Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have released a joint video statement after receiving harsh criticism for their support of now-convicted rapist Danny Masterson. The couple called for a lenient sentence for their former co-star in character letters prior to his sentencing.

The pair, who met Masterson while filming the comedy sitcom That 70′s Show, shared a clip on Instagram yesterday firmly stating that they “support victims”, reports news.com.au.

“We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson,” Kutcher said.

His wife Kunis added: “We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future.”

The No Strings Attached actor then went on to say that Masterson’s family had reached out to them a few months back, asking that they “write character letters to represent the person we knew for 25 years so that the judge could take that into consideration – relative to the sentencing.”

Kunis insisted that the letters were “not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling.”

Kutcher chimed in, saying that they were “intended for the judge to read” and not written to “undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatise them in any way.

“And we’re sorry if that has been the case,” he shared.

“Our heart goes out to every single person who has ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape,” the Black Swan actress concluded.

Masterson, 47, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after his retrial for raping two women on separate instances between 2001 and 2003.

Following the sentencing, Kutcher and Kunis’ letters to LA Superior Court Charlaine Olmedo went public, with Kutcher describing his former friend as “nothing but a positive influence” and “an extraordinary honest and intentional human being”.

He went on to say that he didn’t think Masterson was an “ongoing harm to society”.

Kunis then dubbed the now-charged actor as an “amazing friend, confidant, and above all, an outstanding older brother figure” to her.

“He demonstrates grace and empathy in every situation, be it within the entertainment industry or in our personal lives,” she shared.

Masterson is reportedly waiting to be transferred to a California State prison.

The actor will not be able to apply for parole until he is 77 years old.