Ashton Kutcher’s association with the scandal-ridden rapper Diddy has been thrust into the limelight following the arrest of the music tycoon. The shocking accusations against Diddy, 54, put Kutcher, 46, in an uncomfortable position, as he has been a vocal advocate for radical social change, fighting against malaria and the sexual exploitation of minors.

In fact, Kutcher launched Thorn, a charity aimed at eradicating child sex trafficking, in 2009 – the same year he co-hosted one of Diddy’s infamous white parties with him. The Hollywood actor took on the role of chairman for Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children, an organization dedicated to combating the sexual exploitation of children.

The That 70s Show star has frequently spoken out about the cause, revealing that he has witnessed things “nobody should see.” Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2017, Ashton shared: “I’ve been on FBI raids where I’ve seen things that no person should ever see. I’ve seen video content of a child that’s the same age as mine being raped by an American man that was a sex tourist in Cambodia.”.

“And this child was so conditioned by her environment that she thought she was engaging in play. I’ve been on the other end of a phone call from my team asking for my help, because we had received a call from Homeland Security telling us that a seven-year-old girl was being sexually abused and that content was being spread around the dark web.”

“She had been being abused and they had watched her for three years and they could not find the perpetrator. [They were] asking us for help. We were the last line of defense, an actor and his foundation were the potential last line of defence. That’s my day job and I’m sticking to it,” he continued, reports the Daily Star.

In 2017, Thorn’s software tools were reported to have cut down investigation times by 60%, and the tech has managed to identify “6,000 trafficking victims, 2,000 of which are minors.”

The initiative was first launched by Kutcher and his then-wife Demi Moore in 2009, previously called the DNA Foundation. Around the same period, Ashton was a familiar face at events thrown by Diddy, who was recently arrested.

Throughout the 2000s, Kutcher was often spotted at Diddy’s extravagant parties and even co-hosted the renowned White Party with him in 2009.

Their camaraderie further blossomed when both appeared together on James Corden’s The Late Late Show in 2018. Reflecting on their friendship, Ashton remarked: “We were spending a lot of time together. By the way, if you’re a single man, there’s probably no greater human being in the world than him. We were having a lot of fun together.”

All this resurfaces as Diddy faces serious legal troubles, having been arrested on sex trafficking charges just last week. The rapper is confronted with allegations of trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution purposes.

Nevertheless, he staunchly refutes all charges and is poised to contest them in court.