video shows us how comfortable they are with each other. He is doing these things on camera, so I can only imagine what happened when no one was around. Kunis was in a very vulnerable position. Hollywood is known to be an unsafe place for children. Her costars were supposed to be her family. Yet Kutcher and Masterson were continuously seen behaving inappropriately and taking advantage of that. These jokes and awkward advances became expected.

I obviously do not know what really took place behind the scenes, and unless one of the parties involved speaks out, I will never know. I can only use what is public knowledge, and the evidence paints a nasty picture. My goal was to examine Kunis’ time on set and understand. If I was put in her shoes, would I act differently? Would you? She was a child chasing her dream. My only hope is that if anything traumatic happened behind closed doors, she was able to process and work through it.