Ashton Kutcher Facing Hollywood 'Exile' as The Beauty Series Becomes His Final Career Hope: Report

Once upon a time, Ashton Kutcher was Hollywood's golden boy. He landed role after role with effortless charm, built a multi-million-pound empire through savvy tech investments, and seemed destined for endless stardom. But a series of controversial decisions in recent years has left the 47-year-old actor in a precarious position—attempting what many observers view as a desperate gamble to resurrect his career with his latest television venture.

This week, Kutcher stepped onto the red carpet for the New York premiere of The Beauty, Ryan Murphy's audacious new FX series set to debut on 21 January. It marks his first major acting role in nearly three years, since his 2023 romantic comedy Your Place or Mine with Reese Witherspoon. The question now haunting Hollywood insiders is whether this dark, body-horror thriller can salvage a reputation that has been steadily eroding since 2023.

Kutcher's troubles began when he and his wife Mila Kunis, both 42, wrote character reference letters supporting their former That '70s Show co-star Danny Masterson following his rape conviction. Masterson, who was found guilty of assaulting two women, received a sentence of 30 years to life. The public backlash was immediate and merciless.

Though Kutcher later called the letters 'an error in judgment' and resigned from the board of Thorn, the anti-child sexual abuse organisation he had co-founded, the damage was done. Survivors of Masterson's crimes expressed their outrage, with one victim telling journalists that Kutcher's apology was 'incredibly insulting and hurtful.'

Hollywood's Radioactive Moment: Why Ashton Kutcher Faces Industry Exile

Things only deteriorated when Kutcher's long-standing friendship with music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs came under intense scrutiny. Whilst Combs was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, he was convicted on prostitution-related offences in July 2025 and sentenced to 50 months in prison.

Critically, Kutcher remained silent throughout the trial, a decision that industry observers interpreted as evasion rather than loyalty. For someone who had built his public image partly on fighting sexual exploitation, the silence felt conspicuous and damning.

The contemporary moment has been further complicated by resurfaced clips from Kutcher's prank show Punk'd. In a 2003 episode, when Hilary Duff was just 15 years old, Kutcher made inappropriate remarks about waiting for her to turn 18. The comments, unearthed in 2023 following the Masterson controversy, reignited discussions about his judgment and values.

Sources close to Kutcher tell journalists that the actor is acutely aware of his diminished standing. One insider described him as genuinely questioning whether he would ever be 'accepted again' by the industry and the public. He has reportedly faced a noticeable decline in invitations to major Hollywood events.

Yet despite possessing a reported net worth of £160 million built through shrewd venture capital investments alongside his acting earnings, Kutcher finds himself in an unfamiliar position: fighting for professional relevance.

The Beauty as Final Gambit: Can a Sinister Role Secure Redemption?

In The Beauty, Kutcher plays 'The Corporation'—a sinister tech billionaire who engineers a miracle drug promising effortless beauty but delivers catastrophic consequences. It is, quite literally, a role designed to be the antithesis of his charming public persona. Murphy reportedly told Kutcher he was writing something 'different than anything you've ever played before.'

With the series premiering next week and Kutcher actively promoting it on Instagram after months of relative silence, industry observers remain sceptical. Many social media users have flooded his promotional posts with references to his past controversies, suggesting that redemption may not be forthcoming simply because he has accepted a challenging role.

Kutcher's attempt to reclaim his career rests entirely on whether audiences and the industry can compartmentalise his personal missteps from his professional output. For now, The Beauty represents his last meaningful opportunity to prove that Hollywood will grant him a second act.