Sometimes, you can’t help but be left shaking your head and sighing in resignation at the things that unfold on the internet, and the latest evolution of the continued backlash against Ashton Kutcher‘s support of Danny Masterson is most definitely one of those occasions.
As everybody knows – and which the couple have now apologized for in a social media video that hasn’t exactly been greeted with open arms – Kutcher and Mila Kunis penned letters to the judge backing the character of their That ’70s Show co-star, which thankfully proved to be for nothing when he was sentenced to 30 years behind bars.
Once their endorsement became public knowledge, one reactive post has gone on to take a life of its own. Chrissie Carnell Bixler, one of Masterson’s accusers, intimated that she knew of a “secret” he’d spoken to Kutcher about on the phone the same night Ashley Ellerin was murdered. Almost two decades later, the actor testified in court about his whereabouts and activities that same evening, which helped secure the death penalty for serial killer Michael Gargiulo.
However, things began to take an unsavory turn when conspiracy theories swiftly began emerging that connected dots which may or may not have even been there to begin with, and we’ve already – and disgracefully – reached a point where there are genuinely internet users out there who’ve suddenly convinced themselves that Kutcher was the one responsible for the initial crime.
Look, we’re not going to dignify any of it with an embed, screenshot, or a quote, but it’s not hard to find those sentiments being echoed if you feel so inclined. Regardless of his support for Masterson, or whatever information Carnell Bixler has about the night in question that she may or may not be willing to share in the future that could hypothetically alter the established narrative, it’s disrespectful to the memory of Ellerin, her friends and family, the vast swathes of evidence against Gargiulo, and sworn testimony to hop on a social media bandwagon railing against Kutcher’s ill-advised judgement call on somebody who used to work with, for the sole purpose of suddenly forming the opinion that he’s going to be outed as a murderer.
The entire Masterson situation has been despicable since the beginning, and yet somehow the frenzied throngs of the chronically online can still conspire to make it worse.