Ashton’s judgment has been questioned before.
In 2011, he faced backlash after speaking out against the firing of Joe Paterno before realizing the former Penn State football coach, who died in 2013 at 85, had possibly covered up sex abuse committed by former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, 80.
More recently, the Butterfly Effect actor was criticized in 2023 after he and Mila wrote letters asking the judge to show leniency when sentencing their That ’70s Show co-star Danny Masterson, 48, for rape. The letters led to the couple resigning from the board of the anti-child sex abuse organization Ashton co-founded.