The “Villain Era” Begins: Ashton Kutcher Returns to TV, But Can He Act His Way Out of the Danny Masterson Shadow?
It has been three years of radio silence, awkward apologies, and one very serious health scare. But this week, Ashton Kutcher officially ends his exile.
On Wednesday (Jan 21), Kutcher returns to our screens in Ryan Murphy’s new FX horror-thriller, The Beauty. He isn’t playing the lovable doofus Kelso. He isn’t playing the romantic lead. He is playing a “shady tech billionaire” simply named “The Corporation.”
It is a casting choice so on-the-nose it feels like a dare.
After the disastrous fallout from the Danny Masterson trial—where Kutcher and wife Mila Kunis wrote letters of support for the convicted rapist—Kutcher has been persona non grata in Hollywood. Now, he is asking us to watch him play a morally bankrupt mogul.
Is this a brilliant career pivot, or just a man leaning into the only role the public will accept from him right now: The Bad Guy?
Why The Long Break? (It Wasn’t Just the Scandal)
To be fair to Kutcher, his disappearance wasn’t entirely due to “cancellation.”
Before the Masterson letters leaked, Ashton Kutcher was fighting a private war with Vasculitis, a rare autoimmune disease that he revealed left him unable to see, hear, or walk for a year. The man literally had to relearn how to stand up.
That kind of trauma changes a person. It usually makes them softer,more introspective. But when he finally re-emerged, he walked straight into a PR buzzsaw by vouching for his That ’70s Show co-star. The combination of a life-threatening illness and a career-threatening scandal created a perfect storm for a hiatus. He didn’t just step back; he vanished into the world of venture capital.
What Social Media Is Saying: “We Didn’t Forget”
So, is the internet welcoming him back with open arms? Hardly.
A quick scroll through X (formerly Twitter) reveals a stark divide.
- The Ryan Murphy Stans: They are hyped. The trailer for The Beauty looks incredible (Evan Peters and Anthony Ramos are also starring), and the concept—a sexually transmitted disease that makes you beautiful but kills you—is peak 2026 satire.
- The Memory Keepers: For every “Welcome back, Ashton” tweet, there are five reminding people about the “character letters.” The internet does not delete, and it definitely does not forgive.
One viral thread this morning summed it up: “Ashton Kutcher playing a rich guy who destroys lives for profit? Finally, a method role.” Ouch.
Only future will tell
Ashton Kutcher is a smart guy. He knows he can’t go back to playing the “America’s Sweetheart” prankster. That ship sailed the moment those court letters went public.
So, he is doing the only thing he can do: He is entering his Villain Era.
By playing a dark, twisted character in a prestige drama, he is trying to shift the conversation from his personal judgment to his acting ability. If he kills it in The Beauty, Hollywood might forgive him. They love a comeback story, especially one that involves a “gritty” transformation.
But if he flops? The audience might decide that “The Corporation” is the last role they ever want to see him play.
