What's going on with the actors and actresses of That 70s Show?

Recent events, including a conviction for r a p e and questionable comments of cast members in court and on social media, have changed the way we look at one of the biggest hits of the '90s and 2000s: That 70s Show.

Danny Masterson, the actor who played Hide in the show, was sentenced to 30 years of prison in September 2023. The charges were three cases of s e x u a l assault, two of which the court considered proven.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, as well as two other cast members, Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, submitted letters to the County Superior Court on behalf of Masterson, trying to get him a lower sentence for his crimes. Their involvement in the case caused a storm of criticism for nearly the entire cast of 'That 70s Show.'

No one knew at the time of their biggest success, between 1998 and 2006, that there were dark secrets behind the scenes of 'That 70s Show.' After 2006, actors would return in series and movies, keeping us laughing until the revelations about Masterson tainted the show's image.

The formula of the hit series was simple: it followed six quirky teenagers in the 70s going through the funniest situations while constantly referring to, and mocking, the time and culture in which they lived.

Every week Donna, Erick, Jackie, Kelso, Hyde, and Fez made us laugh out loud with their wittiness and awkwardness. Viewers didn't need to have lived through the 70s to understand the cultural references.

16 years later, part of the cast returned with the sequel 'That '90s Show.' Released in January 2023, the spin-off is streamed on Netflix. However, Danny Masterson is conspicuously absent from that sequel.

Picture: Netflix

What happened to the original cast of 'That '70s Show'? What did they do since the sitcom ended, and what is their standing now? Let's have a look at the actors and actresses' trajectories.

The most obvious character to start with is the hippie-style Steven, played by the now-disgraced actor Danny Masterson. Steven is abandoned by his mother and taken in by the Forman family. In the seventh season, he meets his father, a wealthy businessman, who gives him a job in the Point Place record store.

Would you have recognized Steven from this photo? Danny Masterson had several projects in Hollywood after 'That 70s Show' but none of them was a big hit. Moreover, he was charged with three counts of assault in his home in Hollywood Hills. Initially, Masterson managed to get an acquittal. But then, there was another trial...

Masterson, a member of the Church of Scientology, abused several women in his religious community. Going to court in 2023, he now has to serve 30 years behind bars for the crimes.

Mila Kunis was a teenager when she started playing Jackie Burkhart in 'That 70s Show.' Her character had relationships with Kelso, then with Hyde, and finally with Fez.

In real life, she ended up marrying Ashton Kutcher (Kelso, in the photo), so she kept her private life pretty close to her professional life in 'That 70s Show.'

After 'That '70s Show', Mila's career skyrocketed. She participated not only in blockbuster movies such as 'Date Night' (2010), 'Ted' (2012), and 'Bad Moms' (2016) but also in the dark, Oscar-nominated movie 'Black Swan' (2010).

Mila Kunis has also been at the center of controversies, though. The latest involves the letters she and her husband Ashton Kutcher wrote in support of the convicted r a p i s t Danny Masterson. She said he had "exceptional character" and was like an "outstanding older brother figure" to her. A slap in the face to the victims in this case.

He was the pretty but dorky guy in 'That 70s Show' who relied on his good looks to get everything. Kelso was Jackie's boyfriend for a while, then he had a baby with a librarian named Brooke, and finally, he had a stint as a police officer which didn't last due to his incompetence.

Ashton Kutcher's career was successful just like his wife Mila's. He has titles on his resume like 'What Happens in Vegas' (2008), 'No Strings Attached' (2011), and the sitcom 'Two and a Half Men' (2011 - 2015).

Both Mila and Ashton faced consequences for their letters supporting Masterson. Kutcher, who called his castmate a "role model" in his letter, had to respond to criticism from the anti-child-t r a f f i c k i n g organization Thorn, which he himself was running together with his ex Demi Moore. Because, how can you praise a r a p i s t and run an organization like that at the same time?

Well, as it turns out, you can't. Kutcher had to resign as Chairman of the Board and also made public excuses. "My wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning, and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at Thorn," he said. "I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve."

Here we have a character that was never really popular in the series but has been praised in hindsight. Topher Grace played Eric, the son of Red and Kitty Forman. He was the kind of guy who was obsessed with 'Star Wars.' In addition, he had his eye on the neighbor, Donna, and he pursued her throughout the series' seven seasons.

Topher Grace had a successful career, even though he did not get the spotlights the way Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher did. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for his role in the series 'The Beauty Inside' (2012) and appeared in acclaimed roles for 'Spider-Man 3' (2007), 'Valentine's Day' (2010), 'Interstellar' (2014), and 'Delirium' (2018).

Topher Grace was always the odd one out among the cast of 'That 70s Show.' In fact, he never made it a secret that he was not close to his castmates. In 2018, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he was "the most boring" of the cast and didn't go out after the show to party. By 2023, with all the scandals involving the other stars, Topher Grace is being redeemed in a way. Maybe he was the nice guy after all.

Donna was the typical girl next door, smart and beautiful, and she was Eric's girlfriend for nearly the entire series. However, during the couple's breakup in season 4, she dated Kelso's brother Casey. Of course, that made for many awkward situations.

Laura is a well-known face - even with a different hair color! - due to her brilliant role in the Netflix series 'Orange is the New Black.' On the big screen, she hasn't exactly made blockbusters, however.

Fez was an international student in the friends' group whose native country strangely enough never comes up in the series. He flirted constantly with Donna and Jackie, to no avail, but in season 8, he finally had some luck with Jackie.

People still know his name thanks to productions such as 'Larry Crowne' (2011), 'Minority Report' (2015), 'From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series' (2014-2016), and 'NCIS' (2003-present). He did get some negative press for dating women much younger than him (Demi Lovato, Lindsay Lohan), but that's not unique in Hollywood (think about Leonardo DiCaprio, for example!).

This World War II and Korean War veteran was a rock in 'That 70s Show.' He was Eric's father, Kitty's husband, and Steven's foster father. Red Forman was quite strict with Eric and often called him 'Dumba s s,' but sometimes he showed his soft side with Eric as well.

The actor, born in 1943, is still going strong. He's been recognized for works like '24' (2009), 'Medium' (2006-2009), 'Hitchcock' (2012), 'Patriot' (2015-2018), and 'The Dropout' (2022), among many others. His letter-writing for Danny Masterson in 2023 wasn't much appreciated, but he got less criticism than the youngsters Kutcher and Kunis.

In 'That 70s Show,' Kitty Forman was the cheerful mother of Eric who worked as a nurse and liked to drink a little too much sometimes.

Debra Jo Rupp has continued working on some excellent productions. Think of 'This is Us' (2017-2018) and WandaVision (2021), for example. In 2023, 'That 90s Show' was added to her list of achievements. It is likely to return for a second season in 2024, depending on the writers' and actors' strikes and the possible backlash she may face because she, too, wrote a letter for Danny Masterson.

And then there's Bob Pinciotti, Donna's awkward father. He usually walked around the house in his open robe (and no underwear), he was always eating and always in a good mood. He considered Red his best friend, but Red actually felt otherwise.

After 'That 70s Show,' Don Stark made the occasional appearance in movies like 'My Name Is Jerry' (2009), 'Green Book' (2018), and '7 Days to Vegas' (2019). He hasn't been as much in the picture as some of the other '70s Show' cast, but he did return to 'That 90s Show.'