Ashton Kutcher Resigns From His Anti-Child Sexual Abuse Organization After Supporting Danny Masterson, Admits He Made an 'Error in Judgment'

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have relinquished their roles within Thorn, the anti-child sexual abuse organization the actor founded in 2009. Their decision comes shortly after their character letters in support of convicted rapist Danny Masteron were publicized following his 30-year jail sentence.

"Victims of sexual abuse have been historically silenced and the character statement I submitted is yet another painful instance of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their experiences," the dad-of-two stated in his official resignation letter, which was obtained by multiple news outlets.

"After my wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning, and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at Thorn, I have determined the responsible thing for me to do is resign as Chairman of the Board, effectively immediately," he continued. "I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve."

"The mission must always be the priority and I want to offer my heartfelt apology to all victims of sexual violence and everyone at Thorn who I hurt by what I did. And to the broader advocacy community, I am deeply sorry," he continued. "I remain proud of what we have accomplished in the past decade and will continue to support Thorn’s work. Thank you for your tireless advocacy and dedication to this cause."

Kunis served as an observer on the board.

As OK! reported, the couple wrote glowing letters for Masterson after multiple women accused him of raping them in the early 2000s.

While the Hollywood hunk referred to his costar as an "honest role model" and great father, Kunis referred to him as her "brother figure."

Once their letters and those from others were publicized, they were hit with immense backlash, sparking them to record an apology video.

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"Danny's family reached out to us and they asked us to write character letters to represent the person that we knew for 25 years, so that the judge could take that into full consideration relative to the sentencing," they explained, noting they fully support victims.

"The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury's ruling," the couple expressed. "They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatize them in any way. We would never want to do that. And we're sorry if that has taken place."

TIME obtained Kutcher's resignation letter.