Ashton Kutcher said he hopes his former co-star and mentor Danny Masterson is found innocent as rape retrial looms

• Ashton Kutcher hopes Danny Masterson is found innocent of the rape charges against him.
• He added that Masterson was the leader of their cast on "That 70s Show."

Ashton Kutcher hopes his former "That 70s Show" and "The Ranch" co-star Danny Masterson is found innocent when he faces a jury for the second time in his rape trial.

Kutcher told Esquire he wants Masterson "to be found innocent of the charges brought against him." He explained that no, he does not want his friend to "get off the hook," rather, he genuinely hopes Masterson is innocent of the claims brought against him.

"I wholesale feel for anybody who feels like they were violated in any way," Kutcher said, seemingly responding to the three counts of rape Masterson has been accused of.

Kutcher added that Masterson was something of their leader on "That 70s Show," having been the only teen on the show that was in the industry for some time at that point. He said Masterson kept the cast in line and kept them from doing drugs and making bad decisions.

"He's like, 'One fucking rule: Don't do anything fucking stupid and fuck this up. Because if you fuck it up, you fuck it up for everybody,'" Kutcher recalled Masterson saying.

Even after the end of "That 70s Show," Masterson remained as a mentor to Kutcher, Esquire reported. Kutcher added that he still keeps in touch with Masterson.

In November 2022, a mistrial was declared in Masteron's trial on criminal rape charges after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on any of the three charges against the actor.

During the trial, three victims who were the charging witnesses and another woman testified at length about traumatic experiences with Masterson at the height of his sitcom fame. Famous actors like Billy Baldwin showed up to support Masterson throughout the trial.

Masterson and his legal team had denied the allegations, and he pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.

In January, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller announced that prosecutors would opt for a re-trial against Masterson, and Judge Charlaine Olmedo set a March 29 date for jury selection.