Having unwisely opted to defend former co-star Danny Masterson during the court proceedings that eventually saw him sentenced to 30 years behind bars, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are facing a battle to regain trust from the public that may yet prove to be insurmountable.
The couple’s apology video was received the opposite of how they intended it to come across, with the pair being blasted for what was viewed as a cynical and transparent ploy to get in front of the discontent. Not only that, but Kutcher’s historical comments have been dredged back up and used as another stick to beat him with, so it would be fair to say the spouses are in the midst of some seriously bad optics.
Kicking them when they’re already down, though, an upcoming animated series in which they both star has been slapped with a million-dollar fine by the Securities and Exchange Commission on account of misleading its investors. Stoner Cats, which lives up to its title by focusing on sentient cats caring for their pot-smoking owner – features Kunis and Kutcher among its voice cast, along with Chris Rock and Jane Fonda.
The show sold upwards of 10,000 NFTs to net an $8 million profit for financing, but the SEC has decreed that Stoner Cats violated the 1933 Securities Act by “offering and selling these crypto asset securities to the public in an unregistered offering that was not exempt from registration.”
In addition, it was found the parent company had manipulated the NFTs to provide itself with a 2.5 percent royalty every time one of them was sold onto another buyer, with the transactions notching up a cumulative spend of over $20 million, leading to a cease-and-desist and $1 million penalty.
Although Kutcher’s involvement is voice only, Kunis is listed as part of the production and blockchain team, adding yet another headache to their increasing number of career migraines.
Published: Sep 14, 2023 03:02 am