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STANDING with his arm around his wife, Ashton Kutcher looked sheepish as he hit the Golden Globes red carpet.

While Mila Kunis, 42, put on a brave face, the 47-year-old actor’s nerves couldn’t be missed, and it’s no surprise. It’s been four years since Hollywood’s former golden couple have attended an award show after being shunned by their peers for supporting rapist Danny Masterson and keeping quiet over close friend Diddy.  So why now? Here, insiders tell us exactly what is going on behind closed doors and the truth behind their bold decision. 

A pal close to the couple revealed: “The Golden Globes is a huge deal, but this is Ashton and Mila’s way of telling people they are back.

“They are aware they have made a number of mistakes and they feel embarrassed by it all. It’s been very hard for them going from being the most popular couple in town, to outcasts.”

Ashton – who is best loved for That ’70s Show, which is where he met Mila – is gearing up for his TV return after landing a place on new show The Beauty, alongside Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall. 

They are aware they have made a number of mistakes and they feel embarrassed by it all.

Acting work has been few and far between – his last role was the rom-com Your Place or Mine, which he shot in 2021.

The insider told us: “Ashton was over the moon when Ryan Murphy offered him the lifeline of a new show.

“He is determined to redeem himself and put an end to all the rumours. He feels like this is a step in the right direction. If this goes well he could be back where he wants to be in no time.”

His new show airs in the US in just two weeks time, so their appearance certainly seems deliberate. 

Things were looking very different for the star two years ago after he was forced to publicly apologise for supporting his co-star Danny Masterson, who has been jailed for 30 years to life.

Ashton and Mila both appeared in a video together, insisting they did not intend to undermine the victims’ testimony or retraumatise them, after they both wrote letters of support for him.

The couple appeared with Masterson in That ’70s Show around the time of the attacks in 2003.

Ashton had told the rape trial judge in Los Angeles that he was a man who treated people “with decency, equality, and generosity”, adding he was “an “exceptional older brother figure”.

Following the backlash he stepped down as chair of his anti-child sex abuse organization. 

It was on That ’70s Show where Ashton and Mila met for the first time in 1998 – she was 14 and he was 19. It wasn’t until 2012 that they reconnected following his divorce from Demi Moore and married in 2015, before having two children Wyatt, 10, and son Dimitri, eight.

I was a 14-year-old little girl, and I was extremely scared for my life.

Mila on first kiss with Ashton

On the sitcom though their characters Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart fell for each other, and Mila later admitted her first ever kiss had been an onscreen one with Ashton. 

In an interview in 2002 on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, she revealed: “I’ve never kissed a guy. I was a 14-year-old little girl, and I was extremely scared for my life. He was very nice about it, like, ‘Don’t worry about it.’”

Joking about the age difference, Ashton said: “They were like, ‘You guys are going to be making out in this scene.’ And I’m thinking wait, this is slightly illegal.”

The inappropriateness didn’t end there, though – their now jailed co-star Danny made a bet with him to ‘use tongues’.

Ashton revealed: “Danny bet me like 20 bucks I wouldn’t do it.”

There was some debate about if tongues were indeed used, but Mila insisted: “I didn’t let him, but I think he tried.”

Mila later admitted she had “the biggest crush” on her older co-star, although nothing was going to happen until years later. 

WORRYING FRIENDSHIPS

In 2003, Ashton raised eyebrows once again when presenting his MTV show Punk’d. He was 25 at the time and said 15-year-old Lizzie McGuire actress Hilary Duff is ‘one of the girls that we’re all waiting for to turn 18’. 

While at the time it wasn’t considered as offensive, in recent years his remark has been heavily criticised.

So too has his friendship with Diddy – who has been jailed for over four years for two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

The pair are said to have met on the set of Punk’d – spawning a 20-year friendship and invites to Diddy’s highly controversial parties. There is no suggestion he ever attended a ‘freak-off’.

Speaking of their friendship, he said previously:  “I’ve got a lot I can’t tell…Diddy party stories, man. That was like, some weird memory lane.”

Our insider explained: “A lot of Ashton’s past behaviour keeps rearing its head and it’s really not been helping his image. There has been a lot of speculation over the years.

“He’s really hoping enough time has passed for people to forgive him. They had friendships with people, yes, but they had no idea what they were involved in. They were hoodwinked as much as the rest of us.

“Ashton has taken a lot of time to reflect on things and work through it all with Mila.

“It’s definitely taken its toll on their marriage, but the fact she was by his side at the Golden Globes shows she fully supports and trusts him.”

