Ashton Kutcher has given up his spot as chairman of the board of Thorn, an anti-child sex abuse organization he founded with his ex-wife Demi Moore in 2009.
On Friday, TIME reported that Kutcher and his current wife, Mila Kunis, who served as an observer, will resign from the company. Their resignation arrives after the couple received criticism for writing letters of support for Danny Masterson, who was sentenced to 30 years in jail for raping two women.
“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,” Kutcher wrote in a letter to the board at Thorn, which was shared exclusively with TIME.
“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,” Kutcher added. “I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve.”
He continued, “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. 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.”
The leadership over at Thorn shared a letter as well that praised Kutcher for creating the company and his other meaningful contributions.
“We would not be the Thorn that we are today without Ashton’s contributions. He has played a significant role in the impact we have made, and we are grateful for his participation over the last 15 years.”