Mila has been steadily working on one or two projects a year, but is said to also be hoping things pick up for her too.

Her two biggest box office hits, Ted and Oz the Great and Powerful, released in 2012 and 2013.

Their relationship certainly had controversial beginnings, and they’ve continued to hit headlines since starting a family. 

In 2021, they sparked debate by revealing they don’t bathe their kids daily, insisting they only wash them when they see they are visibly dirty.

And Ashton said of himself that he washed his “armpits and my crotch daily” and threw water on his face after a workout “to get all the salts out”.

The backlash is said to have felt out of proportion, and while the couple made fun of it, they are thought to have felt frustrated about public opinion of them. 

Things got so bad that in 2024, the pair were believed to be considering moving abroad to Europe or even just away from Hollywood.

But they are thought to have stayed because of business opportunities. Off screen Ashton has become a highly successful venture capitalist and is now reportedly worth more than £150m. 

Last year, he joined a consortium led by MCR Hotels to buy the high-end celebrity members club Soho House & Co for $2.7 billion – a savvy and calculated move to help him keep his finger on the pulse.

Our source added: “Ashton wants to remain relevant, so being part of that buy-up was a clever way to do that.

“He might not really be mingling with the stars who go there anymore, but he wants to be associated with it.”

While he might be back on our telly soon, gracing red carpets again and showing his marriage is stronger than ever, it’s unclear if that will be enough for both Hollywood and the fans to welcome him, and indeed Mila,  back with open arms. 

Welcome to Bunker Talk. This is a weekend open discussion post for the best commenting crew on the net, in which we can chat about all the stuff that went on this week that we didn’t cover. We can also talk about the stuff we did or whatever else grabs your interest. In other words, it’s an off-topic thread.

This week’s second caption reads:

In a building called the “Blue Cube” on the military airbase, a group of Air Force officers and enlisted men montior the flight of the space shuttle. From this location the space shuttle is controlled after it is launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Typically the Air Force only monitors space flights with classified military cargo and equipment. | Location: Near San Jose, California, USA.

Also, a reminder:

Prime Directives!

• If you want to talk politics, do so respectfully and know that there’s always somebody that isn’t going to agree with you. 
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• Do not be a sucker and feed trolls! That’s as much on you as on them. Use the mute button if you don’t like what you see.  
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• Finally, as always, report offenders, please. This doesn’t mean reporting people who don’t share your political views, but we really need your help in this regard.

Si King returns to TV in his first solo series since co-star Dave Myers’ death in February 2024

Hairy Bikers star Si King is preparing to return to television screens with his first solo programme following the heartbreaking death of his close friend and co-presenter Dave Myers.

The new television venture, scheduled to broadcast on Channel 4 and markedly different from the duo’s previous culinary programmes, was initially announced during the summer months.

Dave tragically died from cancer in February 2024, at the age of 66. His passing brought an inevitable conclusion to the beloved television partnership’s time as the Hairy Bikers, with Si honouring Dave through a final programme entitled The Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone.

Previously, Si, 59, explained he would be departing from the “adventure-style” BBC programmes the duo had become renowned for. The broadcaster has now confirmed his fresh TV project, Britain’s Favourite Railway Stations with Si King, will launch next year on January 8.

Promo for the programme reveals it will feature “Si King, Siddy Holloway and Damion Burrows explore the extraordinary spaces that take us beyond catching a train to the hidden worlds where heritage, technology and community converge.”

Si, an avid railway enthusiast, will encounter the personnel who maintain the railway system’s smooth operation. The programme will also showcase Britain’s engineering achievements and a rail network comprising over 2,600 stations in its debut series for Channel 4.

Clemency Green, Senior Commissioning Editor at Channel 4, commented on the forthcoming series: “As the rail network turns 200 years old, this series will spotlight the best of our country’s engineering history in a different way.

“We’re honoured that Si will be presenting his first series for More4, and Yeti will no doubt deliver a captivating series that viewers will love to escape into.”

Anna Davies, Executive Producer at Yeti Television, added: “There’s something uniquely British about our love of railways – but usually it’s the trains, not the stations, that get the limelight.

“There are so many amazing stories to be uncovered in stations big and small, with unique characters who run them and incredible history, and Si is the perfect person to be taking us on that journey.”

Discussing future television projects following his time with the Hairy Bikers, Si previously reflected: “It would be different because you know that was Dave and I. He’s no longer with us, so no, it would have to be different. I would want it to be different.”

Embarking on a solo venture for the first time after two decades as part of a beloved partnership, Si has joined This Morning this year as a regular chef contributing to their cookery segments.

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